10/14/2010 // West Palm Beach, FL, US // Sandra Quinlan // Sandra Quinlan
Anderson, SC—Ryobi Technologies Inc., in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, voluntarily recalled Ryobi Model HP 1802M Cordless Power Drills due to fire and burn hazards associated with them. The CPSC announced the product safety recall, which affects approximately 455,000 units, on Thursday, October 14, 2010.
Ryobi recalled the cordless power drills after receiving 47 reports of the drills becoming overheated, causing them to smoke, melt and even catch fire on some occasions.
The South Carolina-based importer was made aware of two occasions in which consumers suffered minor burns after coming into contact with overheated switches. Twelve of the 47 incident reports also described property damage to homes and vehicles.
According to the CPSC news release, “The Ryobi Model HP 1802M cordless drill is powered by an 18 volt rechargeable NiCad battery. The drills are blue and black in color with “Ryobi” appearing in red and white on the left side. The model number can be found on a white label on the right side of the drill.”
The defective cordless power drills, which cost about $100, were made available for purchase at Home Depot stores between January 2001 and July 2003.
Consumers have been urged to cease use of the power drills and remove the product’s rechargeable battery to prevent potential fires and avoid suffering burns. To receive a complimentary replacement drill, consumers may contact Ryobi Customer Service at (800) 597-9624 Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, or on the company’s Web site at www.ryobitools.com.
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