CPSC, Heat & Glo Announce Recall of Gas Fireplaces

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #05162) was formally reported on April 27, 2005. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Heat & Glo, of Lakeville, Minn. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 7,800 units are affected.

The documented reason for this recall is: Gas in the fireplace can accumulate prior to burner ignition. When ignition takes place, it can cause the glass window to shatter and create a risk of burns or lacerations from broken glass. 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 fireplaces immediately and contact Heat & Glo to make arrangements for a free repair. To be sure that no one uses the fireplace by mistake, consumers should shut off t… — 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.