Honeywell Portable Electric Heater Recall: Burn Hazard

About 19,000 Honeywell portable electric heaters have been pulled from stores because they could burn consumers. 

The Honeywell Surround Select portable electric heater recall was announced on January 12 by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

According to the CPSC, the heater’s internal housing, which includes the fan, heating element and circuitry, is able to detach, which can expose consumers to a burn hazard. However, there have been no injuries reported in connection to the defective portable heaters.

The affected heaters include the Honeywell Surround Select Series portable electric heaters. They are black or white and cylindrical shaped, with a handle on top. The affected heaters have the model numbers HZ-420, HZ-430, and HZ-440. They also have five-digit date codes that have 11 as the last two digits. The model number is located on the bottom of the heater and stamped into the plastic, while the date code is located on the metal prongs of the heater’s electric plug. The heaters have “Honeywell” and “Surround Heat” located on the front of the heaters.

The heaters were distributed by Kaz USA Inc., under license from Honeywell. They were manufactured by Ningbo SMAL Electrics Co. Ltd., located in China.

The heaters were sold at Best Buy, Meijer and Wal-Mart stores nationwide for between $50 and $70 from July 2011 through December 2011.

The CPSC recommends that consumers who have heaters affected by the recall unplug them immediately and stop using them. Consumers can contact Kaz for a full refund. Consumers with questions can contact Kaz by calling (800) 370-8137 or by visiting the website at www.kaz.com/recall.