CPSC, Simplicity Manufacturing Inc., Announce Recall to Repair Lawn Tractors and Riding Mowers

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #04183) was formally reported on July 20, 2004. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Simplicity Manufacturing Inc., of Port Washington, Wis. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate 5,900 units are affected.

The documented reason for this recall is: A safety switch under the seat of these lawn tractors and riding mowers is designed to stop the mower blade turning within 5 seconds of the operator leaving the tractor seat. The recalled mowers' blades can continue to … 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 contact the dealership where the lawn tractor or riding mower was purchased to have a free replacement seat safety switch installed. — 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 6 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.