The Recall Desk
SevereCPSC·01166·Announced 2001-06-19

CPSC Recalls Remote-Controlled Toy Cars and Galileo Weather Thermometers

CPSC and firms recall remote-controlled toy cars and Galileo thermometers due to fire and burn hazards. Consumers should stop using these items immediately.

What this means for you

Illness, injury, or structural failure has been reported. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves significant injury reports, including burns and smoke inhalation, and the hazard description notes the thermometer liquid could be fatal if swallowed, meeting the criteria for a Severe rating.

Plain-English summary

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the firms involved are recalling approximately 4,300 remote-controlled toy race cars and 28,000 Galileo weather thermometers. The recall addresses safety hazards where the toy cars can overheat and emit smoke, posing a burn risk, and the thermometers contain a flammable liquid that is harmful or fatal if swallowed.

The remote-controlled cars were sold under the "Need for Speed" promotion at participating Texaco gas stations nationwide from May 2001 through June 1, 2001, for about $12 with any $10 purchase. The Galileo thermometers were sold at Christmas Tree Shops Inc. in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Albany, New York, from June 2000 through December 2000, for $12.99. The cars are black with the number 28 in red and a Texaco logo, while the thermometers are glass cylinders with floating spheres.

Equity Marketing Inc. received three reports of the toy cars emitting smoke, with no injuries reported. CPSC and Nantucket Distributing Co. Inc. received five reports of thermometers breaking, resulting in two injuries: one man suffered burns to his hands when a broken thermometer ignited near a stove, and another suffered smoke inhalation when extinguishing a fire caused by candles igniting a broken thermometer.

Consumers should stop using these products immediately. For the toy cars, remove the batteries and return the cars and remote controls to the Texaco station where purchased for a full refund, or obtain a prepaid shipping label from Equity Marketing Inc. For the thermometers, return them to Christmas Tree Shops Inc. for a refund. Consumers may contact Equity Marketing Inc. at (888) 747-4355 or Christmas Tree Shops Inc. at (800) 876-9677 for more information.

The recalled product

Product
Remote Controlled Toy Race Cars and Galileo Weather Thermometers
Category
Consumer Product — Toys and Household Items
Hazard
Affected units
4,300

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

Related recalls

Same hazard · fire

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