CPSC, Coast Energy Management Announce Recall of Power Saving Devices

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #02146) was formally reported on April 24, 2002. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Coast Energy Management Inc., of Chandler, Ariz. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 45,000 units are affected.

The documented reason for this recall is: The Power Planner is a device connected between motorized appliances and wall outlets that is intended to save electricity. These Power Planners have reversed polarity, posing a shock hazard to consumers. Distribution information was not included in the agency filing, so consumers should assume broad potential exposure until the firm publishes point-of-sale details. The remedy documented by the agency is: Consumers should unplug these devices immediately. Coast Energy Management is out of business, and a remedy is no longer available. Do not use this product. Please discard or destroy this product. Do… — consumers holding this product should act on that instruction rather than relying on general guidance.

To put this record in context, PlainRecalls indexes 83,949 recalls across the FDA, CPSC, NHTSA and USDA FSIS going back to 1995. Within the same product category, the database holds 6 closely related recalls. That clustering is a signal — repeated actions in a narrow category often indicate a systemic quality-control issue, a supplier-wide contamination, or a design defect that has propagated across product lines. This recall is roughly 24 years old; older recalls can remain relevant because many units enter resale, rental, and secondary-market channels where the original warning never reaches the end user. Always cross-check the recall number against the official agency page before relying on any summary.