Kidde is recalling more than 40 million fire extinguishers that were sold in the United States and Canada for use on commercial trucks and to consumers for use in homes and on boats.
The two styles of Kidde plastic handle and push-button Pindicator fire extinguishers being recalled were made between 1973 and 2017.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which ordered the recall, says there were 391 reports of failed or limited activation or nozzle detachment, including one fatality.
The commission said the extinguishers can become clogged or require excessive force in order to discharge them, and can fail to activate during a fire emergency. CPSC also said the nozzle can detach with enough force to pose an impact hazard.
Some extinguishers were sold under brand names different than Kidde, including Sam’s, Sanford, Sears, Mariner, Montgomery Ward, Quell and Honeywell. They were sold through a number of national and regional store chains, including Walmart, as well as on Amazon.com.
Different units were colored red, white and silver, and are ABC- or BC-rated, The model number is printed on the label. For units produced in 2007 and later, date of manufacture is a 10-digit date code printed on the side of the cylinder, near the bottom.
Digits five through nine represent the day and year of manufacture in DDDYY format. Date codes for recalled models manufactured from Jan. 2, 2012, through Aug. 15, 2017, are 00212 through 22717. For units produced before 2007, a date code is not printed on the fire extinguisher.
More detailed information on the recalled models, including their serial numbers and dates of manufacture, is available on that CPSC website. You also can obtain additional information from the manufacturer by visiting the Kidde website.