White-Rodgers Recalls Home Heating and Cooling Thermostats Due to Fire Hazard
CPSC recall 14166 · announced April 30, 2014 · White-rodgers Of St. Louis, Mo., A Division Of Emerson Climate Technologies · 740,000 units affected
The product
This recall involves four models of White-Rodgers digital thermostats. The thermostats are white with blue lighted screens and have one of the following names printed on the front of them: "COMFORTSENTRY," "DICO," "Emerson," "Frigidaire," "Maytag," "Nutone," "Partners Choice," "Rheem," "Ruud," "Unico," "Water Furnace," "Westinghouse," "White-Rodgers" or "Zonefirst." The thermostats have a battery door on the top left corner. There are three or four buttons to the right and also below the thermostat screen. Recalled thermostats do not show a battery icon on the left side of the blue lighted screen.
The hazard
The alkaline batteries used in the thermostat can leak onto the circuit board posing a fire hazard.
What to do (per CPSC)
Consumers should check thermostats for battery icon on the left side of the blue lighted screen, if the battery icon is not shown, contact White-Rodgers to receive a free repair or a replacement thermostat. Remedy type: Replace Repair
Notes
Incidents (per CPSC): The firm has received seven reports of burn damage to the thermostat, including two involving minor property damage. No injuries have been reported.
Sold at: Heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment manufacturers and distributors and at hardware retailers nationwide from January 2006 through December 2013 for about $30 to $70.
Consumer contact: White-Rodgers toll-free at (888) 624-1901 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or online at www.white-rodgers.com and click on "White-Rodgers 1F8x-04xx Thermostat Recall" at the lower left corner of the homepage for more information.
Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission public recall data. This page reports official records and is not legal, medical, or repair advice.