Atico International USA just issued a product recall of about 92,000 of its TrueLiving Heater Fans and Portable Quartz Radiant Heaters due fire hazard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) just announced. The CPSC is advising consumers to stop using the recalled Defective Products immediately unless otherwise instructed and notes that it is illegal to resell or to attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
The recalled TrueLiving Heater Fans and Portable Quartz Radiant Heaters were manufactured in China and imported and sold by Dollar General Stores, of Goodlettsville, Tennessee; the sourcing agent for this recalled product is Atico International USA, Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
These heaters have caught fire, posing a fire hazard to consumers.
To date, Atico has received eight reports of the A14B1053 Heater Fan overheating and 21 reports of the A14B0979 Quartz Heater overheating. Reports for the A14B1053 Heater Fan included one report of damage to an electrical outlet and wall and one report of flames coming out of the front of the unit. Reports for the A14B0979 Quartz Heater included damage to the heater’s plug, one report of flames coming from a control knob, and one report of a consumer receiving minor burns to the hand. For both products, reports included incidents of smoke and melting of the plastic casing.
Both heaters can be identified by the following model and item numbers and universal product codes (UPC):
• Heater Fans: Model Number NSB-200B, Item # A14B1053, UPC 40022749831
.
• Portable Quartz Radiant Heaters: Model Number HD-700, Item # A14B0979, UPC 400022750066.
The model numbers can be located on a silver colored sticker on the bottom of the unit. Additionally, both heaters are marked with manufacturing dates between 6/1/2010 and 8/30/2010. The date code appears as “DATE CODE: 0610.”
The recalled Atico International USA’s TrueLiving Heater Fans and Portable Quartz Radiant Heaters were sold exclusively at Dollar General Stores from September 2010 to December 2010. The heater fans sold for about $15 and the quartz radiant heater sold for about $42.
The CPSC is advising consumer to immediately stop using the recalled heaters and return them to any Dollar General Store for a full refund. Atico International USA can be reached, toll-free, at 1.866.448.7856 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, or at the firm’s website.
