Press Releases

CPSC, Applica Consumer Products Inc. Announce Recall of
Black & Decker® Brand VersaToast™ Toasters

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Applica Consumer Products Inc., of Miami Lakes, Fla., is voluntarily recalling about 2.1 million VersaToast™ wide-slot toasters. Applica made and sold these toasters under the Black & Decker® brand. The heating element in these toasters can continue to operate after use, posing a fire hazard.

CPSC and Applica are aware of nine reports of fires associated with these toasters after a period of non-use, resulting in minor property damage to kitchen cabinets. One minor injury was reported to the firm, but it has not been confirmed and is under investigation.

The recall includes both two-slice and four-slice Black & Decker® brand VersaToast™ wide-slot toasters. "BLACK & DECKER®," "VersaToast™" and "WIDE SLOT" are written on the side of the toaster near the cooking controls. The toasters have either white or black plastic enclosures. They have model number T1200, T1250, T1400 or T1450 written on the bottom of the toaster.

Discount department stores, including Wal-Mart, Service Merchandise, Kohl's Department Stores and Bradlees, sold the toasters nationwide from June 1999 through January 2002. The two-slice toasters sold for between $10 and $20. The four-slice toasters sold for between $18 and $30.

Consumers should unplug and stop using these recalled toasters immediately. For more information on receiving a refund, consumers should call Applica Consumer Products Inc. toll-free at (866) 264-9230 anytime, or go to the firm's web site at www.householdproductsinc.com.

To see a picture of the recalled product(s) and/or to establish a link from your web site to this press release on CPSC's web site, link to the following address: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml02/02099.html.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death from 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. For information on CPSC's fax-on-demand service, call the above numbers or visit the web site at http://cpsc.gov/about/about.html. To order a press release through fax-on-demand, call (301) 504-0051 from the handset of your fax machine and enter the release number. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at
CPSC's web site at http://www.cpsc.gov.

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