Londonderry News

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC), has recently announced two recalls that, collectively, may affect millions of consumers. These recalls include both STIHL yard power products and computer batteries which may pose fire hazards. The USCPSC would like to remind consumers that it is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled item.

STIHL Recalls Yard Power Products
Gas powered trimmers, brushcutters, KombiMotors, hedge trimmers, edgers, clearing saws, pole pruners, and backpack blowers that utilize a toolless fuel cap are included in the recall. STIHL Inc., of Virginia Beach, Virginia, is recalling about 2.3 million of the aforementioned products because the level of ethanol or other fuel additive can distort the toolless fuel cap, allowing fuel to spill. This can cause a potential fire and burn hazard. The company has received 81 reports of difficulty installing and/or removing the fuel caps and fuel spillage. No injuries have been reported.

The items listed in the recall have been sold at authorized STIHL dealers nationwide from July 2002 through May 2011 for between $190 and $650. Consumers should stop using the products immediately and should return them to the dealer for a free repair.

For more information, contact STIHL at 800-233-4792 between 8 AM and 8 PM Eastern Standard Time Monday through Friday, or visit the company’s website. Consumers may also find additional images on the website. For a complete list of products and model and serial numbers included, or to see this recall on the USCPSC website, click here.

HP Expands Recall of Notebook Computer Batteries
The computer company, Hewlett-Packard Company of Palo Alto California, has recalled about 162,600 additional batteries due to the risk of overheating and rupturing, causing a fire and burn hazard to consumers. 54,000 and 70,000 batteries were previously recalled, in May 2010 and May 2009, respectively, due to this hazard.

Since the May 2010 recall expansion, HP has received an additional 40 reports of batteries that overheated and ruptured. Of these reports, seven included burn injuries, one included smoke inhalation and 36 included property damage. The lithium-ion batteries are used with various models of the HP and Compaq notebook computers. The computer model number can be found at the top of the service label on the bottom of the computer.

Consumers should immediately remove the batter from their notebook computer and contact HP to determine if their battery is included in the recall. Consumers who had previously checked their batteries and were informed they were not included in previous recalls are being urged to check again. Consumers with recalled batteries will receive a free replacement battery. After removing the battery from the computer, consumers can use the AC adapter to power the computer until a replacement battery arrives.

For more information about these recalls, consumers can call HP at 888-202-4320 between 7 AM and 7 PM Central Time Monday through Friday. Consumers can also visit the HP Battery Replacement Program website. For a complete list of batteries included in this recall, or to see this recall on the USCPSC website, click here.