Carrier Weathermaker Air Conditioners
Check against the official notice below — it lists the full affected range.
Carrier Corporation is voluntarily recalling two models of room air conditioners (model numbers 51GA0661 or 51GB0661) sold under the "Weathermaker" brand name between 1962 and 1965. These 6,000 BTU units, which are approximately 16.5 inches high, 22 inches wide, and 11.25 inches deep, were produced between 1962 and 1964 and sold at retail prices between $185 and $210. The company produced 21,591 total units and estimates that between 628 and 2,782 may still be in use. The recall was prompted by engineering tests that revealed deterioration of a terminal board insulator in these older units, which could cause an electrical short and ignite adjacent combustible material. Three fires involving these models occurred in May 1978 at an apartment complex in Anaheim, California, with no reported injuries.
Consumers who own these recalled air conditioners should immediately disconnect the units from the electrical outlet and stop using them. They should contact their nearest Carrier room air conditioning dealer, listed in the Yellow Pages Directory, to have the units repaired at no cost. For additional information, consumers can write to Carrier Air Conditioning at Carrier Parkway, Syracuse, N.Y. 13221, call the company's Consumer Relations Department at 315/432-7651, or contact the CPSC's toll-free hotline at 800/638-2772.
Written by software from the official notice below. Not reviewed by a lawyer.
Fire & Fire-Related Burn
October 19, 1978 Release # 78-086 WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 19) -- Carrier Corporation, Syracuse, N.Y., in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), today announced it is voluntarily recalling two models of room air conditioners produced between 1962 and 1964. The company said engineering tests on several of the 14 to 16-year-old units had revealed the deterioration of a terminal board insulator which could cause an electrical short that might ignite adjacent combustible material. Three fires last May involving these unit models in an apartment complex in Anaheim, Calif., were reported by the company to CPSC. There were no reported injuries related to those fires. The product involved is a 6,000 BTU air conditioner sold under the Carrier "Weathermaker" brand name and identified by the mode1 number 51GA0661 or 51GB0661. The model number will be found on a metallic plate behind the unit's decorative front grille, which can be snapped out easily. The units generally would be used to cool a single small room, such as a bedroom, and, in most instances, would be installed in a window. The units are about 16 1/2 inches high, 22 inches wide, 11 1/4 inches deep and weigh 100 pounds. They were sold throughout the continental U.S. during the years 1962-65 at a retail price of $185 to $210. Carrier said the company had produced a total of 21,591 such units, that they are now well beyond their normally expected product life, and that age, moisture and heat contributed to the deterioration of the electrical terminal board. The company estimates that as many as 2,782 units or as few as 628, might still be in service. Consumers having units as identified for the recall are urged to disconnect the air conditioner from the electrical outlet and to cease using it immediately. They should telephone their nearest Carrier room air conditioning dealer, as listed in the Yellow Pages Directory. Units will be repaired at no cost to the consumers. Consumers who require additional information should write to Carrier Air Conditioning, Carrier Parkway, Syracuse, N.Y. 13221 or phone the company's Consumer Relations Department at 315/432-7651. To verify brand names and model numbers, consumers may contact CPSC's toll-free Hotline at 800/638-2772
Official record: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission ↗
Republished from the official source above; details can change — the source record controls.