Generac is recalling about 64,000 generators amid hurricane season

CNN
—

Such a devastating hurricane season It continues to hit the power supply For communities across the United States, Generac Power Systems says it is recalling thousands of portable generators due to the risk of fires and burns.

The generators were sold at major home improvement and hardware stores in the United States and Canada from April 2011 through June 2023, the Wisconsin company told CNN in a statement on Sunday.

Generac said the fuel tanks in the GP15000E and GP17500E units “may fail to vent properly, causing excess fuel vapor pressure to build up when operating under high ambient temperature and expelling this fuel vapor when opened, posing a fire and burn risk.”

It has developed a repair kit that is freely available to consumers.

the Consumer Product Safety Commission Generac previously said in a statement that Generac recalled 64,000 portable electric generators after more than twenty reports of high temperatures, some of which led to severe burns.

Generac has received more than two dozen reports of “generators overheating and fuel being compressed or expelled when opened.” The committee said that at least three incidents resulted in serious burn injuries.

“The fuel tank of the recalled generators could fail to properly vent from the overturn valve, causing the gas tank to overpressure and expel fuel when opened, posing a fire and burn risk,” the commission said. The group advises people to immediately stop using the recalled generators and contact them Generac for a free repair kit.

The generators in question were sold “from April 2011 through June 2023 for between $3,300 and $3,650” at most home improvement stores, the commission said.

Generac said it apologizes for any inconvenience.

Thursday’s recall comes during hurricane season, when many people turn to generators in the wake of a storm to power their homes.

These years Hurricane season Across the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea extend from June 1 to November 30. Tens of thousands of people are currently living without power as post-Tropical Cyclone Lee continues to bring rain, wind and flooding to parts of Canada’s Atlantic provinces.

when Hurricane Idalia When the hurricane made landfall in Florida at the end of August, it left hundreds of thousands of people without power.