FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 24, 1999
Release # 99-084 |
Company Phone Number: (800) 728-2108
CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: Nychelle Fleming, (301) 504-7063
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CPSC, Peg Perego Announce Recall of Children's Riding Vehicles
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Peg Perego USA Inc., of Fort Wayne, Ind., is recalling about 274,000 battery-powered children's riding vehicles for repair. Pedals can stick and electrical components can overheat, presenting fire and injury hazards to children.
CPSC and Peg Perego have received about 320 reports of electrical components overheating or pedals sticking. Thirty fires have been reported, resulting in one child suffering second-degree burns to his hand and at least $55,000 in property damage. One child suffered a concussion and six children received bruises when accelerator pedals stuck and the vehicles hit trees, fences, walls or parked automobiles.
The Peg Perego vehicles being recalled run on 12 volts, powered by two 6-volt batteries, and were manufactured before December 1997. The vehicles are made of plastic and have been sold under the following model names: Corral 270, Diablo, Dragon, Gaucho, Gaucho Grande, Gaucho High Torque, Gaucho Sport, Magica, Magnum, Ranger GT, Thunderbolt, Thundercat, and Tornado. The model name and Peg Perego appear on each vehicle. The company will help consumers identify if their model is part of the recall. Peg Perego vehicles are intended for children 3 to 8 years old, and the vehicles' speed ranges from 2.5 to 5 mph, depending on the model.
Toy stores and retail catalogs sold the vehicles nationwide from 1990 through 1997 for about $100 to $550.
Consumers should remove the vehicles' batteries right away and not let children use the vehicles until the repair has been made. Consumers should contact Peg Perego at (800) 728-2108 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. EST Monday through Friday or at their web site, www.perego.com, to order a free repair kit, which can be installed by the consumer or by an authorized Peg Perego service center. Service centers will not have repair kits.
The 12-volt, two battery Peg Perego vehicles manufactured since 1998 and the 6-volt, one battery vehicles are not included in this recall.
Conumers can also view a video clip about this recall (transcript). This is in "streaming video" format.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about your experience with the product on SaferProducts.gov
CPSC is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of the thousands of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $900 billion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals - contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054 for the hearing impaired. Consumers can obtain news release and recall information at www.cpsc.gov, on Twitter @OnSafety or by subscribing to CPSC's free e-mail newsletters.