Recall: Country Home Products, Inc. Recall for Repair of Cordless Electric Lawnmowers

April 10, 2002 Alert #02-532

CPSC, Country Home Products, Inc. Announce Recall for Repair of Cordless Electric Lawnmowers

PRODUCT: Lawn Mower - Country Home Products, Inc. of Vergennes, Vt., is voluntarily recalling for repair about 19,700 cordless electric lawnmowers. The recalled lawnmowers were sold under the DR® Whisperlite® name. They have "DR®" printed on the top of the red or yellow plastic housing, and "Whisperlite®" on a label on the front of the plastic housing. The lawnmowers are 30" long without a bag, 38 1/2" high to the handlebar, and 18" wide with a 14" cutting width. They were sold nationwide from January 2000 to October 2001, for about $350.

PROBLEM: A wiring problem on the lawnmower's circuit board may cause some of the safety functions to become inoperable. The mower may continue to operate after the Operator Presence Control Bar is released. The blade also may continue to spin for an extended period of time after the mower has been shut off. Contact with a moving lawnmower blade can result in lacerations or serious injury to the hand or foot.

INCIDENTS/INJURIES: Country Home Products has received up to 300 reports of circuit board failures with one incident resulting in a minor finger injury.

WHAT TO DO: Consumers with a recalled lawn mower should immediately stop using the lawnmower. Country Home Products is sending all registered users of a Whisperlite® mower a repair kit. If you have not received a repair kit by May 1, 2002, please contact Country Home Products toll- free at (800) 673-1225 Monday to Friday, from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET to request a free repair kit.