Last week, Sears made headlines when it reissued a recall for about 795,000 dehumidifiers due to an increase of incidents directly connected to the dehumidifiers’ fire and burn hazards. In addition, another company also recalled thousands of units due to a fire hazard. Specifically, Masterbuilt Manufacturing issued a recall for approximately 11,000 Electric Smokehouse Smokers due to a potentially defective wood chip tray that could result in combustion, posing a fire hazard.
According to the CPSC, the “wood chip tray can fail to slide securely into the smoker, causing the wood to combust and the smoker’s cabinet door to blow open, posing a fire hazard.” To date, Masterbuilt says it has received six incident reports involving fires that caused the door to blow open, but no injuries have been reported. The recalled units also include a remote control and a control panel located on the top of the smoker.
The black smokers are rectangular with a matte finish and a stainless steel door. The door has a glass window with a screen-printed “Masterbuilt” logo on it. The smoker also has a serial plate with the product’s model number located on the bottom of the product. The affected model numbers are 20070312 and 20070512. The smokers were sold at Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas stores in the United States from May 2012 through August 2012 for between $270 and $430.
Consumers are advised to immediately stop using the recalled units and unplug them. They are also advised to contact Masterbuilt in order to obtain a free repair kit. Consumers can contact Masterbuilt Manufacturing by phone at 800-489-1581 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. Additionally, consumers can visit Masterbuilt online at www.masterbuilt.com and click on the link labeled “Contact” at the top right hand corner to contact the company through email.