Vornado Heater Recall Fact Sheet
Safety is our top priority. We are initiating this voluntary recall of certain models of portable electric whole room heaters out of an abundance of caution in keeping with our commitment to the safety of our products and consumers.
We routinely conduct quality control tests on our products to ensure that they will operate safely under any condition. The design and manufacture of our heaters have always been certified to meet UL standards. Our own testing revealed a faulty ?crimp? in the UL certified insulated connector component. In certain models of portable electric whole room heaters, a faulty crimp could cause overheating and, over time, this heating could cause a degradation of the electrical connection at the crimp and ultimately cause the connector to stop working, safely in most all cases. Once this concern surfaced, we immediately notified the Consumer Products Safety Commission and initiated the voluntary recall process.
Our investigation also concluded that under remote conditions, it is possible that the overheating could result in a fire.
Out of over 1 million units sold, Vornado has only been able to verify in 24 instances that a fire may have been the result of a faulty crimp connection. Vornado is not aware of any injuries related to these incidents.
While the risk of overheating and fire is remote, we believe that recalling these products is the right thing to do to ensure the safety of our valued customers.
Independent experts involved in this investigation have verified that portable space heaters utilizing uninsulated connectors eliminate the possibility for fires caused by static heating.
To fully address and cure the problem, Vornado redesigned the wiring connection on all heaters. The redesign allowed Vornado to switch to uninsulated connectors for all the heaters currently being made and sold in stores, and all recalled units will be easily repaired using uninsulated connectors and be safe for use. The redesign continues to meet UL requirements.
Product Being Recalled
Vornado Air Circulation Systems, Inc. is voluntarily recalling certain models of portable electric whole room heaters in conjunction with the Consumer Products Safety Commission. The models or types are:
DVH, EVH, Intellitemp, VH, 180VH
The VH2®, Traditions Heater, the Heatrests and the Spot Heater models are not a part of the recall
This is a link to the CPSC notification: CPSC Recall Notification.
The units subject to this recall were sold online and through retailers and distributors nationwide between July 1991 and January 2004. These stores retailed the portable electric whole room heaters for between $50.00 and $120.00 per unit. The units are designed for indoor consumer use. Each heater is approximately 11.75 inches long, 9.5 inches wide, and 11.87 inches tall, and weigh approximately 6 lbs.
The model numbers or type can easily be found on the bottom of the unit. If you are unsure about the model or type, please call our toll free number, 1-888-221-5431, and we will provide identification assistance.
Product Return Information
We are asking customers to stop using the recalled products and contact Vornado to arrange for shipping through FedEx locations for repair of the recalled heaters free of charge.
You may register your heater for repair online at
http://209.248.147.50/hr04register.asp. We encourage use of the website as response time for the consumer may be better. If you do not have access to the internet, you may call Vornado toll-free at 1-888-221-5431 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday, and we will register you unit for you. You will then receive complete information about how to return your heater for repair.
We will provide full warranty for the repaired unit, parts and labor, for 90 days from the date of service.
No refunds can be offered. The unit will be repaired, or AT THE DISCRETION OF VORNADO, PARTICULARLY IF YOUR UNIT IS A 1997 MODEL OR OLDER, IT COULD BE REPLACED WITH A UNIT OF EQUAL OR GREATER VALUE. Vornado has selected Federal Express (FedEx) to provide transportation services at no charge to you.
Go to the Recall Registration Form
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