Fire Extinguisher Maker Recalls 37.8M Kidde Extinguishers

DALLAS, TX — A manufacturer of fire extinguishers has announced a recall of almost 38 million extinguishers. Kidde announced the recall after finding operational failures that led to a death and at least 16 injuries, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday morning.

"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," CPSC said in its Nov. 2 notice for the extinguishers, which are manufactured in Mebane, N.C.

The operational failure is to blame for a 2014 death in a car fire after emergency responders could not get the extinguishers to work, CPSC said in the recall notice. The failures have also led to nearly 400 reports of failures that resulted in 16 injuries and 91 reports of property damage, it added.

The massive recall of 37.8 million extinguishers covers those with plastic handles and push-button Pindicators, and involves 134 models produced from January 1973 through August 15, 2017.

Click here to see the entire list of product models involved in this recall.

Customers with recalled extinguishers should contact Kidde to get a free replacement by calling 855-271-0773, CPSC said.

Photo via Pixabay
Story by Kimberly Johnson, Patch