AutoZone Jumper Cable Recall

[Wheezer]

In case you have these or know someone who does.

Link

Name of Product: Valucraft Booster Cables

Units: About 140,000

Manufacturer: AutoZone Parts Inc., of Memphis, Tenn.

Hazard: The booster cables clamps were assembled incorrectly resulting in reverse polarity. This poses an electrical shock and explosion hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: AutoZone has received reports of four incidents of reverse polarity that resulted in minor property damage.

Description: This recall involves the Valucraft eight gauge and ten gauge booster cables. The cables are orange and have "8GA" or "10GA" printed on them.

Sold at: AutoZone stores nationwide and on its website from June 2007 through October 2007 for between $12 and $20.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the booster cables immediately and return them to any AutoZone store for a full refund or a free replacement.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact AutoZone at (800) 230-9786 anytime, or visit the firm's Web site at www.autozone.com.

 

[Howard]

Wow, how hard is it to assemble jumper cables?

 

[compnovice]

Most Jumper cables I have seen have a red cable and a black cable. The red clamps go on the red cable and black ones on the black. How did someone mess this up, unless its only black cables they are using.

 

[jagec]

The cables themselves were both orange in this case, and someone crimped the clamps on wrong...red to black and black to red. That's my guess.

Easy enough to troubleshoot IF you caught it in time...just trace the cable...but not even technically minded people bother to check this when using jumper cables, you just assume that red leads to red and black to black.

 

[AdamK47]

Oddly enough, I bought some jumper cables from Autozone yesterday to jump start the C6. They weren't Valucraft.