Electrical Fire second time out

Garryjg · 07-26-2022, 06:19 AM

Hello, we have a 2022 Sprinter Limited 3590 and on our second trip out camping already experienced an electrical fire. As I was ready to plug in shore power, I could smell something burning. As I walked back to the front of the 5th wheel, I could see smoke coming out of the front compartment door. After I opened the front compartment door, in the right (facing the front of the unit) upper corner, next to the batteries, and directly being the auto leveling panel, the wiring harness that passes through the metal frame was on fire and the ground wire was completely melted. I had to use a fire extinguish to get the fire out. It didn't take me long to realize that the cause of the fire was from the wiring harness installed too tight from the manufacture and the wires were chafing against the metal frame until the protective insulation was removed from the wires, the wires than shorted out and the red-hot wires than caught the wire insulation on fire.

I called Keystone and they filled out an incident report, and I suggested that they needed a recall/inspection for other units on the road. As I believe Keystone will consider this an isolated incident and not pursue inspections on other units, I wanted to know if there is like a National RV safety board I can notify to help determine the root cause (possible training issue of improper wiring installation, or a management issue of instructing employee's to shorten the wires to save money) of this problem? Since Keystone is a member of RVIA , i will write them a letter as well. IN my opinion, there is no reason this fire should have occurred in the first place, since this was 100% preventable from the start. We were likely that we were not sleeping in the unit when the fire started, and I believe Keystone should get to the root cause of this problem, as well as inspect other units on the road. Thanks for any positive or negative replies. I'll save the blown tire and panel damage on our second trip due to low quality tires installed from the manufacture and my $1008.00 bill for new high-quality tires on a 2-month-old 5th wheel for another day.

wiredgeorge · 07-26-2022, 07:03 AM

Well, glad no one was injured in the fire. BTW: The cheap tire song has been played many times on this forum. Not sure what size tires you have but you can use the search function and see which are recommended by forum members for either 15" or 16" wheels. As far as the poor wiring technique, doubt Keystone will do anything until there is a spate of complaints on the exact same issue. I also suspect that each trailer is sort of a stand alone wiring project and doubt all the same camper models as your camper have the same issue. They toss a wire guy some wire and he wires each camper a bit differently I suspect and there are probably different wire guys as well.

Keep an eye on other Sprinter 3590 posts and you likely won't see a bunch as that model doesn't come up nearly as often as Montana or Cougar or Bullet, etc. Have never seen your wiring issue been discussed so perhaps your wiring issue was isolated? Anyway, hope Keystone takes it seriously and gets your camper fixed post haste.

**flybouy** · 07-26-2022, 07:51 AM

The poor install quality is not new. It has been reported where wires get pinched, peirced with a staple, or otherwise damaged. What's concerning to me is that it caused a fire. You stated "as you were ready to plug into shore power..." that sounds like a dc circuit unless it was an inverter output.

DC fires (especially in motor vehichles with non- factory installed accessories like DIY stereo or lighting installs. Often the diy'er doesn't install a fuse at the source or installs an improper sized fuse for the wire size and often do not use a proper grommet when penetratiing metal. Those issues should never occure from a factory install. I would think the factory would want to chase that down for liability reasons alone. Do you know if the dealer did any installs like solar converter before delivery?

I'm glad to hear there were no injuries, that's the most important outcome. I hope Keystone & the dealer get you whole again quickly.

dutchmensport · 07-26-2022, 08:52 AM

You are talking about an RV here! Good luck raising feathers!

**hankpage** · 07-26-2022, 12:26 PM

Gary, Welcome to the forum. As mentioned every trailer is wired differently. The worker doing it may not even have electricity in his own home. That said, DC wires exiting the battery compartment should be fused before they pass through the frame or other metal to prevent what happened. I hope Keystone will make good for the damage and correct the wiring.

Your tires are another story that we see here and on other trailer mfg.'s forums. Not only quality but reserve capacity and abuse during delivery and on dealer lots. Like you said, that's for another day and a forum section on "tires".
JM2¢, Hank

Garryjg · 07-28-2022, 07:27 PM

thank you everyone that replied. I appreciated your time to send a reply in this matter.

**chuckster57** · 07-29-2022, 07:07 AM

Any resolution at this point?

Garryjg · 07-29-2022, 07:14 AM

I will be sending a letter to RVIA since basic electrical standard guidelines were not adhered to. What do you think will happen next?

Garryjg · 07-29-2022, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckster57

Any resolution at this point?

I will send a complaint letter to RVIA. Do you think anything will happen?

**chuckster57** · 07-29-2022, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garryjg

I will be sending a letter to RVIA since basic electrical standard guidelines were not adhered to. What do you think will happen next?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garryjg

I will send a complaint letter to RVIA. Do you think anything will happen?

I have no idea. Have you gotten the problem fixed?

**JRTJH** · 07-29-2022, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garryjg

I will be sending a letter to RVIA since basic electrical standard guidelines were not adhered to. What do you think will happen next?

RVIA has NO AUTHORITY over any manufacturer's processes. RVIA is an "organization of RV manufacturers that attempt to improve RV manufacturing by meeting regularly to discuss industry trends, industry problems and seek solutions for problems as well as make recommendations to change the industry process.... Remember, "it is an organization composed of RV manufacturers" not a "watchdog organization with any authority to impose changes on any manufacturer"....

Maybe you'd benefit from taking a look at the way the federal safety program really works.....

First, do you believe that NHTSA or Ford did a massive recall when the first Pinto gas tank exploded? Or that GM stopped production to engineer better engines the first time (or even the 100th time) a retrofitted 350 cu in diesel engine "exploded under harsh conditions"? Or that the FAA grounded the Boeing 737 MAX when the first crash occurred ???

NOPE

You can (and probably should) report your experiences to the manufacturer and to the federal oversight programs. But, the FIRST thing the NHTSA is going to do is determine if they have "oversight responsibility and authority" for the problem. If they do, they'll "log it into the computer and check for any negative trends"... If they don't, they'll "trashcan your report" as it's not "within their realm of authority"....

Once there's a "significant historical negative trend that affects public safety" (remember the NHSTA deals with highway and traffic safety, not with electrical wiring safety) they will send a notice to the manufacturer asking for recommendations to negate the problem. Those recommendations may rise to the level of a recall, they may only require repair of affected units if the owner reports a problelm, they may not require anything more than a records review to determine if any other owners are experiencing similar problems....

I'm not suggesting your efforts will be futile. You SHOULD report the problem to the appropriate channels. I am saying that by comparison, this may be "earth shattering" to you, but it's "all in a day's work" for Keystone and the federal watchdogs.....

Don't expect much more than a confirmation that your complaint has been received and will be reviewed by the appropriate department.

Ddaddyo · 08-07-2022, 11:56 AM

"National RV Safety Board" ��
If there was they would never let any RV on the Road with Chinese Tire's!!!!!
They have your Money, they Care about you Not!

Mikelff · 08-07-2022, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garryjg

I will send a complaint letter to RVIA. Do you think anything will happen?

RIVA will do nothing. They are NOT a regulatory agency. A letter to the NTSB will possibly help in documenting your issue but they probably will do nothing. You can also send a letter to the consumer protection agency. They definitely can do something but will they do anything is the question. Good luck.

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