Tyco Fire & Security Recalls Smoke Detectors for Replacement

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #06550) was formally reported on May 19, 2006. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Solectron (Suzhou) Technology Co. Ltd., of Suzhou, China is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 128,000 smoke detectors units are affected, a scale large enough to require multi-state distribution tracking.

The documented reason for this recall is: The smoke detectors could experience reduced sensitivity to smoke in conditions of high humidity and high temperature. If this occurs, these detectors could delay detecting the presence of smoke in the event of a fire. 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: Commercial building owners and managers with recalled smoke detectors will be contacted by one of the distributors to verify that the detectors in their fire detection system are included in the reca… — 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 20 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.