PROBLEM: About 750,000 of four million coffeemakers sold contain thermostats that could present a possible fire hazard.
WHAT TO DO: Consumers owning the specific coffeemakers should bring them to their local Black & Decker Service Centers for inspection. Products with affected thermostats will be repaired free of charge or consumers may purchase a new coffeemaker at 70 percent off. Coffeemakers that do not contain the affected thermostats will be returned to consumers. All consumers participating in this program at Black & Decker-owned Service Centers will be able to purchase other Black & Decker products at a 20 percent discount while having the coffeemakers inspected. Consumers can call (800) 826-1070 for the location of the nearest service center.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Black & Decker Household Products Group, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, announces a voluntary recall of certain Under-the-Cabinet coffeemakers made between 1984 and 1988. Black & Decker is initiating this program because about 750,000 of four million Under-the-Cabinet coffeemakers may contain a thermostat that could present a possible fire hazard.
In accordance with its product safety process, Black & Decker examined Under-the-Cabinet coffeemakers returned by consumers. Approximately 75 showed signs of thermostat damage.
About 45 consumers have reported property damage claims with respect to the Under-the-Cabinet coffeemakers. Property damage allegations range from impairment of the product to varying degrees of residential fire damage. Two consumers claim that they were subject to smoke inhalation. Black & Decker denies claims of any harm beyond damage to the Under-the-Cabinet coffeemaker itself, but is taking this action as a precautionary measure to prevent the possibility of property damage or personal injury.
The SDC 1, 2, and 3 Under-the-Cabinet coffeemakers, produced between February 1984 and May 1988, carry either the Black & Decker or General Electric brand name. Black & Decker purchased the assets of GE Housewares division in 1984 and thereafter produced coffeemakers using the GE brand name from 1984 through 1986. These coffeemakers were originally sold nationwide for between $45 and $72. Black & Decker produced approximately four million Under-the-Cabinet coffeemakers during this time period, of which about 750,000 contained the affected thermostat.
Models with date codes of "406" through "822" are being recalled. The date code is a three-digit number on the outside of the plug prong, ("652" date code, for example, falls within the affected range; "901" is outside the range). NO other coffeemaker models or other Black & Decker or General Electric products are involved in this recall program.
Individual consumers owning these specific Under-the-Cabinet coffeemaker models should bring them to their local Black & Decker Service Centers for inspection. For those coffeemakers found to have thermostats described above, Black & Decker Household Products Group is offering the consumer two options -- replacement of the affected thermostat and related components by a service center technician at no cost to the consumer, or purchase of a new Black & Decker coffeemaker at 70 percent off. Coffeemakers found not to contain the affected thermostat will be returned to consumers.
Consumers participating in this recall program at Black & Decker-owned Service Centers also will be able to purchase other Black & Decker products at a 20 percent discount, not to be combined with any other offers, while having the coffeemaker inspected.
Consumers can call (800) 826-1070 for the location of the nearest service center.
NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
| Office of Information and Public Affairs | Washington, DC 20207 |
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CPSC CONTACT: Russ Rader |
| April 23, 1998 | (301) 504-0580 Ext. 1166 |
| BLACK & DECKER CONTACT: Suzanne Jones | |
| (203) 926-3447 | |
| Release # 98-097 |
CPSC, Black & Decker Settle Toaster Lawsuit; Improve Recall Remedy
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and The Black & Decker Corp. announced today the resolution of CPSC's administrative Complaint against Black & Decker and an improved nationwide recall of the Spacemaker Optima Model T1000 Type 1 Horizontal Toasters. In its Complaint, CPSC alleged that Black & Decker's unilateral recall announcement of October 27, 1997, did not go far enough in notifying the public of the recall or the potential fire hazard associated with the toasters, and the consumer remedy was not adequate. In its Answer, Black & Decker denied the allegations contained in the administrative Complaint. After the Complaint and Answer were filed, CPSC and Black & Decker began working cooperatively to modify and improve Black & Decker's original recall program.Black & Decker is improving its recall by offering consumers their choice of a free Spacemaker Optima Toaster or other selected replacement product instead of a coupon toward the purchase of a product. Consumers who have already contacted Black & Decker about the toaster recall and used a coupon to purchase another product will now be able to select from a list of replacement Black & Decker products, also for free. Extensive measures are underway to get word of the risk and new remedy to consumers.
The toasters are being recalled because they can allow food to catch on fire, and when the toaster door automatically opens and the food rack extends beyond the door, flames from the food can escape the unit and expose kitchen cabinets and their contents to the fire. When the unilateral recall was first announced, the firm reported 242 incidents. Now Black & Decker has received 1,066 food fire complaints involving these toasters; 656 of these involved property damage ranging from kitchen cabinet damage to one kitchen fire. Eight burn injuries have been reported.
Of approximately 234,000 toasters sold, to date only about 19,000 consumers have participated in the unilateral recall announced last October.
The Black & Decker Spacemaker Optima T1000 Type 1 Horizontal Toasters were sold through retail stores nationwide from 1994 through 1996 for about $50 to $64. Consumers can easily identify these recalled toasters because they are the only Spacemaker Optima Toasters that have an "OPEN" button. This "OPEN" button is located on the right side of the control panel. The words "Black & Decker...Spacemaker...Horizontal Toaster...Optima" appear on the toaster door. "MODEL NO. T1000 TY1" is stamped on the back of the toaster. Date codes 405 through 504 appear on the outer prong of the plug blade.
Consumers should stop using these toasters immediately, and contact Black & Decker at (800) 746-2159 between 7 a.m. and midnight EDT Monday through Friday and between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. EDT Saturday and Sunday.
Black & Decker is expanding its efforts to notify consumers by mailing letters directly to consumers, purchasing advertising, providing retailers with new safety notices for in-store displays and posting recall information on its web site. Black & Decker is issuing this press release to media outlets nationwide and broadcasting video by satellite so that local television stations can report on this recall announcement by showing the product and the potential fire hazard.
To ensure that the improved recall runs smoothly, Black & Decker also has set up and staffed a special toll-free hotline for consumers to call to participate in this recall.
CPSC believes that for a recall to be effective, people need to know about it and be moved to act on it. CPSC asks companies to use appropriate resources to make sure the public is aware of the hazard associated with a recalled product. With this program, CPSC believes that Black & Decker is now being more aggressive in its attempt to obtain an effective recall. CPSC and Black & Decker, by this modified and improved recall program announced today, strive to ensure that the public is well aware of the risk associated with the toaster. They urge consumers to act quickly and call Black & Decker to participate in the improved recall.
