Honeywell Thermostats Recalled

 On July 28, 2011, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Honeywell International Inc. collectively issued a voluntary recall of 77,000 Honeywell baseboard and fan heater thermostats sold between January 2000 and December 2007. There have been 16 reported incidents of the thermostats melting and smoking as a result of overheating. While there have been no reported injuries thus far, the product is considered to be a fire and burn hazard to consumers. This is not the first recall of its kind, nor the first recall for Honeywell. Just last October, CPSC recalled control panel fire alarms manufactured by a Honeywell subsidiary, Fire-Lite Alarms. Honeywell, however, is not the only company haunted by such issues with these devices. The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of Comverge, Inc. brand thermostats back in June 2010 when 13 reported incidents of overheating prompted CPSC to deem the product a safety and fire hazard to consumers. Due to such dangerous potential results of usage, CPSC is taking the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of consumers.

The recently recalled thermostats vary in size, but all feature “Honeywell” or “Cadet” written on the outside of the white, rectangular base. Inside the base, each thermostat has an identifiable model number and 4-digit date code, with the recalled thermostats containing the model numbers listed below as well as date codes beginning with 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 and 06. Consumers with a recalled thermostat should immediately set the thermostat to 45 degrees or switch to “off”, a feature only available on thermostats with a letter “B” featured in the model number.