Kidde Recalls About 4.8 Mln Disposable Fire Extinguishers

(RTTNews) - Kidde, a division of United Technologies Corp. (UTX), is recalling about 4.6 million units of its plastic valve disposable fire extinguishers sold in the U.S. and another 175,000 sold in Canada because a faulty valve component can cause them to fail when the lever is repeatedly pressed and released during a fire emergency, posing a risk of injury, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday.

The massive recall involves 31 models of Kidde disposable fire extinguishers with Zytel black plastic valves. The recalled products were sold between August 2013 and November 2014 for $18 to $65 at stores including Home Depot, Menards and Walmart. One model, XL 5MR, was sold for about $200.

Kidde has received 11 reports of the recalled Mexican-made fire extinguishers failing to discharge as expected, but no injuries have been reported so far.

Consumers should immediately contact Kidde for a replacement fire extinguisher.

Kidde can be contacted toll-free at (855) 283-7991 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or online at www.kidde.com.