40M Kidde Fire Extinguishers Recalled, Some Dating To The 1970s

About 40 million Kidde disposable fire extinguishers, some dating back to the 1970s, are under immediate recall because they may malfunction during an emergency, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday. The faulty fire extinguishers are linked to one death involving a car fire in 2014 and at least 16 injuries, including smoke inhalation and minor burns.

Kidde said it has received about 390 complaints that the fire extinguishers either didn’t activate or only partially activated in emergency situations., and there have been hundreds of incidents in which the extinguishers either did not activate, or only partially activated. Also, the company said, it has taken about 90 reports of property damage after the extinguishers failed to work properly.

This recall involves two styles of Kidde fire extinguishers — those with plastic handles and push-button Pindicator fire extinguishers. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the push button on plastic handles can clog, and nozzles can also pop off with enough force to become a dangerous, injury-causing projectile.

Included in the plastic-handle fire extinguishers are 134 models manufactured between 1973 an Aug. 15, 2017, including some models that were previously recalled in 2009 and 2015. It also includes eight push-button models manufactured between 1995 and Sept. 22, 2017.

The fire extinguishers 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. They were also sold with commercial trucks, recreational vehicles, personal watercraft and boats.

The massive recall includes 37.8 million fire extinguishers sold in the United States and 2.7 million sold in Canada.

Kidde has set up a web page where consumes check to see if they own one of the affected models. Inquiries may also be directed to the company at (855) 271-0773.

Affected models will be replaced within 10 to 15 business days with new extinguishers that contain metal instead of plastic, the company said. No proof of purchase is required, but consumers will need to supply serial numbers and other identifying information.

More information is found on the Consumer Product Safety Commission website.

Photo via Consumer Product Safety Commission