The Recall Desk
Our severity:HighCPSC·83029·Announced 1983-05-24

Honeywell Recalls Over 770,000 Battery-Operated Smoke Detectors

Honeywell is recalling over 770,000 battery-operated smoke detectors that may fail to alarm during a fire due to circuit board defects.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 3/5 (High).

Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a safety-critical device (smoke detector) that may fail to warn of a fire, representing a significant risk of harm, but the source text does not report any specific injuries or illnesses.

Plain-English summary

Honeywell Inc. is voluntarily recalling over 770,000 model TC89B and TC89C battery-operated smoke detectors in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The affected units were produced in 1977 and 1978 and sold nationally in the United States and in Canada. These detectors may fail to sound an alarm when smoke is present due to circuit board mounting problems, although they may still alarm when the test button is pushed.

To identify affected detectors, consumers should remove the cover and check the gray cardboard inside for model numbers TC89B or TC89C and a date code between 7601 and 7820. Detectors with date codes of 7821 or higher are not affected. Honeywell recommends that consumers check the battery and test the detector's operation using an extinguished candle to create smoke near the unit. Consumers should stop using broom handles or similar objects to push the test button.

If the detector does not alarm in the presence of smoke, consumers should contact Honeywell at 800-328-8194 or write to Honeywell Consumer Affairs in Minnetonka, Minnesota, to determine if the unit is covered by the recall. Honeywell will replace returned units with a comparable model produced by another manufacturer. The CPSC and Honeywell urge consumers to replace non-working smoke detectors immediately and to regularly check all smoke detectors to ensure proper operation.

The recalled product

Product
Honeywell smoke detectors
Manufacturer
Honeywell
Category
Consumer Product — Smoke Detectors
Hazard

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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