Vehicle recall 09V300000 · July 29, 2009

Winnebago Chieftain, Itasca Horizon and 9 more models

A fatigue failure in the section of the cooling unit which contains the refrigerant could allow the liquid solution to slowly leak.

Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.

Summary: Winnebago is recalling 1,547 model year 2001-2003 recreational vehicles equipped with norcold model 1200LRIM refrigerators, manufactured from March 1, 2001 to December 31, 2002, with serial numbers between 1273701 and 1536607, non-consecutively. A fatigue failure in the section of the cooling unit which contains the refrigerant could allow the liquid solution to slowly leak. If a leak occurs and the refrigerator continues to be operated after solution circulation has ceased the heat source could generate very high temperatures. At such high temperatures, the cooling unit could rupture.
Consequence: If a leak occurs and the unit is continues to operate, hydrogen gas may be expelled and can be ignited, resulting in a fire, possibly causing serious injury or death.
Remedy: Winnebago is working with norcold and norcold will notify owners and the vehicle's refrigerator will be repaired free of charge (please see 09E-027). Owners may contact norcold's recall center at 1-800-767-9101.
Notes: Owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov.

Recall details

NHTSA campaign: 09V300000
Reported to NHTSA: July 29, 2009
Filed by: WINNEBAGO INDUSTRIES, INC.
Owner notification: August 31, 2009
Vehicles potentially affected: 1,547
Initiated by: NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation
Components: Equipment

Recall 09V300000 on nhtsa.gov, with the manufacturer’s documents

Vehicles covered

As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.

Itasca Horizon (2001-2003): 2003, 2002, 2001
Itasca Suncruiser (2003): 2003
Itasca Sunflyer (2001-2003): 2003, 2002, 2001
Itasca Sunrise (2002-2003): 2003, 2002
Winnebago Adventurer (2001, 2003): 2003, 2001
Winnebago Brave (2002-2003): 2003, 2002
Winnebago Chieftain (2001-2003): 2003, 2002, 2001
Winnebago Journey (2001-2003): 2003, 2002, 2001
Winnebago Journey DL (2002-2003): 2003, 2002
Winnebago Ultimate Advantage (2002-2003): 2003, 2002
Winnebago Ultimate Freedom (2002-2003): 2003, 2002

Has your Itasca been repaired?

Recalls here come from NHTSA’s records for the model and year. Not every vehicle of a model is included in every recall, and this site can’t see whether a repair has been done. Only a VIN lookup can tell you that.

Check your VIN with NHTSA

NHTSA’s VIN search doesn’t show recalls that were already repaired, recalls more than 15 years old, or some small manufacturers’ recalls. A Itasca dealer can also check your VIN. Recall repairs are free.