April 14, 2008
Alert #08-558 |
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Hobby-Lobby Int'l Recalls Battery Chargers Used with Helicopters Due to Fire Hazard
The following product safety recall was voluntarily conducted by the firm in cooperation with the CPSC. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
Name of Product: Lithium-polymer battery chargers and lithium-polymer batteries
Units: About 3,200
Distributor/Retailer: Hobby-Lobby International Inc., of Brentwood, Tenn.
Manufacturer: Art-Tech R/C Hobby Co., Ltd. of Shenzhen, China
Hazard: The lithium-polymer batteries can ignite while charging, posing a fire hazard to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received three reports of incidents, including a consumer who received serious burns to his hand when a battery ignited.
Description: The recall involves a lithium-polymer battery charger and batteries sold with the AT600 Falcon Helicopter kit. The recall also includes any spare battery (Model AT600B) or spare charger (Model ATS6046) purchased for this kit.
Sold at: Hobby-Lobby.com from April 2006 through July 2007 for about $300 per kit. Spare chargers sold for about $15 and spare batteries sold for about $45.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled chargers and batteries immediately. Consumers can receive new batteries and a “smart” charger that will shut down when the charging process is completed by contacting sales@hobby-lobby.com. Hobby-Lobby International has directly contacted consumers who purchased the products from them. Consumers should not return the batteries and chargers to the firm, but follow instructions for disposal and registration on their Web site.
Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Hobby-Lobby at (866) 933-5972 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Saturday, or visit the firm’s web site at www.hobby-lobby.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.