Linear Expands Recall of Personal Emergency Reporting System Transmitters Due to Battery Signal Failure

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #14212) was formally reported on June 19, 2014. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Linear LLC, of Carlsbad, Calif. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 175,000 (an additional 48,000 previously recalled in December 2013) units are affected, placing this recall in the million-unit bracket that typically triggers nationwide consumer alerts and retailer sweeps.

The documented reason for this recall is: The batteries used in the transmitters can fail to emit a low battery warning leading the user to believe the transmitter is functioning and not generate a warning. 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 immediately contact Linear to receive a new replacement transmitter at no cost. — 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 12 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.