On behalf of Weisman, Kennedy & Berris Co., L.P.A. posted in Products liability on Wednesday, July 18, 2012.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, an independent regulatory agency, recently announced a voluntary recall of a bathroom exhaust fan sold at Lowe’s stores. With 20 Lowe’s stores in the greater Cleveland area, chances are that some Ohio consumers may be at risk for personal injury from this defective product, of which 68,000 have already been sold worldwide.

The fans, sold under the brand name of Harbor Breeze, have a center light and a heater. However, the heater blades have been reported to fail to rotate properly, causing the fan to overheat. That, in turn, creates a fire hazard. To date, there have been 11 reports of the fan overheating with smoking or flames and 3 reports of minor property damage.

Consumers are advised to stop using the recalled bathroom exhaust fans immediately and to contact the manufacturer of the fan, Delta Electronics Dongguan, to schedule a free repair by a trained service technician.

There is usually no end date to a product recall. Even if you don’t learn of the recall for a year or more, you should follow the guidance in the recall notice the CPSC issues. In addition, you should not resell a recalled consumer product, which is against the law.

If you have questions about whether a product may be unsafe, the CPSC maintains a public database at SaferProducts.gov of reported products. The agency also maintains a consumer hot line to report concerns about potentially unsafe products. However, if you have already been injured by an unsafe product, you should consult with an attorney about possible avenues of recovery available to you.

Source: WDTN, “Exhaust fans sold at Lowe’s stores recalled due to fire hazard; Made by Delta Electronics Dongguan,” July 13, 2012