Kidde Fire Extinguisher Recall

xlinstructionsThe U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) has announced a recall on Kidde Disposable Plastic Fire Extinguishers due to a failure to discharge.

The Kidde Zytel disposable fire extinguishers, a favorite with boaters, can fail to fully discharge during a fire emergency and thus poses a risk of injury to the consumer.

The recall covers 31 models of Kidde disposable fire extinguishers with Zytel black plastic valves. The recalled extinguishers are red, white, or silver and are either ABC or BC rated, with the ratings found to the right of the nameplate. Manufacturer dates that are included in the recall are July 23, 2013 through October 15, 2014.

Kidde has received 11 reports of these extinguishers failing to discharge, but no resulting injuries have been reported. About 4.6 million of these fire extinguishers have been sold in the U.S. and over 175,000 in Canada at Home Depot, Menards, Walmart and other department, home, and hardware stores nationwide. They were sold online from August 2013 through November 2014 at retail prices between $18 and $65, and at about $200 for model XL 5MR. The extinguishers were manufactured in Mexico.

Kidde is urging consumers to contact them immediately for a replacement unit. Anyone owning an effected model can call Kidde toll-free at 855-283-7991 from 8a.m. to 5p.m. EST Monday through Friday, or go online at www.kidde.com and click on Safety Notice for more information and a complete listing of the models.

For further information, visit the Consumer Products Safety Commission website here.

Boaters: check now to see if you have a recalled unit, and get it replaced.