*The black water tank of our 2024 Forest River NoBo 20.4 was found to be leaking. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the factory installed tank heating pad applied to our black water tank suffered a severe electrical and structural malfunction. The carbon fiber heating element inside the pad was found to be bent, concentrating heat to an extreme degree. The element experienced a high-resistance thermal event, melting completely through the protective heating pad and burning a hole directly through the structural plastic of the black water tank it was applied to. * This created a severe fire hazard for two individuals who had been using the travel trailer at the time of the finding. *This issue is consistent with current NHTSA recalls on this component. RV manufacturers like Grand Design and WInnegago have already issued urgent Federal safety recalls and "Do Not Drive" advisories on vehicles equipped with ThermaHeat pads due to high resistance and severe terminal overheating. *There were no warning lamps or advisories from control panels to indicate the issue and potential danger.
- NHTSA ID
- 11751631
- Incident
- Nov 4, 2025