Recall: Recall of Furnaces in California

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Originally issued July 9, 2001, Last Revised July 11, 2006 Release # 01-189

Furnace Recall Hotline: (877) 347-6456 CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: Ken Giles, (301) 504-7052

Note: model number added and settlement of private litigation announced.
Opportunity for remedy from litigation has expired.

CPSC Announces Recall of Furnaces in California

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is announcing a recall of about 30,000 furnaces sold in California. Seven firms are offering to repair or replace certain furnaces, which were sold under their own labels, but were manufactured by Consolidated Industries Inc. The units involved are gas-fired horizontal furnaces equipped with steel "NOx" rods installed above the burners and are commonly called NOx rod furnaces. These furnaces pose a substantial risk of fire.

CPSC has received 50 reports of fires associated with the 140,000 horizontal furnaces manufactured by Consolidated Industries Inc. No injuries have been reported.

All the furnaces can be identified by the steel rods installed above the burners. The firms participating in this recall are Amana Company, L.P., of Amana, Iowa; Bard Manufacturing, of Bryan, Ohio; Carrier Corporation, of Syracuse, N.Y.; Goettl Air Conditioning Inc., of Phoenix, Ariz.; Goodman Manufacturing Company L.P., of Houston, Texas; Heat Controller Inc., of Jackson, Mich.; and The Trane Company, a division of American Standard Inc., of Tyler, Texas.



Private labelers sold these furnaces in California under the following brand names and model numbers, which are written on a label on an outside panel of the furnace.



Home, hardware and specialty stores, and independent contractors sold these furnaces in California from January 1983 through December 1992 for about $2,000.

Consumers should check to see if their furnace is part of this recall immediately. If so, or for more information, consumers should call toll-free at (877) 347-6456 anytime, or contact the recall web site at www.furnaceinspect.com. Consumers should have the brand name, model number and serial number of their furnace available when they call or contact the web site. The recall program offers free inspection and repair of the furnaces. Consumers can elect to receive a new furnace, free of charge, except for installation costs.

CPSC issued a safety alert warning about these furnaces in September 2000. Consolidated Industries (formerly Premier Furnace Co.), which was liquidated under Chapter 7 bankruptcy laws, manufactured approximately 140,000 of these furnaces for sale in California between 1983 and 1994 under many different brand names. About 110,000 of these furnaces were manufactured and distributed under the Premier/Consolidated labels. They include the brand names Consolidated, Premier, Addison, and Weatherking. They are not covered by this recall program. After Consolidated filed for bankruptcy, class action was pursued, and a settlement was ultimately reached in early 2002. However, claimants were required to file a claim by January 13, 2003. Potential claimants who missed the deadline have no remedy available. Even though no remedy is available, CPSC staff believes that the Consolidated, Premier, Addison, and Weatherking furnaces are defective and should be replaced or repaired.

These furnaces are normally installed in attics, although some may be installed in crawl spaces. The great majority of these furnaces were installed in homes in California. Some, however, were installed in home in Nevada, near the California border.

The Commission is warning consumers to have their gas-fired furnaces inspected by a licensed heating contractor to determine whether the furnaces are subject to this safety alert. The contractor also should determine whether the burners and/or heat exchangers of units are damaged, or whether wood under or near the furnaces shows signs of damage, such as charring or blackening. If this is the case, the furnace should be replaced immediately or repaired.

Consolidated or Premier furnaces with model numbers starting "HAC", "HBA", "HCA", or "HCC" and ending with an "X" in the last three characters (e.g. X, RX, RXC, RXD) and Addison Products Company Addison and Weatherking furnaces models beginning with "GHC" and ending in either "CC" or "DX" are included in this safety alert.

More information:

• 07/09/2001 - original version of this press release
• 09/27/2000 - press release 00-190: CPSC Warns About Defective Furnaces in California
• 01/25/2001 - update to 00-190 (clarification)
• 03/06/2002 - update to 00-190 (clarification)
• 07/10/2002 - update to 00-190 (settlement of private litigation)