Nearly 500k Kidde Smoke Alarms Recalled, May Not Detect Fire

Kidde voluntarily recalled nearly 500,000 of its dual-sensor (photoelectric and ionization) smoke alarms Wednesday because they may not detect fires, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The recalled smoke detectors, PI2010 and PI9010, were sold to about 452,000 customers in the United States and roughly 40,000 people in Canada. They were available for purchase at Walmart, The Home Depot, Menards and Amazon.com, among other retailers. It possesses a protective yellow cap that covers one of its sensors, which makes it ineffective in alerting fires.

"A yellow protective cap in limited instances may have been left on one of the two smoke sensors in affected products during the manufacturing process," Kidde said.  "[This] could compromise the smoke alarms’ ability to detect smoke."

Consumers are being advised to remove their smoke detectors from their wall/ceiling to inspect it, which can be done by examining the alarm through the opening on its side. If the alarm contains a yellow cap, then its one of the recalled models. Replacing the product is the recommended solution.

"They should remove and discard the recalled smoke alarm only after they receive and install the replacement alarm," CPSC said. "If no yellow cap is present, consumers should reinstall the smoke alarm and no further action is needed."

So far, only one report has indicated that a yellow protective cap was present in a consumer's uninstalled alarm. But no reports of injuries or fatality surfaced from this. 

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Source: http://www.newsweek.com/kidde-smoke-alarm-recall-defect-smoke-detector-model-859650