Hydrostatic Lawn Tractors Recalled by Hydro-Gear Due to Crash Hazard

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.  It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20030904/USCSCLOGO)

Name of product: Lawn Tractors

Units: About 2,700

Manufacturer: Hydro-Gear Limited Partnership, of Sullivan, Ill.

Hazard: A drive gear in the lawn tractor's hydrostatic transaxle can fail causing brake failure, posing a crash hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: This recall involves Cub Cadet, MTD Gold and Troy-Bilt lawn tractors sold with Hydro-Gear model 618-0319 and 618-04270B transaxles. Cub Cadet and Troy-Bilt tractors included in this recall have dates of manufacture (DOM) ranging from December 2010 through March 2011. The DOM can be found on a label on the underside of the seat. MTD Gold can be identified by serial numbers starting with 1L15 or 1L16. Affected transaxles have serial numbers with the first four digits ranging between 0333 and 0348. Transaxle model and serial numbers are printed on a label on the transaxle.

Cub Cadet lawn tractors with the recalled transaxles are:

MTD Gold brand tractors with recalled transaxles are:

Troy-Bilt brand tractors with recalled transaxles are:

Sold by: Lawn and garden retailers nationwide from January 2011 through January 2012 for about between $1,900 and $2,800.

Manufactured in: U.S.A.

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled lawn tractors and contact the firm for instructions on obtaining a repair from an authorized service provider.

Consumer Contact:  For additional information, please contact the firm's toll-free at (888) 848-6038 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firms' websites at www.cubcadet.com, www.troybilt.com or www.MTDproducts.com. Consumers can also visit Hydro-Gear's website at www.hydro-gear.com.

Photos available at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12132.html       

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about your experience with the product on SaferProducts.gov.

Firm's Recall Hotline: (888) 848-6038
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission