Recall alert: 1.4M breaker boxes recalled due to overheating, fire hazard

Schneider Electric and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have announced the recall of 1.4 million of the company’s electric breaker boxes.

The breaker boxes, electrical panels and load centers were sold under the name Square D QO Plug-on-Neutral Load Center.

They were installed in homes, RVs and commercial buildings such as restaurants, manufacturing facilities and warehouses, among other locations.

The devices can overheat and cause a thermal burn or be a fire hazard.

The circuit breakers that are part of the recall had covers that were made between Feb. 1 2020 and Jan. 12, 2022, the company said.

Outdoor load centers have a manufacturing date printed inside the cover or the door.

An electrician can find the date codes that are not visible to a homeowner on load centers that are installed in a home.

The recall involves the following catalog or part numbers:

The list of affected boxes can also be found at Schneider Electric.

Schneider Electric is contacting retailers, distributors, homeowners and anyone else who may have purchased the circuit boxes. If they have not been contacted, then purchasers and installers are being instructed to reach out to Schneider Electric to arrange to have the load centers inspected by an electrician to determine if repairs or replacements are needed. The inspection and any repairs are free.

So far, there has been a single report of a loose wire found.

For more information, call Schneider Electric at 888-778-2733 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday or visit the company’s website.

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