CPSC and Gas-Fired Products Inc. Announce Recall of Water Heaters

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #02533) was formally reported on April 10, 2002. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Gas-Fired Products Inc., of Charlotte, N.C. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 1,300 Seahorse® and 25 "Bradford & White" water heaters units are affected, a scale large enough to require multi-state distribution tracking.

The documented reason for this recall is: Over time, the heat exchanger could become blocked, creating a potential ventilation and cracking problem, posing a fire hazard, if nearby combustibles ignite. 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 stop using the water heaters immediately and contact the recall hotline to receive a free repair kit. Most consumers were sent direct mail notification of this recall. — 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, of which 1 were also issued by CPSC. 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.