The Recall Desk
Our severity:SevereCPSC·04229·Announced 2004-09-30

Goodman Recalls Amana, Trane, and American Standard Package Terminal Air Conditioners

Goodman is recalling about 875,000 Amana, Trane, and American Standard package terminal air conditioners/heat pumps due to a fire hazard caused by clogged filters and failing safety switches.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 4/5 (Severe).

The hazard poses a serious risk of illness, injury, or structural failure. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a fire hazard with eight confirmed instances of ignition and minor property damage, which meets the rubric criteria for 'Severe' (significant injury/property-damage reports).

Plain-English summary

Goodman Company, L.P. is recalling approximately 875,000 package terminal air conditioners/heat pumps (PTACs) sold under the Amana, Trane, and American Standard brand names. The recalled units were manufactured between January 1996 and March 2003 for Amana, and between January 1996 and August 2002 for Trane and American Standard. These units use electric heaters rated at 3.5 kilowatts or greater and are primarily installed in commercial and institutional settings such as hotels, hospitals, schools, and apartment complexes, though a small number are owned by individual homeowners.

The recall is due to a fire hazard. If the air filter becomes clogged due to lack of maintenance, airflow is severely restricted, causing internal temperatures to rise. This can cause two safety switches to stop working during the product's expected life. If the blower wheel then stops while the unit is operating in heating mode, a fire can develop. Goodman has received 29 confirmed reports of units overheating, including eight instances where the unit ignited and caused minor property damage. No injuries have been reported.

Owners should immediately inspect and clean the air conditioner/heat pump filters to remove any imminent hazard and continue cleaning them every 30 days. Commercial and institutional owners should install a free replacement thermal safety limit switch themselves, while individual homeowners can receive a free repair. To obtain the free replacement switch or repair, owners should contact the Goodman Hotline at (800) 729-6122 or submit a PTAC Recall Information Form at www.regcen.com/PTAC.

The recalled product

Product
Package Terminal Air Conditioner/Heat Pump (PTAC)
Manufacturer
Goodman Company, L.P., of Houston, Texas
Category
Consumer Product — HVAC Equipment
Hazard
Affected units
875,000

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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