The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with two manufacturers, has announced voluntary recalls of the two similar backpack-type blowers that pose fir and burn riskds to users. Consumers should stop using the recalled products immediately.

RedMax Gas-Powered Backpack Blowers – These blowers (about 170,000) were manufactured in Japan and Georgia (U.S.) and imported by Komatsu Zenoah America, doing business as RedMax, of Norcross, Georgia.

The muffler support bracket can break, creating an opening in the muffler body. Hot exhaust gases can then escape from the muffler and could melt the fuel tank or ignite grease, oil or debris around the fuel tank, posing a fire hazard.

The CPSC states that: “RedMax has received five reports of units that have caught fire when hot exhaust gases from damaged mufflers ignited grease, oil or debris around the area of the fuel tank. No injuries have been reported.”

The RedMax gasoline-powered backpack blowers are red and black with a white fuel tank. Model numbers EB6200, EB7000, EB7001, and EB7001RH can be found on the body of the blowers along with “RedMax,” “Zenoah,” and “Komatsu.”

The recalled blowers were sold by RedMax dealers nationwide from December 1996 through December 2005 for about $530.

Consumers should stop using the backpack blowers immediately and contact RedMax for a dealer location nearest to them to schedule a free inspection and a free repair if necessary. Consumers who have registered their equipment will receive direct notification about this recall from RedMax.

For additional information consumers can contact RedMax at (866) 217-4152, anytime, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.redmax.com.

Shindaiwa Backpack Blowers – These blowers (about 87,000) were manufactured in Japan and imported by Shindaiwa, of Tualatin, Oregon.

The backpack blower’s muffler support bracket can break, creating an opening in the muffler body. Hot exhaust gases could then escape from the muffler and melt the fuel tank or ignite grease or debris around the fuel tank, posing a fire hazard.

According to the CPSC, “Shindaiwa received one report of fire. No injuries reported.”

The Shindaiwa gasoline-powered backpack blowers are red and black with a white fuel tank. Model numbers EB630 or EB630RT are printed on the body of the blowers along with Shindaiwa.

The recalled blowers were sold by Shindaiwa dealers nationwide from July 1999 through February 2006 for about $545.

Consumers should stop using the backpack blowers immediately and contact Shindaiwa for the closest dealer location to schedule a free inspection and a free repair if necessary. Consumers who have registered their equipment will receive direct correspondence from Shindaiwa about this recall.

For additional information, contact Shindaiwa at (800) 521-7733 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.shindaiwa.com.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 26th, 2006 at 8:08 am and is filed under Defective Products, Product Recalls.