Norcold Warranty Issues

[Sweenja1]

Has anyone had problems getting Norcold to replace a refrigerator under warranty?

I have a 2016 Heartland Bighorn 3760 EL with the 18.3 cubic foot 4 door refrigerator. Twice I've had to have the temp switch reset with a magnet due to error code Li Op. 3 of the 4 door handles are broke as is the hinge on the bottom left side of the refrigerator door. You actually have to lift up on the door to get it to close. The condensation in the unit is so bad it leaks inside and out to the point it rotted out the bottom of the slide under the refrigerator. Overtime I've had to increase the temp setting just to maintain a safe temperature to store food. Initially the refrigerator would keep items cold set at "3", now I have to set it at "6" just to maintain the same temperature.

I have had a tech telling Norcold the refrigerator needs to be replaced under warranty. Norcold is refusing arguing that because the "codes" are all reading within normal there is nothing wrong with the refrigerator. The tech believes the refrigerator was dropped during shipping or install due to broken hinge on the bottom of the door.

Heartland is aware of the problem and to my knowledge has yet to address it with Norcold. Has anybody else had these types of issues with Norcold warranty? How was it resolved if it was resolved?

 

[danemayer]

hi Sweenja1,

The Norcold warranty (as with most warranties) probably allows Norcold to take whatever approach they feel is appropriate to correct manufacturing defects. If they think the unit can be repaired, it's unlikely they would agree to replace the whole refrigerator.

From your problem description it sounds like the door is the primary problem. If it's not closing and sealing correctly, that probably explains the condensation and cooling issues.

The tech's speculation that the refrigerator was dropped might be part of the problem getting Norcold to act. If he's shared that opinion with Norcold, they might be taking the position that damage from dropping the unit is not a manufacturing defect and that all of the resultant problems are not covered by the warranty.

If the hinge and handles were broken and the door was out of place when you took delivery of the RV, you might have a case that someone dropped the unit, and you might be able to have a discussion with Heartland about installing a damaged unit. But that begs the question of why you would have accepted the RV in that condition. So I'm guessing maybe these problems developed after taking delivery.

Is it possible that a tech working on the LI OP errors might have pulled the refrigerator out to work on it? If it was dropped, maybe that's when it happened.

Has there been any discussion about fixing the hinge/door handles?

 

[Sweenja1]

The only time the refrigerator was removed was to replace the rotted out floor underneath it. The Li Op error is corrected from the back of the refrigerator, no need to remove it. The hinge broke, or at least we noticed it was broke about 3 weeks after we took possession of the coach. The door latches started breaking within two months. Norcold has admitted they discovered a problem with condensation in these units after manufacture and they offer a "retrofitted" correction. However, the correction is a putting plastic around the outside of the refrigerator which the tech has already done. This does nothing to stop the condensation on the inside of the refrigerator and only prevents damage to the coach from the water leaking on the outside. The tech actually found the water damage when he came to write up the proposal to fix the hinge and latches.

I actually would be willing to accept replacement of the door on the one side with the broken hinge and the two other door latches. They haven't even offered that to see if it would fix the problem. The damage to the coach Heartland paid for but still no resolve on the leaking fridge.

 

[Sweenja1]

Great news. I was contacted by Norcold and it appears there was some miscommunication. They will be replacing the refrigerator with a new one