Recall: John Deere Recalls Lawn Tractors Powered by Kawasaki Engines Due to Overheating and Fire Hazards

John Deere Recalls Lawn Tractors Powered by Kawasaki Engines Due to Overheating and Fire Hazards

The following product safety recall was voluntarily conducted by the firm in cooperation with the CPSC. Consumers should stop using the product immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: John Deere X300, X300R and X304 series tractors

Units: About 36,500 tractors

Manufacturer of Tractors: Deere & Company, of Moline, Ill.

Manufacturer of Engines: Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA of Grand Rapids, Mich.

Hazard: The cooling fan (A) installed on top of the front mounted Kawasaki engine in the lawn tractor can break. If the cooling fan is not operational, the engine can overheat causing the surrounding plastic to melt, creating the risk of fire and serious injury.

Incidents/Injuries: There have been 163 reported failures, including 83 reports of engine melting or engine fires and one report of a minor burn injury following a fan failure fire.

Description: This recall involves John Deere X300, X300R and X304 Select Series™ Lawn Tractors with Kawasaki FS541V engines manufactured between September 20, 2010 and July 21, 2011 within the following serial number ranges listed below. The model number is on both sides of the tractor hood, and the serial number can be found on the machine frame near the front right tire.

1M0X300B++M180001 thru 1M0X300B++M180600
1M0X300C++M180001 thru 1M0X300C++M208330
1M0X300E++M180001 thru 1M0X300E++M180718
1M0X300F++M180001 thru 1M0X300F++M180888
1M0X300G++M180001 thru 1M0X300G++M183700
1M0X300H++M180001 thru 1M0X300H++M180145
1M0X300J++M180001 thru 1M0X300J++M180106
1M0X304A++M180001 thru 1M0X304A++M184936
1M0X304B++M180001 thru 1M0X304B++M180696
1M0X304C++M180001 thru 1M0X304C++M180054

Sold at: Nationwide at John Deere dealers in the U.S. from September 2010 to August 2011 for between about $3,000 and $4,000.

Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: Customers should stop using the mowers immediately and contact a John Deere dealer to make arrangements to have the engine cooling fan replaced. All registered owners of the recalled mowers will be directly notified by John Deere.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Deere & Company at (800) 537-8233 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturdays ET or visit the firm’s Web site at www.johndeere.com