The Recall Desk
SevereCPSC·11096·Announced 2011-01-12

White-Rodgers Recalls Programmable Thermostats Due to Fire Hazard

White-Rodgers is recalling about 180,000 programmable thermostats in the U.S. because the backup batteries can leak and cause a fire.

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 a fire hazard with reported minor property damage, which aligns with the rubric criterion for 'significant injury/property-damage reports' under the Severe category.

Plain-English summary

White-Rodgers of St. Louis, Mo., is recalling approximately 180,000 programmable thermostats in the United States and 8,300 in Canada. The recall involves model numbers 1F88-XXX and 1F85RF-275 with date codes beginning with 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, and 1001 through 1039. These thermostats were sold for about $150 to consumers nationwide through more than 40 utility companies participating in energy conservation programs and by various HVAC wholesalers.

The hazard exists because the thermostats constantly charge the backup AA batteries used to power the clock. This continuous charging can cause the batteries to leak, resulting in a fire hazard. The firm is aware of three incidents involving minor property damage, but no injuries have been reported.

Consumers should immediately remove the two AA batteries from the thermostat and contact White-Rodgers for a free repair kit. If removing the batteries causes changes in furnace operation, consumers should also contact White-Rodgers. For additional information, consumers can call White-Rodgers toll-free at (888) 624-1901 between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or visit the firm's website at www.regcen.com/Thermostat.

The recalled product

Product
Programmable thermostats
Manufacturer
White-Rodgers of St. Louis, Mo.
Category
Consumer Product — Home Heating and Cooling
Hazard
Affected units
180,000

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

Related recalls

Same hazard · fire

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