More than 400,000 handheld massagers have been recalled, following more than 140 reports involving problems where the power cord broke and exposed electrical wires, resulting in more than a dozen burn injuries. 

A HoMedics handheld massagers recall was announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on May 2, due to a risk that exposed wires may cause the device to begin sparking, smoking, and in some cases began shooting flames from the massager. To date, the CPSC is aware of at least 15 reported burn injuries to consumer’s fingers, arms and other parts of the body.

The CPSC recall notice warns consumers to stop using the products immediately due to the risk of electric shock and burn injuries, as well as the risk of fire.

The recalled massage devices includes three models sold under the HoMedics brand, including model numbers HHP-375H, HHP-250, and the PA-MH-THP models, which are equipped with a 120 VAC, 60 HZ power cords. The handheld massagers are marked with “HoMedics” on the back of the device above the power button.

Manufacturing dates and codes can be located on a label affixed to the underside of the product. Date codes are displayed as a four-digit number representing the sequential week and year in the format of “WWYY”.

The HHP-375 model is a handheld dual node percussion massager with heat capability that was sold with a gray or black handle and has three sets of interchangeable nodes. The HHP-250 model provides heating or cooling massage functions and were sold with a gray or or blue stripe and have three, five or eight interchangeable nodes. The PA-MH-THP models supply compact percussion massage with heat functions and are white on the bottom of the base and gray on top and have two sets of interchangeable nodes.

The recalled products were manufactured in China under HoMedics USA LLC of Commerce Township, Michigan. They were sold at Bed Bath & Beyond, Macy’s Rite-Aid, Walmart and various other large and smaller scale retailers nationwide from August 2013 through February 2017 for between $30 and $50.

According to the manufacturer, an estimated 400,000 devices were sold throughout the United States.

The CPSC recommends that customers check their products immediately to verify if they are included in the recall. Customers are being asked to stop using the recalled handheld massagers and to contact HoMedics at 888-803-0509 for information on how to receive a full refund or store credit. Customers may also visit the manufacturer online at http://www.homedics.com and navigate to the link titled “Product Recall” for more information.

Tags: Burns, Electrocution, Fire