CPSC Issues Warning About Hazardous Red Devil Gas Grills

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #02159) was formally reported on May 24, 2002. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Quantum North America Inc., of Encino, Calif. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 155,000 units are affected, a scale large enough to require multi-state distribution tracking.

The documented reason for this recall is: The product's design allows consumers to light the grill at an air intake tube, instead of at the burner. Though the grill appears to function normally, gas inside the air intake tube ignites. The tube can reach tempera… 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: Both the Home Shopping Network (HSN) and QVC voluntarily notified their customers directly about the hazard these grills pose, and provided a remedy. Grills purchased from retailers other than the HS… — 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.