CPSC, Arett Sales Corp. Announce Recall of Multi-Purpose Barbecue Lighters

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #05100) was formally reported on February 10, 2005. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. The recalling firm is not specified in the federal record. Federal records indicate About 2 million units are affected.

The documented reason for this recall is: The lighters lack child-resistant mechanisms that meet federal safety standards. Young children could operate these lighters, which pose a fire hazard. Federal standards require multi-purpose lighters to have the same l… 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 lighters immediately and return them to the place of purchase for a full refund or dispose of the lighters in a manner that is in compliance with all state and local r… — 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 21 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.