RV Industry Group Mandates Formadehyde Standard

The ghost of the formaldehyde flap in Hurricane Katrina RVs has brought RV manufacturers awake in a cold sweat. The fallout of hundreds of 'RV refugees' complaining of health problems making its way into the national media was, apparently, just what the doctor ordered. Industry standard maker, the RVIA (Recreational Vehicle Industry Association) has rolled out new inspection standards for materials containing formaldehyde.

While the actual standards were decided on last fall, the association now requires RV builders (and those who supply products to them) to certify that the materials used comply with formaldehyde standards matching those used in manufactured housing. While the new standard doesn't rule out the use of formaldehyde in supplies (most typically plywood and particle board) it does mandate that the chemical can be present in products in no greater a portion than .3 of a part per million.

Don't expect that you'll see a word about this in any owner's documentation. While manufactured home buyers must receive notice about formaldehyde in their new homes, the RVIA did not adopt that same standard for RVs.

Beach Campers Report Terror in Mexico

SignOnSanDiego.com, a web site of the Union Tribune newspaper reports that Americans are increasingly reporting robberies by paramilitary types along the Baja coast. While the site indicates reports are incomplete, and much of their information comes from tallies of internet sites, there are some solid reports of some scary incidents along the Mexican coastline.

In one account, the owner of a California surfer academy said his camping group was set upon by men wearing military clothing and ski masks. Pat Weber said he and his girl friend at first refused to come out of their motorhome--until shots were fired through it. Once outside he says, "They made us get down on all fours -- execution position -- and put guns to our heads." Weber's girlfriend was sexually assaulted by the gunmen, and the banditos left with $10,000 worth of high tech gear. The incident reportedly took place Cuatro Casas, 200 miles south of the US border.

The web site says many Americans say they have experienced similar situations but are afraid to report them to Mexican authorities, choosing to speak out once they get back to the states.

The owner of a tourism club in California says their organization has been calling on Baja tourism authorities to investigate and handle the situation, lest the Mexican state sees a decline in US visitors fearing they'll become crime victims. For the whole story, visit the news site.

Thinking SUV for Toad? Think Safety

RV owners looking for a new SUV for a toad car, or for other use, might want to reflect on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests. While recently tested SUVs have improved in "frontal" crash tests, things did not go so well for SUVs evaluated for side-impact crashes.

Says the institute, "Among the worst performers in the side test are the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chevrolet TrailBlazer, even though both are equipped with standard side airbags. The front and side tests recently were conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to evaluate how well midsize SUVs protect people in the two most common kinds of serious crashes. Rear crash protection ratings for these models were released earlier this year."

“The performance of some of these models in the side test was surprising,” says Institute senior vice president David Zuby. “SUVs should have an advantage in side crashes because the driver and passengers ride higher up than in cars. People often think they’re safer in one of these vehicles, but many cars hold up better than some of these midsize SUVs in this test.”

SUVs are safer now than they were even just a few years ago, especially with the addition of electronic stability control, which is standard on all the models in this group. Still none of the six SUVs earned the Institute’s TOP SAFETY PICK designation because of low ratings for protection in side and/or rear impacts.

“If you’re in the market for a midsize SUV, there’s no reason to buy one with mediocre crash test ratings,” Zuby says. “Vehicles like the Ford Edge and Taurus X, Honda Pilot, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Subaru Tribeca would be safer choices. They afford good protection in front and side crashes. Plus they have good seat/head restraint designs to protect you in rear-end crashes. These five models, tested earlier this year, are our highest rated midsize SUVs, earning the TOP SAFETY PICK award. If you’re willing to spend a little more, the Acura MDX and RDX, Lincoln MKX, Mercedes M class, and Volvo XC90 also are TOP SAFETY PICK choices.”

For more information, check out a story in the New York Times.

Photo courtesy DR Ranch on FLICKR

Dometic's Reefer Recall--Most Recent NTHSB List

“Dometic is committed to offering RVers the best and safest in RV products,” Brad Sargent, vice president of marketing, stated in a Feb. 12 release announcing the recall of 926,866 refrigerators manufactured between April 1997 and May 2003. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

It would be hard for an RVer to miss this recall. Magazine advertisements, letters to end-consumers, notices from RV manufacturers, and blog entries like ours have all pointed to this massive recall campaign. The problem? Some Dometic refrigerator units have an oversize burner assembly that can heat up parts so hot that cooling unit tubing can come undone. Should the coolant hit the burner flame, a fire could result. So far, Dometic says they've heard of a couple of fires, and say that in 99.99% of cases, the unit should be safe as-is. But to cover that fraction that might not--well, enter the recall.

While this list MAY NOT be the complete list of all RVs possibly equipped with the recalled refrigerators, it is the most recent National Highway Transportation Safety Board recall list. Check out the Dometic recall web site to see if your specific refrigerator is under recall.

Alphabetical list from NHTSB:

Adventure Manufacturing is recalling 5,794 MY 2000-2002 Timberland, MY 2002-2004 Timberlodge, Riverside, Glacier and MY 2003-2005 Treasure Ship fifth wheel and travel trailers.

Airstream is recalling 5,084 MY 1997-2000 Excella, MY 1997-2004 Safari, MY 1999-2001 Limited, MY 2002-2004 Classic travel trailers and MY 1997-2004 Land Yacht, MY 1997-1999 Cutter, MY 1999 XL, MY 2000-2004 XL Land Yacht, MY 2002-2003 XC Land Yacht, MY 2000-2001 Land Yacht XL and Land Yacht XC, and MY 2003-2004 Skydeck motor homes.
Allen Camper is recalling 217 MY 1997-2003 recreational vehicles.

American Travel Systems (ATS) is recalling 883 MY 1997-1999 recreational vehicles.

Bearcat is recalling 107 MY 1997-2003 recreational vehicles.

Coach House is recalling 621 MY 1997-2003 Class B and Platinum motor homes.

Crossroads RV is recalling 3,939 MY 1998-2001 Prep, All American, MY 2001-2002 All Star, MY 2001-2004 Paradise Pointe, MY 2002 Paradise Cove, MY 2003 Crossroads, MY 2003-2004 Cruiser, AND MY 2004 Silverado fifth wheel and travel trailers.

Damon is recalling 25,128 MY 1997-2004 Camplite, Challenger, Daybreak, Intruder, Ultrasport; MY 1997-1998 Magnum, Outdoor Inn; MY 2000-2004 Escaper; MY 1997-2000 Hornet; and MY 1997 Frontier Flyer travel trailers and motor homes.

Fleetwood Folding Trailers is recalling 2,726 MY 2001-2003 Caravan and MY 2004 Caravan Micro-Lite travel trailers.

Fleetwood is recalling 167,096 MY 1997-2004 Southwind, Pace Arrow, Bounder, Flair, Storm, Fiesta, Terra, Bounder, Discovery, Providence, Excursion, Expedition, Revolution, American Eagle, American Heritage, American Tradition Class A gasoline and diesel motor homes, Jamboree, Tioga Class C motor homes and Prowler, Wilderness, Terry, Mallard, Pioneer, Pride, and Triumph conventional and fifth wheel travel trailers.

Forest River is recalling an undetermined quantity of MY 1997-2003 recreational vehicles.

Four Winds is recalling 58 MY 2003-2004 Mandalay motor homes.

Gilbert RV Conversion is recalling 1 recreational vehicle.

Gulf Stream 38,767 MY 1997-2003 Atrium, BTouring Cruiser, Capri, Cavalier, Commerical, Conquest, Crescendo, Endura, Friendship, Independence, Palm Breeze, Scenic Cruiser, Sun Sport, Sun Voyager, Tourmaster, Ultra, Vista Cruiser, Yellowstone, Ameri-Lite, Canyon Trail, Innsbruck, Kingsley, Kingsport, Mako, Prairie Schooner, Seahawk, and Stream-Lite motor homes, fifth wheel and travel trailers.

Jayco is recalling 130 MY 2002 Firenza (GS-33A, GL-35L) and 2003 Firenza (GA-33A, GB-36B, GF-35F, and GL-35L) motor homes.

Jensen is recalling 3 MY 1997-2003 cargo trailers.

Keystone RV is recalling 122,167 MY 1997-2004 Sprinter; MY 1998-2004 Springdale; MY 1999-2004 Cabana, Cougar, Montana; MY 1999-2003 Bobcat; MY 2000-2004 Montana - Mountaineer, Tail-Gator; MY 2001-2003 Challenger; and MY 2001-2004 Montana - Big Sky fifth wheel and travel trailers.

Kibbi is recalling 1,762 MY 1997-2003 recreational truck conversions and trailers.

Lazy Daze is recalling 1,229 MY 1997-2003 motor homes (22M, 231/2FD, 231/2LF, 231/2TB, 231/2RL, 261/2MB, 261/2RB, 261/2IB, 261/2RK, 30IB, and 30TB).

Longhorn Conversions is recalling 1 MY 2001-2003 horse and cargo trailers.

Newmar is recalling 16, 190 MY 1997-2003 Class A and diesel pusher motor homes and fifth wheel trailers.

Palomino RV is recalling 345 MY 1999-2003 Stampede and Thoroughbred fifth wheel and travel trailers.

Recreation by Design (RBD) is recalling 942 MY 1997-2003 recreational vehicles.

Roadmaster is recalling an undetermined quantity of recreational vehicles.

R-Vision is recalling an undetermined quantity of recreational vehicles.

Skyline is recalling 57, 295 MY 1997-2004 Aljo, Celebrity, Century, Layton, Nomad, Seaview and Weekender truck campers, fifth wheel and travel trailers.

Space Craft is recalling 21 MY 1997-2003 fifth wheel and horse trailers.

Sundowner is recalling 5,254 MY 1997-2003 Cargo, Prostock, Stampedesl, Stock, and Sunlite recreational, cargo, and horse trailers.

Sunnybrook RV is recalling19,519 MY 1997-2004 Sunnybrook and MobileScout fifth wheel and travel trailers.

Teton Homes is recalling 610 MY 1997-2004 Expedition, Experience, Grand, Royal, Prestige, and Tradition recreational vehicles.

Thor America is recalling 12,000 MY 1997-2004 Citation, Chateau, Corsair, and Prism fifth wheel and travel trailers.

Travel Supreme is recalling 1,451 MY 1997-2007 travel trailers and motor homes.

Universal Specialty Vehicles is recalling 18 MY 1997-2003 Eagle recreational vehicles.

Western RV is recalling 6,188 MY 1998-2003 Alpine Coach motor homes, MY 1997-1999 Wilderness truck campers, MY 2003 Aspen travel trailers, and MY 1997-2003 Alpenlite truck campers and fifth wheel trailers.