DR® Whisperlite® lawnmower
CPSC Recall #02-532 — April 9, 2002
Recall Summary
| Recall Number | 02-532 |
| Recall Date | April 9, 2002 |
| Remedy Type | Repair |
| Units Affected | About 19,700 |
Product
DR® Whisperlite® lawnmower
Description
PRODUCT: Lawn Mower - Country Home Products, Inc. of Vergennes, Vt., is voluntarily recalling for repair about 19,700 cordless electric lawnmowers. The recalled lawnmowers were sold under the DR® Whisperlite® name. They have "DR®" printed on the top of the red or yellow plastic housing, and "Whisperlite®" on a label on the front of the plastic housing. The lawnmowers are 30" long without a bag, 38 1/2" high to the handlebar, and 18" wide with a 14" cutting width. They were sold nationwide from January 2000 to October 2001, for about $350.PROBLEM: A wiring problem on the lawnmower's circuit board may cause some of the safety functions to become inoperable. The mower may continue to operate after the Operator Presence Control Bar is released. The blade also may continue to spin for an extended period of time after the mower has been shut off. Contact with a moving lawnmower blade can result in lacerations or serious injury to the hand or foot.INCIDENTS/INJURIES: Country Home Products has received up to 300 reports of circuit board failures with one incident resulting in a minor finger injury.WHAT TO DO: Consumers with a recalled lawn mower should immediately stop using the lawnmower. Country Home Products is sending all registered users of a Whisperlite® mower a repair kit. If you have not received a repair kit by May 1, 2002, please contact Country Home Products toll-free at (800) 673-1225 Monday to Friday, from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET to request a free repair kit.
Hazard
A wiring problem on the lawnmower's circuit board may cause some of the safety functions to become inoperable. The mower may continue to operate after the Operator Presence Control Bar is released. The blade also may continue to spin for an extended period of time after the mower has been shut off. Contact with a moving lawnmower blade can result in lacerations or serious injury to the hand or foot.
Incidents & Injuries
Country Home Products has received up to 300 reports of circuit board failures with one incident resulting in a minor finger injury.
Remedy Instructions
Consumers with a recalled lawn mower should immediately stop using the lawnmower. Country Home Products is sending all registered users of a Whisperlite® mower a repair kit. If you have not received a repair kit by May 1, 2002, please contact Country Home Products toll-free at (800) 673-1225 Monday to Friday, from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET to request a free repair kit.
What Should You Do?
Stop using this product immediately. Contact the manufacturer for a Repair 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 (Repair) at no cost to you.
Yes. If you were injured by a defective consumer product — whether recalled or not — you may have grounds for a product liability claim against the manufacturer and potentially the retailer. A recall notice can serve as evidence that the manufacturer was aware of the defect. Injuries that may support a claim include burns, lacerations, fractures, electric shock, choking incidents, and chemical exposure. Most product liability attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless you win. Consult an attorney promptly, as statutes of limitation vary by state.
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.