Philips Lighting Expands Recall of Metal Halide Lamps Due to Fire and Laceration Hazards

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #17100) was formally reported on March 1, 2017. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Philips Lighting North America Corp., of Somerset, N.j. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 256,000 (in addition, about 87,000 were previously recalled on May 24, 2016). 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 outer bulbs can shatter, resulting in hot internal pieces of glass falling from the lamps, posing fire and laceration hazards. 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 stop using the recalled lamps and contact Philips for a free replacement. — 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, 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 9 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.