Toro Power Sweep Blower Recall: Risk of Injury from Plastic Shooting Out
Published: December 12th, 2008 • One Comment
Toro Company and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have announced a Toro Power Sweep Blower recall due to a defective internal plastic part, which could break. At least 28 people have reported suffering injuries from small pieces of broken plastic being projected out of the blower.
The Toro recall impacts approximately 900,000 electric blowers sold between 2000 and 2002 throughout the United States at retailers such as Lowes, Home Depot, K-Mart and Target.
An internal rotating component in the Toro Power Sweep Blowers, known as the impeller, has been found to be defective and prone to break. This could result in small pieces of plastic being propelled out of the blower, posing a risk of serious injury to the operator or bystanders.
At least 162 reports of broken impellers have been received by Toro Company, and 28 of these reports involved injuries such as cuts, bruises and other injuries caused by the Power Sweep Blower.
Owners have been advised to stop using the recalled blower and to contact Toro directly at (888) 279-3191 for a replacement.
The recalled Toro Power Sweep electric blower is model number 51586, with serious numbers between 000055100 and 220255609. A decal on the blower reads “TORO Power Sweep” and the decal on the opposite side contains the model and serial number.
The impeller is a black plastic fan, which can be viewed through the air inlet screen on the bottom of the unit.
Comment by Deb on 4 February 2009:
I was injured by this type of bower. I was using it to blow dirt and leaves off our deck when it shot apart There was a loud bang and then a sharp pain in my leg. Lucky for me I had long pants on and the grand kids were not out on the deck.