CPSC, Ames True Temper Re-Announce Recall of Wheelbarrows - Company Offering Gardening Tool Gift to Consumers with Repair

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #04169) was formally reported on June 23, 2004. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. O. Ames, a predecessor company of Ames True Temper Inc., of Camp Hill, Pa. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 647,000 units are affected, a scale large enough to require multi-state distribution tracking.

The documented reason for this recall is: The plastic wheel assemblies on these wheelbarrows can break when the tires are being inflated. This can result in plastic pieces exploding from the rims of the wheels, possibly hitting nearby consumers and causing lace… 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: To prevent further injuries, consumers should not inflate the tires on these wheelbarrows. Ames True Temper is offering a free replacement steel wheel assembly for each wheelbarrow and is offering co… — 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 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.