John Deere Lawn Tractor Recalls Issued Over Blade and Brake Defects

More than 20,000 John Deere lawn tractors have been recalled due to bad brakes and defective blade systems, which could pose a potential injury hazard for consumers.  

The John Deere lawn tractor recall was announced for two different models by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on September 14. However, there have been no reported injuries associated with either recall.

In one of the recalls, 5,200 John Deere D100 lawn tractors were pulled off the market because the brake assembly to the transmission housing can break. This could lead to the lawn tractors running out of control, posing an injury hazard.

In the other John Deere lawn tractor recall, 15,500 John Deere mowers from several model lines, including the D100 again, were recalled because hardware used to hold the mower blade brake can fail, resulting in the blades continuing to spin after the lawn tractors are turned off.

The brake recall affects Model D100 tractors with the serial numbers 1GXD100A…BB051247 through 1GXD100A…BB053312 and 1GXD100E…BB114388 through 1GXD100E…BB139599. The serial numbers are located under the right rear fenders. These lawn tractors were sold at John Deer dealers, Lowe’s and Home Depot stores in every state except California, from October 2010 through September 2011 for about $1,500.

The mower blade recall affects Model D100, D110, D120 and D130 lawn tractors with the 42-inch Edge Cutting System mower deck. A complete list of serial numbers affected by the recall are available on the CPSC’s recall notice. They were sold at John Deere dealers, Lowe’s, and Home Depot stores nationwide for between $1,500 and $2,000 from December 2010 through September 2011.

In both recalls, the CPSC recommends that consumers immediately stop using the affected lawn tractors and contact John Deere for a free hardware inspection and repair. Consumers can call the company at (800)537-8233 or visit the firm’s website at www.johndeere.com.