Greenworks and Kobalt electric lawn mowers recalled.
For many consumers, electric lawn mowers are the wave of the future. After all, they’re quieter, do not require gas, often easier to start and operate, and are more environmentally friendly than traditional lawn mowers with gas engines. Yet a recent recall of two popular brands of electric lawn mowers may have some consumers thinking twice about this new type of lawn mower.
In late May 2017, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a recall notice for the manufacturers of lawn mowers made by Greenworks and Kobalt. This recall notice impacts 28,000 mowers. According to the notice, the circuit boards of the mowers can short out, causing a fire. Twelve separate incidents have been reported, with five involving fires. The recall involves the Greenworks G-Max 25302 and the Cobalt KM2040X-06. If you own one of these models, remove the battery, and stop using the mower. Then contact the company via the website, Green Works Tools, to arrange for a repair. The recall only impacts lawn mowers manufactured in certain time frames.
Both lawn mowers have 40 volt lithium ion batteries. Although this is not the specific issue with this recall, lithium ion batteries have been known to cause fires with other types of electronics, including hover boards, cell phones and even e-cigarettes. Consumers who use electric lawn mowers should be careful to not overcharge their lawn mower batteries to prevent them from catching on fire.
Unfortunately, although many consumers believe that the products that they buy are safe, many defective or dangerous items make it to the market. Often times, the only way that they are removed from the market is through the actions of products liability attorneys and pressure from lawsuits. There have been many situations where hundreds or even thousands of consumers have been injured before a company removes a product from the market — and even then, it may only do so because a lawsuit is filed.
There are three primary ways that products can be defective: in design, manufacture, or through failure to warn. A product that is defectively designed cannot be used safely even if it is used properly. A product was defectively manufactured, then something went wrong in the manufacturing process that caused it to be a dangerous or defective product. The electric lawn mowers described above may be either defectively designed (with a circuit board that was improperly designed for the intended use) or defectively manufactured (with a circuit board that was poorly made). Finally, if a manufacturer fails to warn consumers about a specific use of a product that can be dangerous, that can be another product liability issue. In the case of lithium ion batteries, if a manufacturer did not include information about the safe charging and use of the batteries, and consumers overcharge batteries as a result, then the manufacturer could be liable for any injuries or property damage that results.
If you have been injured by a defective or dangerous product, the experienced products liability attorneys or PLBH can help. Contact our office at (800) 435-7542 or info@plblaw.com to learn more, or to schedule a free initial consultation. In many cases, we may be able to represent you on a contingency fee basis.