Magic Chef 12 Volt refrigerator recall

[Wendy Phelan]

Originally Posted by CedarCreekWoody

Wendy that sounds like a battery failure. Have you checked it and assured it is supplying power after dark?

Thank you for your response. I have lights, water pump, etc at night. I am presuming that the batteries (2 x 6 volts brand new) are supplying power after dark? Is there another way to test that theory?

[Capacitor]

Yeah, check the refrigerator temperature in the morning preferably with a digital thermometer that you leave in the refer.

https://www.amazon.com/Frigerator-Th...3-315d464ca631

[CedarCreekWoody]

Originally Posted by Wendy Phelan

Thank you for your response. I have lights, water pump, etc at night. I am presuming that the batteries (2 x 6 volts brand new) are supplying power after dark? Is there another way to test that theory?

If those are operating properly it is most likely not the problem. Sorry

[NJKris]

Originally Posted by Wendy Phelan

Thank you for your response. I have lights, water pump, etc at night. I am presuming that the batteries (2 x 6 volts brand new) are supplying power after dark? Is there another way to test that theory?

Yes. Your solar charge controller will indicate state of charge, both in voltage and percentage of capacity.

[ryanpe56]

I followed the TSB video from Forest River and made the vent modifications on the fridge on my 2024 Rockwood 2516. Super simple modification which anyone with a razor knife can perform. I did it because my fridge section never got below 48 degrees no matter what the setting was in the freezer section. The freezer would drop to 0 degrees and the fridge was at 48 degrees. When I added the extra vent slots in the fridge, I can now set the freezer at 3-4 and the fridge now gets to 37. Good luck! Very easy and straightforward. No disassembly other than the removal of a couple of lower shelves.

[Washoe Will]

2024 2513S Rockwood mini lite. Mystery solved! Even with the addition of a fan and thermometer, never got below 48 degrees even when empty!

[Washoe Will]

Originally Posted by ryanpe56

I followed the TSB video from Forest River and made the vent modifications on the fridge on my 2024 Rockwood 2516. Super simple modification which anyone with a razor knife can perform. I did it because my fridge section never got below 48 degrees no matter what the setting was in the freezer section. The freezer would drop to 0 degrees and the fridge was at 48 degrees. When I added the extra vent slots in the fridge, I can now set the freezer at 3-4 and the fridge now gets to 37. Good luck! Very easy and straightforward. No disassembly other than the removal of a couple of lower shelves.

Maybe let us know a little more detail? I'd rather do it myself, too. Or link the video?

[rlocicero]

The problem was magic. Chef modifying the configuration after Forest River preview the product. The original preview of the product had the correct vents in it going down to the refrigerator. They did not realize that the first few batches of refrigerators that were sent to them only had three instead of the five or whatever the number is. Once you make them modification, or have your dealer made the modification it fixes the problem. There is a TSB out there technical service bulletin, and the repair is free.

[ryanpe56]

Here is the link from tott9713 on our forum that outlines the modifications along with a good video. Good luck and happy camping!!
https://youtu.be/9m5vbPJBJ0E?si=BbYh0OLl5yFnYEax

[Aussieguy]

Originally Posted by Wendy Phelan

Thank you for your response. I have lights, water pump, etc at night. I am presuming that the batteries (2 x 6 volts brand new) are supplying power after dark? Is there another way to test that theory?

6v can be either 220ah (approx)
or 105 ah (approx)

if they gave you the smaller ah battery
it may be you run out of power in the morning
Being lead acid, the voltage will be good enough of a indication of the charge level....... measure your voltage in the morning


I am betting that you only got a single solar panel?
it would be OK for storage ....
but for camping you need at least 400-600w of solar panels.

or use generator to get more charging
Lead acid 6v batteries need a LOT of charging time

[Toxaway]

We have had the refrigerator worked on twice- once with a new blower “supposedly” before this recall and now our second work was to put these extra vents in and put our settings at 1 and 4.The temperature improved for 2 days and is back to over 42.
This is new unit and only the second time we’ve used it for a camping trip. I think we may need a different refrigerator all together. We are camping in cool temperatures now but I can’t imagine how hot the refrigerator would be in Florida!

[DMFlorida]

[Life Without Whine]

Originally Posted by Toxaway

and put our settings at 1 and 4.The temperature improved for 2 days and is back to over 42.

Thought the settings were supposed to be 2 & 3 (freezer / frig) ? That works for us with the new vents cut out

[Toxaway]

They told us to set it in 1 and 4 when they did the new slits. Then the cooler froze up solid — we received more info from Forest river which was to check our evaporator/- frozen beyond belief!! Turned everything off - defrosted everything and started again. Apparently the frozen evaporator was our latest issue and the Tmp said to place settings on 1 and 5 and check temperatures. Watching now for the evaporator to defrost on its own properly. Forest River has been very helpful with us

[jaydeyoung]

Hi,
I made the indicated cuts, which was super easy. However, because of the issue I had a great deal of trapped water that gushed out when I made the bottom cut. Is that something to be concerned about? I'm letting it dry out as best I can, but curious if there will be any last effects?

[2queensinamini]

Could the water in the bottom of the vent come from the coil in the freezer? Was your refrigerator running or had it been turned off ? Still think from its probably from frozen coil in the freezer.

[jaydeyoung]

Originally Posted by 2queensinamini

Could the water in the bottom of the vent come from the coil in the freezer? Was your refrigerator running or had it been turned off ? Still think from its probably from frozen coil in the freezer.

It has frozen up twice on us, once in FL and once this summer. It had been turned off now for several weeks before getting tsb and seeing the video. We're heading out over labor day, so we'll see how it goes, but with that much condensation, just getting other's thoughts. Or maybe I need to call the dealer.

[Toxaway]

Our refrigerator freezes up after 3-4 days and we have to turn the whole thing off and let it defrost completely again. It seems that the problem is with defrosting or lack there of— despite temperature adjustments. We are bringing it in for service since we have completed the suggested fixes to no avail— fingers crossed

[Ozarksguzzi]

Luckily my hand was empty and I caught it. I re-installed(not difficult) and while she was making breakfast I wondered how this could happen. We left for a couple hours and came back to a warm fridge! The freezer was still working. Panic set in and she sent me out for coolers and ice. We spent the evening wondering how this could happen to a new camper.
I say this to offer an explanation. The previous night she thinks the fridge was running a lot. What happened was the last user did not fully shut the freezer and the next morning I opened it from the other side. Overnight it froze (don't know what) which blocked the fridge from getting cold air. The self defrost mode hit and the next day all was back to normal. Guess what? This one was my fault

[Shirlmadd]

We bought a new 2024 Rockwood signature a couple of months ago. Our first camping trip was great. The second trip was a mini disaster. When we arrived at our destination and set up, we realized our magic chef frig was not working at all. We troubleshooted all we knew to do and neither frig or refrigerator are working. We’re calling dealer first thing this am. After reading all the problems and some recalls, why was this frig put in these campers??