Alert: Great States Corporation recalls Homelite and Earthwise 20-inch cordless electric lawn mowers

OTTAWA, Sept. 17, 2014 /CNW/ -

Affected product(s):

Homelite and Earthwise 20-inch cordless electric lawn mowers

Product description:

This recall involves Homelite and Earthwise cordless 24 Volt battery and 20 Amp electric lawn mowers.  The mowers have a 20-inch (51-centimetre) cutting width and come with a 3-in-1 side discharge/mulch/bagger.  The brand names "Homelite" or "Earthwise", "3 in 1" and "20"" appear on the front of the mowers.

The following lawn mowers are included in this recall:

Hazard identified:

If the mower handle is collapsed for storage, the starting cable can be stretched to a point in which the starting mechanism will be engaged and the mower can start without the key in place, posing a risk of injury to the user.

Great States Corporation has received three incident reports in Canada, in which one report documented the amputation of three finger tips.

Health Canada has not received any consumer reports of incidents or injuries related to the use of these mowers.

Number sold:

There were 394 Homelite lawn mowers sold at Home Depot stores and 137 Earthwise lawn mowers sold at Federated Co-op stores across Canada.

Time period sold:

The recalled lawn mowers were sold between February 2014 and August 2014.

Place of origin:

Manufactured in China.

Companies:

Manufacturer
YAT Electrical Appliance Co., Ltd
Jiaxing
Zhejiang
China

Distributor
Great States Corporation
Shelbyville
Indiana
USA

What you should do:

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled lawn mowers and remove the battery.  Do not collapse the mower for storage unless the battery has been removed.  Consumers can contact the Great States Corporation for a full refund.

For more information, consumers can contact Great States Customer Service by telephone at 1-800-313-5111 or 1-800-633-1501, Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. EST, or by email ([email protected]).

Please note that the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act prohibits recalled products from being redistributed, sold or even given away in Canada.

Health Canada would like to remind Canadians to report any health or safety incidents related to the use of this product or any other consumer product or cosmetic by filling out the Consumer Product Incident Report Form.

(http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/advisories-avis/incident/index-eng.php)

Également disponible en français

PDF available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/media/2014/09/17/20140917_C2573_PDF_EN_5715.pdf

SOURCE: Health Canada