CPSC, Tristar Products Inc. Announce Recall of Electric Pressure Washers

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #04565) was formally reported on July 15, 2004. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Zhejiang Anlu Cleaning Machinery Co. Ltd., of China is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate 1,000 units are affected.

The documented reason for this recall is: These electric pressure washers do not have a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) on the power cord, which poses a serious electrocution hazard if the unit comes into contact with water. 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 electric pressure washers immediately. Tristar will send consumers a portable GFCI that can be attached to the end of the power cord, which will provide consumers with… — 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 3 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.