Smoke'N Pit cookers with vertical smokestacks

CPSC Recall #96-029 - November 28, 1995

Recall Summary

Recall Number96-029
Recall DateNovember 28, 1995
Remedy TypeDispose, No Remedy Available
Units AffectedApproximately 43,800
ManufacturerThe Brinkmann Corporation of Dallas, Texas

Product

Smoke'N Pit cookers with vertical smokestacks

Description

WASHINGTON, D.C. - CPSC, The Brinkmann Corporation of Dallas, Texas is announcing a program to provide free replacement smokestacks for approximately 43,800 Smoke'N Pit cookers with straight vertical smokestacks. The cooker lid may fall suddenly, injuring consumers using the cooker. Brinkmann is aware of approximately 15 injuries that resulted from a cooker lid coming down suddenly. Most of the injuries involved cuts and bruises to consumers' arms and hands. Both the Smoke'N Pit Professional, models 805-2101-0 and 805-2101-1, and Smoke'N Pit Pitmaster, model 805-21-1-2, measure approximately 39" high. Both black steel cookers have straight, rather than angled, vertical smokestacks. The Smoke'N Pit Professional's cooking chamber measures 34.5" long and 16.5" wide and has a 17" long firebox attached on the side. The Pitmaster measurements are the same but it does not have a fire box. Not all cookers have a manufacturer's identification; any identification is located near the lid handle. The majority of the cookers were sold nationwide between November 1992 and March 1994 at retail and hardware stores including various Wal-Mart, Service Merchandise and Ace Hardware stores. The Smoke'N Pit Professional sold for approximately $200 to $250 and the Pitmaster sold for approximately $100 to $130. The cookers were packaged in boxes labeled in part "Brinkmann Smoke'N Pit." Consumers who own Smoke'N Pit Professional cookers or Smoke'N Pit Pitmasters should contact Brinkmann at (800) 675-5301 for assistance in determining whether their cookers are part of this corrective action. Brinkmann will send each consumer a free replacement smokestack which enables consumers to open the cooker lid further, thereby eliminating the potential lid stability concerns.

Hazard

The cooker lid may fall suddenly, injuring consumers using the cooker.

Incidents & Injuries

Brinkmann is aware of approximately 15 injuries that resulted from a cooker lid coming down suddenly. Most of the injuries involved cuts and bruises to consumers' arms and hands.

Remedy Instructions

Update: Firm no longer in business. Recall remedy no longer available. Discard the product. Do not donate or resell. Consumers who own Smoke'N Pit Professional cookers or Smoke'N Pit Pitmasters should contact Brinkmann at (800) 675-5301 for assistance in determining whether their cookers are part of this corrective action. Brinkmann will send each consumer a free replacement smokestack which enables consumers to open the cooker lid further, thereby eliminating the potential lid stability concerns.

What Should You Do?

Stop using this product immediately. Contact the manufacturer for a Dispose, No Remedy Available at no charge. If you experienced an injury, report it at SaferProducts.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

Follow the consumer action instructions in the recall notice above. Most recalls require you to stop using the product and contact the manufacturer directly, either by calling the toll-free number listed in the official CPSC notice or by visiting the manufacturer's website. You generally do not need a receipt or original packaging to claim a remedy. The manufacturer is legally required to provide the remedy (Dispose, No Remedy Available) at no cost to you.

Furniture tip-overs are a leading cause of pediatric injuries in the U.S., particularly dressers, bookcases, and television stands. CPSC data shows that a child dies approximately every two weeks from a furniture or TV tip-over. Unstable high chairs, baby swings, and bouncers are also frequent recall subjects due to fall risks. ASTM International standards now require that certain furniture must meet tip-over resistance standards, and CPSC has been actively pursuing mandatory requirements for dressers and chests. If you have furniture that was not recalled but feels unstable, wall-anchoring kits are widely available at hardware stores.

In most cases, no. CPSC-coordinated recall remedies are designed to be accessible without proof of purchase. Manufacturers typically ask consumers to self-certify ownership and may ask for photos of the product or its serial number. Some manufacturers request that you mail in a portion of the product (such as a cut cord or removed component) as proof of disposal. Check the specific remedy instructions for this recall for exact requirements. If you registered your product at the time of purchase, the process is usually even simpler.

If the original manufacturer has gone out of business, the recall remedy may no longer be available through them. In this case, contact CPSC directly at 1-800-638-2772 or cpsc.gov for guidance. If the brand was acquired by another company, the acquiring company may have assumed recall obligations. In some cases where a remedy is unavailable, CPSC advises consumers to safely dispose of the product. If you were injured by the product of a defunct company, consult a product liability attorney, parent companies, distributors, and retailers may still bear liability in some circumstances.