June 18, 2007 |
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: Briggs & Stratton OHV Snow Thrower Engines
Units: About 480,000
Manufacturer: Briggs & Stratton Corp., of Wauwatosa, Wis.
Hazard: When the engines are primed, excess fuel can overflow into the carburetor and ignite, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: Briggs & Stratton has received 48 reports of fire. There have been no reports of injury. The firm has received one report of minor property damage.
Description: The recall includes snow equipment with Briggs & Stratton OHV engines that have model numbers beginning with 12, 15, 20, or 21, and a date of manufacture (DOM) code between 000601xx and 070301xx. The engines were installed on the following brand snow throwers: Ariens, Canadiana, Craftsman, Frontier Equipment, Husqvarna, Poulan Pro, Simplicity and Snapper. The engine model number and DOM information are located on the cylinder shield or rocker cover. Call for more information about determining if your snow thrower engine is included in the recall.
Sold at: Various snow thrower dealers nationwide from June 2000 through February 2007 for between $630 and $2,350 for the snow thrower.
Manufactured in: United States
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the snow throwers. Call or contact the firms listed below to arrange for the free repair.
Consumer Contact: For more information, consumers can contact Briggs & Stratton toll-free at (866) 478-7855 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the company's Website at www.briggsandstratton.com - Dealers can be found by using the Dealer Locator at the Briggs & Stratton's Web site. Consumers with Craftsman brand snow throwers should call Sears toll-free at (877) 659-7017 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Saturday.
Note: Keep fuel or equipment with fuel in tank away from furnaces, stoves, water heaters or other appliances that have a pilot light or other ignition source, because they can ignite vapors.


Locations of engine numbers

A - Cylinder Shield, or B - Rocker Cover
La U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (Comisión para la Seguridad de los Productos del Consumidor de EE.UU., CPSC) está encargada de proteger al público contra riesgos irrazonables de lesión o muerte asociados al uso de miles de tipos de productos del consumidor bajo la jurisdicción de la institución. Muertes, lesiones y daños a la propiedad debido a incidentes con productos del consumidor le cuestan al país más de $1 billón de dólares al año. La CPSC está comprometida con proteger a consumidores y familias contra productos que presenten un riesgo de incendio, eléctrico, químico o mecánico. Los esfuerzos de la CPSC para asegurar que productos del consumidor --tales como juguetes, cunas, herramientas eléctricas, encendedores de cigarrillos y productos químicos del hogar -- sean seguros, contribuyeron a la disminución en el índice de muertes y lesiones vinculadas con productos del consumidor en los últimos 40 años.
La ley federal prohíbe a cualquier persona vender productos sujetos a un retiro del mercado voluntario anunciado públicamente y llevado a cabo por el fabricante; o a un retiro obligatorio ordenado por la Comisión.
Para reportar un producto peligroso o una lesión relacionada con un producto, visite www.SaferProducts.gov (en inglés) o llame a la línea de información de la CPSC al 800-638-2772 o al teletipo 301-595-7054 para discapacitados auditivos. Los consumidores pueden obtener información sobre noticias y retiros en www.SeguridadConsumidor.gov, vía Twitter en @SeguridadConsum o suscribiéndose para recibir los boletines electrónicos gratuitos de la CPSC.
Por favor comuníquese con la CPSC si desea información al:
Teléfono: (301) 504-7908
En español: (301) 504-7800