Kidde Safety Recall – Kidde Extinguisher Recall

The Kidde Company (pronounced Kida) announced a massive recall on the fire extinguishers that they produce.  This Kidde safety recall has been initiated for the safety of its customers.  The Kidde extinguisher recall is on certain Kidde fire extinguishers.  The company says they are broadcasting this recall voluntarily and that they will replace it for free, a comparable or better unit if you follow the proper steps.

About forty million of the Kidde brand fire extinguishers have been recalled because they may not work properly.  One death has been reported along with injuries and property damage due to the failure of these units.  The Kidde fire extinguishers can become clogged or require excessive force to operate and can fail during a fire emergency, according to this recall notice.

In addition, the nozzle can detach from the body of the unit with enough force to pose an impact hazard!

I will help you identify whether your Kidde fire extinguisher is included in the recall and show you where to find the information you need to process your request for a free replacement.

Now, let’s see if your Kidde fire extinguisher is affected by the recall!

There are two styles of Kidde fire extinguishers included in the recall.  They are certain plastic handle fire extinguishers and push button pin fire extinguishers.

If the Kidde fire extinguisher has a gauge, the first thing to look for is a vertically oriented pull pin that is either fixed with two connectors or hanging with a single connection.  The other distinguishing factor is a straight, not a curved handle.

The other type of Kidde extinguisher recall is for certain units with the push button.  These extinguishers have push buttons and a t-shaped pull pin and a loop handle.  They come in two sizes and may be either red or white.  If your push button model is used with a personal watercraft, Kidde does not currently have an exact replacement for it, but they will provide a replacement that is US Coast Guard rated, and of a similar size.

Let’s take a moment to identify Kidde fire extinguishers that are not affected by the Kidde safety recall.  If your fire extinguisher has a metal handle and metal pull tab, in any style, it is not affected like the plastic handle extinguishers with horizontal plastic pull pins.

Curved black plastic handled units are also not affected.  These extinguishers come in various sizes and are either red, white, or silver and can be BC or BCE rated.  The important thing to remember is the horizontal plastic pull pin and curved black plastic handle units are not on recall!

To process a replacement as part of the Kidde extinguisher recall you will need to provide three unique identifiers from your unit.

You will first need to locate and identify the model number and color of the fire extinguisher.  The model number can be found on the bottom right of the Kidde fire extinguisher label, perhaps below the UL mark.  It may consist of both alphabetic characters and numbers.  If more than one model is listed on the label you will only need to submit the first model listed.

If you are entering your replacement request online, the web form includes a drop-down list of affected models in the color of the Kidde fire extinguisher.  Please be sure to select your respective combination of model and color.  If you don’t see your fire extinguisher listed it is not subject to the recall.

For the date of manufacture, you will need to locate the ten digit code on the side or back of the cylinder.

You are going to be interested in digits five through nine.  These will tell you the day and year that the Kidde fire extinguisher was manufactured.  Digits five, six, and seven represent the day of the year.  That can be from one to three hundred sixty-five.  Digits nine and ten represent the last two digits of the year.  For example:

The final item you will need to complete your request for a replacement is the serial number.  The serial number is located near the model number on the unit’s label and it will consist of a combination of both alphabetic characters and numbers.

Now that you have all the information you need for the Kidde safety recall, and determined yours is on recall based on what I have discussed here, you can go to kidde.com, or call their toll free number to so they can ship you a replacement.

From kidde.com:

Please keep your affected Kidde fire extinguisher until the replacement unit arrives.  Once you receive the new one you will find instructions on how to return your affected fire extinguisher.

This Kidde safety recall is so widespread that recently fifteen RV manufacturers submitted a recall notice.  These include Midwest Automotive Designs, Winnebago, Thor Motor Coach, Forest River, Keystone RV, Bison Coach, DRV Suites, Entegra Coach, Cruiser RV, Heartland RV, K-Z RV, Highland Ridge RV, Starcraft RV, REV Recreation Group, and Pleasant Valley Teardrop Trailers.

All tolled that equals 1,883,731 affected RV’s with these Kidde fire extinguishers that were factory installed.

These RV manufacturers will let their owners know and direct them to contact Kidde directly using the information that I have shared here.

Best wishes for safe RV travels!

Howard and Pam – usedrvinspection.com