About 40 million fire extinguishers were recalled last week because they may not work properly. One death has been reported, along with injuries and property damage, due to extinguisher failures, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said.
The recall involves two styles of extinguishers made by Walter Kidde Portable Equipment Company Inc., of Mebane, N.C. Those under recall have plastic handles or are push-button Pindicator fire extinguishers.
Plastic handle fire extinguishers: 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.
Push-button Pindicator fire extinguishers: The recall involves eight models of Kidde Pindicator fire extinguishers manufactured between August 11, 1995 and September 22, 2017. The no-gauge push-button extinguishers were sold in red and white, and with a red or black nozzle. These models were sold primarily for kitchen and personal watercraft applications.
“The fire extinguishers can become clogged or require excessive force to discharge and can fail to activate during a fire emergency,” according to the recall notice. “In addition, the nozzle can detach with enough force to pose an impact hazard.”
If you have one of these extinguishers, contact Kidde to request a free replacement and for instructions on returning the recalled one. You can reach Kidde at 855-271-0773 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Eastern) Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Or go to kidde.com and click on “Product Safety Recall.”
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