CPSC, American Standard Companies Announce Recall of Trane and American Standard Accessory Electric Heaters

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the manufacturer named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. 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: "Trane" and "American Standard" brand accessory electric heaters.

Units: About 37,000

Manufacturer/Importer: American Standard Companies, of Piscataway, N.J.

Hazard: Overheating of the wiring in the accessory heater can lead to wall thermostat fires.

Incidents/Injuries: There have been four reports of thermostat fires. Two of the fires resulted in several thousand dollars in property damage. No injuries have been reported.

Description: The 240 volt accessory heaters are used to provide supplemental heat in the heat pump or electric heating system. The accessory heater - model number BAYHTR1415BRKAC manufactured between April 14, 2003 and February 6, 2004 - is located inside the air handler cabinet usually found in the basement, attic, equipment closet or crawlspace of a consumer's home. The horizontally or vertically installed air handler is a painted metal cabinet with the Trane or American Standard name plate on its front. Air handler model numbers are found on the outside of the air handler door. Consumers with one of the recalled units are being directly contacted by the independent dealer that installed it. If you had a Trane or American Standard heat pump or electric heating system installed between April, 2003 and February, 2004, and have not yet been contacted by your installer, write down your air handler model number and call your installer to see whether your air handler could contain a recalled heater. Your may also visit the firm's Web sites to see whether your air handler could contain one of the recalled heaters and, if so, call your installer. To avoid electric shock, do not open the air handler door. Only a professional installer should open the air handler door to determine if you have a recalled accessory heater.

Sold at: Independent Trane or American Standard dealers nationwide for about $140.

Manufactured in: U.S.A.

Remedy: Consumers who have not yet been contacted by independent dealers should immediately contact their installer to determine if they have a recalled unit. Consumers may arrange for a free inspection and repair through their installer.

Consumer Contact: Consumers should contact their local Trane or American Standard installer, or visit www.trane.com or www.americanstandardair.com for the name of an installer near them. Consumers can call the firm toll-free at (888) 556-0125 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday.