Personal Injury Law

Is your cordless drill a fire hazard? 455,000 Ryobi drills recalled.

By Paul Napoli

October 14, 2010

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Ryobi Technologies Inc. announced today the recall of 455,000 Ryobi Cordless Drills because of reports of burn injuries and damage to homes and vehicles from fires caused by a switch on the drill that can overheat.

According to the CPSC release, consumers have filed 47 reports with the manufacturer of the drills overheating, smoking, melting or catching fire, including 12 reports of property damage to homes or vehicles. Two of the incidents involved minor burns from touching an overheated switch.

The product affected by this recall Ryobi Model HP 1802M Cordless Power Drill powered by an 18-volt rechargeable NiCad battery. The drill is blue and black in color with "Ryobi" appearing in red and white on the left side. Consumers can find the model number on a white label on the right side of the drill. Home Depot sold this drill from January 2001 to July 2003 for about $100.

Consumers should stop using the recalled Ryobi Cordless Drill immediately and contact Ryobi Customer Service at (800) 597-9624.

Full post as published by New York City Personal Injury Lawyer on October 14, 2010 (boomark / email).