Samsonite Travel Converter Kit Recall Issued Due to Fire Risk

About 20,000 Samsonite Dual-Wattage travel converter kits have been recalled following reports of the converters overheating, posing a potential fire and burn hazard for consumers. 

The Samsonite travel converter kit recall was announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on February 12, after at least three reports were received of the units overheating when used in a 50-watt setting. To date, no injuries or property damage have been reported.

The converter kits are designed to make U.S. and Canadian products adaptable to other countries electrical outlets. The kit consists of a black converter to change 220-volt AC electricity to 110-volt AC, two adapter plugs with flat prong, two adapter plugs with round prongs, and one grounded adapter with three flat prongs.

The converter kits have a red switch on the front that allows the consumer to adjust the wattage between 50 and 1600 watts. The recall stems from consumers using the converter kit on the 50 watt setting for products that require a higher level wattage, causing the converter to overheat.

The converter kits have the words “Dual-Wattage Converter” and “Do Not Use 50W on Hair Dryer” written on the front of the converter box with a Samsonite logo on each piece in the set.

The recalled converter kits were manufactured in China and imported by Samsonite LLC, of Mansfield, Massachusetts and sold in retail stores nationwide and Samsonite’s online store from January 2011 through December 2012 for about $35.

Consumers should stop using the recalled converter kits immediately and contact Samsonite at (800) 382-7259 to return the product for a full refund. Consumers with questions can also e-mail the company at recall@samsonite.com or visit the company’s webpage at www.samsonite.com/recall.