February 12, 2004
Alert #04-534
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CPSC, GE Security, Inc. Announce Recall of Carbon Monoxide Alarms
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The following product safety recall was conducted voluntarily by the firm in cooperation with the CPSC. Consumers should stop using the product immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
Name of product: Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms
Units: About 74,000
Manufacturer: GE Security, Inc., (GE Security) of Tualatin, Ore.
Hazard: The recalled units fail to detect carbon monoxide after 1 year of operation due to an internal software error. These CO alarms do not provide an "end of life" signal or other indication of inoperability, even if the test button is depressed.
Incidents/Injuries: GE Security has received one report that the CO detector did not operate properly in the presence of CO. No injuries have been reported.
Description: These ESL SafeAir 240-COE Carbon Monoxide alarms are hard-wired and require professional installation. The white, rectangular units are about 6-inches long and 2.75-inches high. "CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM" and "DO NOT PAINT" are written on the front of the units. "240-Coe, "SENTROL," (a former name of the company) and the date code are written on the back. The date code is a four-digit number ending with a "T." The four digits denote the year and week of manufacture. For example, the date code "0045T" refers to a unit that was manufactured in the 45th week of 2000. Only units with date codes 0045T (November 2000) through 0235T (August 2002) are included in the recall..
Sold at: Distributors, dealers and installers of security systems nationwide from November 2000 through October 2003 for about $49.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers should contact their system installer or service provider to arrange for the free installation of a replacement CO alarm.
Consumer Contact: Call GE Security, Inc. at (800) 648-7422 between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or go to their Web site at www.ge-interlogix.com.
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.