Matsushita Electric Corporation of America Recall of Combination TV/VCRs

NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Office of Information and Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2004
Release # 04-190

Matsushita Hotline: (800) 833-9626
CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

CPSC, Matsushita Electric Corporation of America Announce Recall of Combination TV/VCRs

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announces the following recall in voluntary cooperation with the firm below. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of product: Panasonic, Quasar, RCA, and JCPenney Combination TV/VCRs

Units: About 500,000

Manufacturer: Matsushita Electric Corporation of America, Secaucus, New Jersey

Hazard: The TV/VCR cabinets can break when lifted by the ventilation holes in the top rear of the cabinet, permitting the TV/VCR to fall and injure hands and feet.

Incidents/Injuries: About 10 incidents have been reported in which the TV/VCR cabinet broke at the ventilation holes when lifted or carried, resulting in the TV/VCR dropping to the floor. Minor cuts and bruises have been reported in four incidents.

Description: The recalled combination TV/VCRs are gray/black and have these brandnames: Panasonic, Quasar, RCA, or JCPenney. The cabinets have ventilation holes in the top rear of the cabinet. Only the 13" and 20" Combination TV/VCR sets manufactured between January 1, 1995, and December 30, 1995, are recalled. These sets can be identified by the model number which appears on the front and rear of the cabinet. The following model numbers are included in this recall:

Brand	Model
Panasonic	13-inch models: PV-M1325, PV-M1345, PVM1365AD, AG-513B 20-inch models: PV-M2025, PV-M2035, PV-M2045, PV-M2065, AG-520B
Quaser	13-inch model: VV-1305 20-inch models: VV-2005T, VV-2005, VV-2025
Thomson (RCA)	13-inch models: T13015BC, T13018BC 20-inch models: T20015BC, T20018BC, T20020BC
JCPenney	20-inch model: 685-0879

Sold at: Retail stores nationwide from January 1995 through December 1996 for between $300 and $490, depending on the model.

Manufactured in: USA

Remedy: Consumers should contact Panasonic, Quasar, RCA, and JCPenney to receive a free retrofit kit to cover the ventilation holes and prevent lifting from this area.

Consumer Contact: Call Panasonic at (800) 833-9626 between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday. Visit Panasonic's web site at www.Panasonic.com and www.RCA.com

Media Contact: Bill Pritchard at (201) 348-7182.

Model Numbers & Serial Numbers of tv/vcr