CPSC, Turbo Power Inc. Announce Recall of Electric Hand-held Hair Dryers

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #04147) was formally reported on May 27, 2004. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Turbo Power Inc., of Flushing, New York is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate 395,000 units are affected, a scale large enough to require multi-state distribution tracking.

The documented reason for this recall is: These electric hair dryers are not equipped with an immersion protection device to prevent electrocution, if the hair dryer falls into water. Such electric shock protection devices are required by industry standards for… 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: Return the hair dryer to either the retail store where purchased or to Turbo Power for a free replacement. Mail to: Turbo Power Inc., 31-40 Downing Street, Flushing, NY 11354. Consumers will be reimb… — 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 22 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.