WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S Consumer
Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Gerry Baby Products
Company, of Thornton, Colo., announced a voluntary
recall of approximately 990,000 Model 602 Gerry Deluxe Baby
Monitors. Wires inside the monitor may be improperly
connected, resulting in the product overheating with the
possibility of the monitor causing fire. Another
contributing factor is when blankets or other bedding are
placed around or on top of the monitor blocking ventilation.
Gerry urges consumers to read all product warnings and
instructions accompanying all monitors. Consumers should
not place any monitor in the crib, among blankets or
bedding, or in any position that interferes with ventilation
for the monitor.
Gerry is aware of one fire without injuries involving a
Model 602 monitor with this manufacturing error. This
information was brought to CPSC's attention by a member of
the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI).
In addition, CPSC has also received reports alleging Model
602 Baby Monitor involvement in two other fires, including
one with a fatality and an injury, and 13 incidents of the
monitors getting warm to the touch, including
one skin burn. Gerry stated that only one report (no
injuries) of these 16 claims was conclusively determined to
have been caused by the Model 602 monitor.
The two-piece monitor sets resemble walkie-talkies.
The monitors have pale gray and royal blue plastic casing.
A red "on" light and a blue "Gerry" label appear on the
front of each monitor. The back of the monitors are
embossed with "GERRY DELUXE BABY MONITOR MODEL 602" and the
manufacturer's date code. The date code appears as a
circle of numbers, with an arrow pointing to the number of
the month and the two-digit year number on either side of
the arrow. This recall involves monitors with date codes
"8806" (June 1988) through "9005" (May 1990).
Juvenile product and baby supply stores and department
stores sold the recalled monitors nationwide from June 1988
through May 1990. The monitors were packaged in blue
cardboard boxes labeled in part, "Gerry Deluxe Baby
Monitor...Listen to Your Baby from any Home Location...Gerry
Baby Safetronics..."
Consumers should contact Evenflo's Parent Link Consumer Resource Center at (800) 233-5921 for assistance (Gerry Baby Products is out of business, but the Evenflo Company has now taken over in responding to this recall).