Nearly half a million smoke alarms are recalled – because they might not detect smoke

More than 450,000 smoke detectors from a North Carolina-based company have been recalled because of a manufacturer defect that could prevent them from actually detecting smoke.

Kidde in Mebane issued a recall for models PI2010 and PI9010. Model numbers are on the back of the units.

They were sold at Menards, The Home Depot, Walmart and other department, home and hardware stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com, ShopKidde.com and other websites from September 2016 through January 2018 for between $20 and $40, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Here is the full explanation of the problem, as stated in the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall notice: “A yellow cap left on during the manufacturing process can cover one of the two smoke sensors and compromise the smoke alarm’s ability to detect smoke, posing a risk of consumers not being alerted to a fire in their home.”

Kidde wants consumers to take down the smoke alarm and look through the side opening. Customers who see a yellow cap shouldn’t try to take the alarm apart or do repair. They should contact Kidde to request a free replacement smoke alarm, but toss the current smoke alarm only after getting the replacement.

If you have an affected smoke alarm, you can register for a replacement at: kidde-smoke-alarm-recallusen.expertinquiry.com. You can also call 833-551-7739.

Last year, Kidde recalled 38 million fire extinguishers because a design flaw could lead to them failing to activate during a fire emergency and parts could detach with enough force to pose an impact hazard.

This story was originally published March 21, 2018 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Nearly half a million smoke alarms are recalled – because they might not detect smoke."