The Recall Desk
Our severity:SevereCPSC·85011·Announced 1985-03-12

Patton and Sears portable electric space heaters recalled for fire hazard

Patton Electric is reminding consumers to stop using specific portable electric space heaters due to a fire hazard. The recall covers Patton Model HF-10 and Sears Model 201-7208.

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 over sixty investigated incidents of fire in houses, which aligns with the rubric criterion for 'significant injury/property-damage reports' or high-risk products where injury has not yet been reported but significant property damage (fire) is documented.

Plain-English summary

Patton Electric Company, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), is issuing a reminder for a voluntary recall of specific portable electric space heaters. The recall, originally announced in April 1984, involves Patton Model HF-10 and Sears Model 201-7208. These units were sold nationwide between August 1983 and March 1984 in large chain stores, including Sears, and small retail outlets for under $30.00. Approximately 50,000 of these discontinued heaters may still be in consumer use.

The heaters are being recalled because of a possible fire hazard. The CPSC has investigated over sixty incidents of fire in houses where these heaters were being used. The company believes the hazard is related to the sliding-type switch assembly, which utilizes a diode, rather than the heater itself. This specific switch was installed only in the recalled models, which were manufactured in Hong Kong. All other Patton models are manufactured in the U.S. and use rotary dial temperature controls.

Consumers should stop using these heaters and unplug them from electrical outlets immediately. To verify if their heater is one of the recalled models, owners should look at the bottom label for the specific model numbers and the words "Made in Hong-Kong." Owners can call Patton at 1-800-528-6600 ext. 1722 (or specific toll-free numbers for Arizona and Alaska) to verify the model and obtain instructions for returning the heater for a free replacement with a new domestically manufactured unit.

The recalled product

Product
Patton portable electric space heaters
Manufacturer
Patton
Category
Consumer Product — Home Appliances
Hazard

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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