If You Have This Appliance at Home, Turn It Off and Unplug It Now, Officials Warn
A voluntary recall was issued for a product you might use in your backyard daily.
Throughout your home, there are probably more appliances than you realize—if you're counting them in your head, don't forget to include the ones in your kitchen, laundry room, storage closet, and garage. You might even have appliances in the backyard. We expect these appliances to be safe when used correctly, but sometimes that's sadly not the case. Now, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced a recall of a potentially hazardous product, which you'll want to stop using immediately. Read on to find out what appliance officials urge you to turn off and unplug as soon as possible.
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Appliances are often subject to recall.
The CPSC was established in 1972 to "protect the public against unreasonable risk of injuries and deaths associated with consumer products," according to the agency's website. Appliances generally fall under the regulator's jurisdiction, and recalls happen more often than we'd like.
In June, the CPSC announced that certain Frigidaire and Electrolux refrigerators were recalled due to a faulty ice level detector arm in the ice maker. The arm could break into pieces, fall into the ice bucket, and create a choking hazard. In April, six refrigerator models sold by GE Appliances were also recalled due to an issue with the freezer handle, which could break off and pose a fall hazard to consumers. In fact, at the time this recall was announced, 71 incidents and 37 injuries had already been reported to GE.
Additional recalls were issued that same month for 635,000 Insignia-brand air fryers sold at Best Buy, which were pulled due to their potential to overheat and lead to burns or a fire. And earlier in the year, certain Danby free-standing and slide-in electric and gas ranges sold at Home Depot were pulled, as they could tip over and again lead to burn injuries, officials warned.
Now, the CPSC has announced the recall of yet another appliance, but this one is kept outside your home.
You might have a recalled product in your backyard.
On Oct. 13, U-Line Corporation of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, voluntarily recalled certain Outdoor Series 24-inch Built-In Convertible Freezers, per a notice from the CPSC.
According to a description of outdoor products on U-Line's website, these outdoor freezers are pretty much self-explanatory, as they're those that are intended to be used outside, albeit in a covered area. In contrast to their indoor appliances, U-Line's outdoor products "have more robust components that are designed to handle humidity, temperature swings, etc.," the website states.
The freezers were sold to nationwide retailers by different distributors, namely Tri State Distributors, Milestone Distributors, Purcell-Murray Company, and Almo Distributing NY. Products were sold for approximately $2,600 between April 2017 and Feb. 2020.
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U-Line has already received incident reports.
The products are being pulled due to their potential to overheat and create a fire hazard, the CPSC announcement stated. As of Oct. 13, there have been three incident reports where freezer fires have occurred. Thankfully, U-Line has not been notified of any associated injuries.
You can identify the recalled freezers by the model number U-1224FZRSOD-00A, which is printed on a plate near the top right interior. Also listed on the plate is the brand name U-Line and a serial number ranging somewhere between: 1745627020001-1745627020009; 1746096040001-1746096040077; 1850469050001-1850469050003; or 1850469059001-1850469059003. Affected models were produced between 2017 and 2018, according to U-Line's recall page.
Don't take any chances if you think you have this freezer.
If you identify one of these freezers on your patio or in your backyard bar, the CPSC urges you to turn it off and unplug it immediately. If you're unsure about your model, U-Line asks that you still switch the freezer off and unplug it, just to be safe.
You can then contact U-Line at 833-614-7788 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Central Time (CT), Monday through Friday, to schedule an appointment. U-Line will coordinate a time for the recalled freezer to be picked up and to have a free replacement unit installed. Per the recall announcement, there are three different replacement options, including a U-Line freezer, refrigerator drawers, or refrigerator.
For more information, you can also visit the company's recall page for the freezer, or visit www.u-line.com, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click on "Safety Recall Information" under the "Support" tab.
