Renogy Flexible Panel Recall

[alano]

Got this email this morning...

Dear Valued Renogy Customer,
You are receiving this email as our records indicate that you have purchased a product with the model number RNG-100DB after April 28th, 2015.
RNG is issuing a voluntary product recall of specific 100 Watt Renogy bendable solar panels. This product is being voluntarily recalled because the configuration of the product may cause it to overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.
Serial Numbers Affected:
The products are 100 Watt Renogy bendable solar panels with the model number RNG-100DB. The products have the UPC code 720825342283 and a serial number beginning with 15029201504030xxx or 15037201504140xxx.

Participating in the Recall:
Please stop using this product immediately. You can return your unit for a full refund or a replacement product.

• If you return your unit for a refund, a pre-paid return label will be sent to your email address. Once the product has arrived at RNG’s location, a full refund will be issued.
• You may also replace your unit with a RNG-100D rigid panel and receive a partial credit. A pre-paid return label will be sent to your email address. Once the product arrives at RNG’s location, a partial refund will be issued.

If you have questions about this voluntary recall, please call RNG toll-free at 1 (800) 330-8678, ext. 2, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. PST Saturday, or email customerservice@renogy.com. Please be prepared with an order number or email address to look up the order.

Kinda steamed by the whole thing. I bought two flexibles, glued them to roof and had them fail. Scraped them off the roof, returned them for replacements, designed and built a new "above the roof" mounting system for them and now I'm looking at doing it all over for heavy panels. Looks like I'll be looking at roof-lifting shocky things too now.

Deep breath... I already have one rigid panel mounting up top that I got when I didn't realize the first two flexibles were failing. Maybe the answer is to swap one flexible for a rigid and take the refund for the other and go back to 200W. From a cash point of view I might be able to just about break even including the lifters.

Alan

 

[DrJ]

Makes sense given the number of our members that had a hard time with those panels.

Hopefully they can redesign these in a way to overcome the failures.
It's a great idea just awaiting some better engineering.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I'm impressed with the Renogy folks, and how they're standing behind the problem. Kudos to Renogy!

 

[smlobx]

So is it just the units that are included in this recall (i.e. a bad batch) or is the concept of flexible panels something that needs further refinement?

 

[LookyLou]

So is it just the units that are included in this recall (i.e. a bad batch) or is the concept of flexible panels something that needs further refinement?

The details about the panels the recall includes are in the OP's first post. I contacted Renogy after receiving my email notification yesterday, received a return shipping label from them today, and dropped my panels off at FedEx this afternoon. Refund by check takes about a week and a half. Refund by PayPal about 3 to 4 days. If your purchase was within the last 90 days they can return it to the credit card used for the purchase.

Renogy handled everything efficiently and without questions.

They still offer a flexible panel but it's 50W and noticed their verbage for use mounting is a little more restrictive.