Wal-Mart Recall of Red Devil Gas Grills Sold at Wal-Mart
NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20207
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 19, 2002
Release # 02-206
Wal-Mart Recall Hotline: (800) WALMART CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: Ken Giles, (301) 504-7052
CPSC, Wal-Mart Announce Recall of Red Devil Gas Grills Sold at Wal-Mart
WASHINGTON, D.C.- In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC), Wal-Mart Stores, of Bentonville, Ark., is recalling
about 60,000 Red Devil gas grills sold at Wal-Mart. About 155,000 of
these grills were manufactured by e4L Inc., of Encino, Calif., and
Quantum North America Inc., of Encino, Calif. Because the manufacturer
is out of business, CPSC issued a warning about these grills in May
2002.
The product's design allows consumers to light the grill at an air
intake tube, instead of at the burner. Though the grill appears to
function normally, gas inside the air intake tube ignites. The tube can
reach temperatures of up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit and present a burn
hazard to consumers. In some earlier grills, the heat produced by
lighting the grill at the air intake tube damaged the plastic support
piece and caused the grill to fall to the ground. When it collapses,
flames from the grill can burn nearby consumers and ignite surrounding
combustibles.
There have been 44 reports of consumers suffering burns to legs,
hands and fingers, including reports of some third degree burns, after
the grills collapsed during use. More than 1,000 consumers returned
their grills to the manufacturer because the grills collapsed. There
have been no reports of incidents or injuries involving these grills
sold by Wal-Mart.
These red metal gas grills have a tripod stand. They have a logo
on the label of the lid and grill base showing a devil cooking at a
grill with the writing, "Red Devil." The lid also reads "The Portable
Outdoor Kitchen." The black plastic base, above the tripod, reads
"QUANTUM HOMEWARES." Components sold with the grill include a heat
plate, an oversized skillet with handles, a table-safe serving trivet,
and carrying totes. They were manufactured in Hong Kong.
Quantum and e4L sold these grills directly to consumers through
television infomercials from about May 1998 through January 1999 for
about $160. This recall only includes grills sold at Wal-Mart.
CPSC sued e4L Inc. and Quantum North America Inc. to obtain a recall, and an administrative law judge granted CPSC a default judgment when these manufacturers failed to appear. The firms are liquidating their assets under bankruptcy law.
Both the Home Shopping Network (HSN) and QVC previously notified their customers directly about the hazard these grills pose, and provided a remedy. Since Quantum and e4L have declared bankruptcy, there is no remedy available for grill bought from retailers other than HSN, QVC and Wal-Mart.
CPSC urges consumers to stop using these grills immediately. Consumers who purchased Red Devil gas grills from Wal-Mart can return them to the store for a refund. For more information, consumers can call Wal-Mart Customer Service at (800) WALMART anytime, or visit Wal-Mart's web site at www.walmart.com.
Consumers who purchased their Red Devil Gas Grills from a retailer other than Wal-Mart should contact the retailer. If that retailer does not provide a refund, repair or replacement for the grill, consumers should contact CPSC at (800) 638-2772 anytime. Additionally, consumers who are aware of any incidents with these grills or who want additional information also should contact CPSC.
About 19,300 of these grills, sold directly by e4L, were recalled in July 1998 because the burners could disconnect from the burner pan. The firm received 21 reports of the burners on these grills disconnecting and one consumer suffered burns. Even if consumers participated in this previous recall program, they should stop using these grills since this warning addresses a different hazard.