Fire safety company Kidde issued a recall for a dangerous defect in smoke detectors. Nearly half a million of the devices were pulled out because it can't do its most important job — to detect smoke.
This recall can have some dangerous implications.
You've Got To Be Kidde Me
Kidde PI2010 and Kidde PI9010 are the models that are affected by the recall. There is a part in the smoke detector that disables the device from being able to detect smoke. This part is a yellow piece inside the detector that wasn't removed shortly after being manufactured.
A warning was issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) mentions that the yellow cap can cover one of the two smoke sensors inside of the device, negating its ability to detect smoke.
CPSC mentions that in order to check if their device has been affected, people must take down the alarm and look through the opening on the side for signs of the yellow cap. It adds that Kidde must be contacted immediately so that they can replace the smoke detector free of charge.
Both models feature dual-sensor smoke alarms, photoelectric and ionization. Around 452,000 were sold in the United States along with 40,000 sold in Canada. Both models were sold at major stores such as Home Depot and Walmart along with Amazon.com and Kidde's own website. They were also sold form the period of September 2016 to January 2018.
This isn't the first time that Kidde has been in the news for a failing fire safety product.
Faulty Extinguishers
In 2017, Kidde was forced to recall more than 40 million fire extinguishers that were likely to fail in case of being used. The fire extinguisher could become clogged or fail to discharge when it is being used.
There was one death associated with one of Kidde's faulty extinguishers in 2014, as it failed during a car fire. Overall, Kidde was responsible for 16 injuries, 91 reports of property damage, and 391 reports of fire extinguishers failing to work properly.
The massive recall affects models manufactured by the company from 1973 to August 2017. This recall only affected models with a plastic handle or push button, which would break or detach if any force was applied. Units that had a metal handle or valve weren't part of the recall.
The fire extinguishers were sold under different brands, according to the recall report.
Kidde issued previous recalls in March 2009 and February 2015.
