Last Updated on November 2, 2017 11:06 am
A recall involving over 38 million fire extinguishers has been announced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The product recall involves two styles of Kidde disposable fire extinguishers:
- Plastic handle fire extinguishers
- Plastic push-button fire extinguishers
The fire extinguishers can become clogged or require excessive force to discharge and can fail to activate during a fire emergency. In addition, the nozzle can detach with enough force to pose an impact hazard.
The recall involves 134 models of Kidde fire extinguishers manufactured between January 1, 1973 and August 15, 2017, including models that were previously recalled in March 2009 and February 2015. The extinguishers were sold in red, white and silver, and are either ABC- or BC-rated. The model number is printed on the fire extinguisher label. For units produced in 2007 and beyond, the date of manufacture is a 10-digit date code printed on the side of the cylinder, near the bottom. Digits five through nine represent the day and year of manufacture in DDDYY format. Date codes for recalled models manufactured from January 2, 2012 through August 15, 2017 are 00212 through 22717. For units produced before 2007, a date code is not printed on the fire extinguisher. A full list of impacted models can be found below.
The units were sold at: Menards, Montgomery Ward, Sears, The Home Depot, Walmart and other department, home and hardware stores nationwide, and online at Amazon.com, ShopKidde.com and other online retailers for between $12 and $50 and for about $200 for model XL 5MR. These fire extinguishers were also sold with commercial trucks, recreational vehicles, personal watercraft and boats.
Kidde will notify the affected vehicle manufacturers that equipped new vehicles with the extinguishers, and those manufacturers will conduct recalls to notify owners of the issue. Kidde will notify the purchasers of any replacement or aftermarket fire extinguishers. Owners will be instructed to contact Kidde for a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Kidde customer service toll-free at 1-855-271-0773, or online at www.kidde.com and click on “Product Safety Recall” for more information.
