Siemens Circuit Breakers Failing

On November 11, 2010, Siemens Corporation (Siemens) notified the NHTSA that it had decided certain plug-in circuit breakers, manufactured between June 1, 2010, and July 31, 2010, contain a safety related defect. Siemens stated that certain circuit breakers contain a spring clip that may break or fail due to improper heat treatment during manufacturing. Should a circuit breaker spring clip break or fail, excessive temperature, arcing or thermal damage leading to a fire is possible. Should a fire occur from a circuit breaker installed into a recreational vehicle, both personal injury and property damage are possible. Siemens noted that these circuit breakers were sold under both the Siemens and Murray brand names and installed into load centers and meter combo enclosures manufactured between June 23, 2010, and August 25, 2010. This issue was assigned recall number 10E-053. Coachmen RV originally reported this issue in a Part 573 Report for their vehicles on September 15, 2010. When this EQ was opened in December 2010, only Coachmen RV, Dutchmen RV, and Keystone RV had filed subsequent Part 573 Reports for vehicles they manufactured with these circuit breakers. In response to an information request (IR) letter Siemens stated that all of their circuit breakers sold for possible use in motor vehicles were purchased by Dave Carter & Associates, a motor vehicle equipment distributor. Dave Carter & Associates' IR response noted that it sold the affected circuit breakers to Coachmen, Forest River, Keystone RV, Fleetwood RV, and Dutchmen RV. Keystone RV and Dutchmen RV had previously filed Part 573 Reports for their units, recalls 10V-606 and 10V-589, respectively. Coachmen had also filed their Part 573 Report, recall 10V-433, prior to the opening of this EQ. On July 26, 2011, RMD mailed IR letters to Forest River and Fleetwood RV. Forest River responded on August 9, 2011, that after researching the circuit breakers they purchased, their Coachmen division was the only group t