Broan-NuTone Recalls Ventilation Fans Due to Fire Hazard

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #16184) was formally reported on May 31, 2016. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Broan-NuTone LLC, of Hartford, Wis. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 450 in U.S. (in addition, 200 were sold in Canada) units are affected, a scale large enough to require multi-state distribution tracking.

The documented reason for this recall is: The fan motor can overheat, posing a fire hazard. 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 turn off and unplug the recalled fans and contact Broan to receive a free replacement fan. — 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 and NHTSA going back to 1995. Within the same product category, the database holds 6 closely related recalls. 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 10 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.