The Recall Desk
Our severity:HighCPSC·94127·Announced 1994-09-15

Char-Broil Recalls Charcoal Water Smokers Due to Fire Risk

Char-Broil is offering free kits to close a hole in the charcoal pan of approximately 80,000 water smokers to reduce fire risk.

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 risk-of-harm product (fire risk) where injury has not yet been reported, which aligns with the 'High' severity criteria in the rubric.

Plain-English summary

Char-Broil, of Columbus, Ga., announced a program to provide owners of "Char-Broil" brand charcoal water smokers with a kit to close a hole in the charcoal pan. This action is intended to reduce the risk of fire if the smoker is used over a flammable surface, such as a wooden deck. Although using the smoker over a flammable surface is contrary to the warnings and instructions included with the product, the hole in the exposed charcoal pan presents a potential hazard.

Approximately 80,000 Char-Broil brand charcoal water smokers sold since March 1993 are affected. The recalled units are red or black, labeled "Char-Broil H2O Smoker" on the body, and were sold nationwide in mass market retail stores for $29 to $39 each. Only smokers that have a hole in the exposed charcoal pan are involved in this recall. Char-Broil has not received any reports of fires with its smokers to date.

Consumers should call Char-Broil at (800) 241-8981 to obtain a free kit to close the hole in the pan. To help reduce the risk of fire even after the hole is closed, consumers should not operate the charcoal water smoker on or near flammable surfaces. The CPSC is also investigating other brands of charcoal water smokers that may present a similar risk of fire.

The recalled product

Product
Char-Broil charcoal water smokers
Manufacturer
Char-Broil
Category
Consumer Product — Grills & Smokers
Hazard

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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