A large recall of about 466,000 <"https://www.yourlawyer.com/practice_areas/product_liability">Ryobi Model HP 1802M Cordless Power Drills has been implemented by Ryobi Technologies Inc., of Anderson, South Carolina, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission just announced. The CPSC advises consumers to stop using recalled products immediately and notes that it is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
The switch on the cordless drill can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers. To date, Ryobi has received 47 reports of the drills overheating, smoking, melting, or catching fire, including 12 reports of property damage to homes or vehicles. Two of the incidents involved minor burns from touching an overheated switch.
The Ryobi Model HP 1802M cordless drill is powered by an 18-volt rechargeable NiCad battery. The drills are blue and black in color with “Ryobi” appearing in red and white on the left side. The model number can be found on a white label on the right side of the drill.
The recalled Ryobi drills, which were manufactured in China, were sold at The Home Depot stores from January 2001 to July 2003 for about $100.
The CPSC is advising consumers to immediately stop using the recalled Ryobi drill, remove the rechargeable battery, and contact Ryobi to receive a free replacement drill.
Ryobi Customer Service can be reached, toll-free, at (800) 597-9624 between 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday or at the firm’s website at www.ryobitools.com
