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- October 2012
- Recall of Liquid-crystal Projectors Manufactured by Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Corporation) (Free Parts Replacement)
Joint Release with the Consumer Affairs AgencyRecall of Liquid-crystal Projectors Manufactured by Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Corporation) (Free Parts Replacement)
A serious product accident occurred in a liquid-crystal projector manufactured by Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd, causing the product to ignite.
This accident was announced as a serious product accident on August 7, 2012, in accordance with Article 35 (1) of the Consumer Product Safety Act, which relates to accidents of unclear origin in a product other than a gas or oil appliance (Control No. A201200324).
The cause of the accident is under investigation, but it is thought that due to improper manufacture of the flame retardant in the resin materials used in the connector of the power-supply cord of the product in question, the ingredients of the flame retardant reacted with the moisture in the air as affected by the temperature, humidity, and other factors, creating a conducting substance, which damaged the insulation between the terminals in the connector and carbonized the resin, finally causing the product to ignite.
To prevent further accidents, Panasonic Corporation* will provide parts replacement for the products subject to the recall free of charge from today onward.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) would like to warn consumers who have purchased the products in question to stop using the products and receive free parts replacements from the manufacturer in order to prevent any further accidents.
* As of January 2012, Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. transferred its projector business to Panasonic Corporation.
1. Nature of the accident and recurrence-prevention measures
(1) Nature of the accident
A serious product accident occurred in a liquid-crystal projector manufactured by Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd, causing the product to ignite, and was reported to METI in accordance with Article 35 (1) of the Consumer Products Safety Act (Control No. A201200324).
The cause of the accident is under investigation, but it is thought that due to the improper manufacture of the flame retardant in the resin materials used in the connector of the power-supply cord of the product in question, the ingredients of the flame retardant reacted with the moisture in the air as affected by the temperature, humidity, and other factors and created a conducting substance, which damaged the insulation between the terminals in the connector and carbonized the resin, finally causing the product to ignite.
In the past, a serious product accident also occurred in a liquid-crystal projector manufactured by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (currently Panasonic Corporation), which used the same resin materials as those used in the liquid-crystal projector manufactured by Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (Control No. A20100010). The cause of the previous accident was not identified due to severe fire damage of the power-supply cord, but in view of the conditions of ignition of the product, it may have been the same phenomenon as the present accident.
(2) Recurrence-prevention measures
To prevent further accidents, Panasonic Corporation has today issued a press release and posted more information on its website. The company will also announce the occurrence of the accident in newspapers to be issued on October 18, 2012, and send a notice to known purchasers of the recalled products to notify that it will provide parts replacement free of charge.
As of January 2012, Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. transferred its projector business to Panasonic Corporation. Accordingly, Panasonic Corporation will manage the recall of these products, including those manufactured by Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
2. Products to be recalled: details
1) Product name, manufacturer name, product number, manufacture period, and quantity of the products to be recalled
| Product name | Manufacturer name | Product number | Manufacturing period | Quantity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liquid-crystal projector | Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. | LP-Z3 | Sep. 2004- Dec. 2005 |
12,194 |
| Liquid-crystal projector | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (currently Panasonic Corporation) | TH-AE200 | Sep. 2002- Sep. 2003 |
3,083 |
| TH-AE300 | Oct. 2002- Aug. 2003 |
2,975 | ||
| TH-AE500 | Oct. 2003- Aug. 2004 |
11,340 | ||
| TH-AE700 | Sep. 2004- Aug. 2005 |
12,028 | ||
| Total | 41,620 | |||
2) Appearance of the products to be recalled and model number
Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (currently Panasonic Corporation)
3. Actions by the company
The company will provide parts replacement free of charge.
4. Notice by the company
- Press release:
- October 17, 2012
- Website:
- October 17, 2012
- Posters put up at stores:
- October 17, 2012
- Newspaper:
- October 18, 2012
- Notice to known purchasers of the products:
- October 18, 2012, onward
5. Alert to consumers
Anyone who has purchased any of the above products should immediately unplug the power-supply cord and stop using the products, and contact the company as below.
6. Contact
- Telephone:
- 0120-878-560 (toll-free)
- Service hours:
- 9:00 to 23:00, every day until November 18, 2012;
9:00 to 21:00 from November 19, 2012, onward (except Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays) - Website:
- http://panasonic.jp/support/info/ZA.html
(in Japanese)
* Inquiries about the products manufactured by Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. can also be made through the channels above.
Release Date
October 17, 2012
Division in Charge
Product Accident Information and Analysis Office, Product Safety Division, Commerce and Distribution Policy Group