The Recall Desk
SevereCPSC·79017·Announced 1979-04-16

Carrier Weathermaker Air Conditioners Recalled for Fire Risk

Carrier is recalling Weathermaker air conditioners from 1962-1964 because deteriorating insulators could cause electrical shorts and fires.

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 three reported fires, which aligns with the rubric criterion for 'significant injury/property-damage reports' or risk-of-harm products where injury has not yet been reported but property damage (fires) has occurred.

Plain-English summary

Carrier Corporation is recalling two models of Weathermaker room air conditioners, model numbers 51GA0661 and 51GB0661. These units were produced between 1962 and 1964 and sold throughout the continental United States. The recall was reissued in April 1979 following engineering tests that revealed deterioration of a terminal board insulator in the aging units.

The deteriorated insulator could cause an electrical short that might ignite adjacent combustible material. Carrier reported three fires in May 1978 in an apartment complex in Anaheim, California, to the CPSC. There were no reported injuries associated with these incidents. The units are 6,000 BTU air conditioners typically installed in windows to cool single small rooms.

Consumers with these units are urged to stop using them and disconnect them from the electrical outlet. They should contact their nearest Carrier room-air conditioning dealer to arrange for a free repair. Additional information is available from Carrier Air Conditioning in Syracuse, New York, or via the CPSC toll-free hotline.

The recalled product

Product
Carrier Weathermaker air conditioners
Manufacturer
Carrier
Category
Consumer Product — Air Conditioners
Hazard

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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