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- October 2012
- Recall of Vacuum Cleaners Manufactured by Toshiba Home Appliances Corporation (Free Replacement)
Recall of Vacuum Cleaners Manufactured by Toshiba Home Appliances Corporation (Free Replacement)
A serious product accident occurred in a vacuum cleaner manufactured by Toshiba Home Appliances Corporation, causing the product to ignite and leading to extensive damage to the surroundings.
This accident was announced as a serious product accident on May 15, 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. A201200114).
The cause of the accident is thought to be that due to the attachment of a piece of a over-heated substance (highly-heated carbon) accidentally emitted from the motor of the product in question to an exhaust filter (made of an inappropriate non-flame-retardant material) inside the product, causing the product to ignite and leading to extensive damage to the surroundings.
To prevent further accidents, Toshiba Home Appliances will provide a replacement for the products subject to the recall free of charge from November 28, onward.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) encourages consumers who have purchased the products in question to receive a free replacement from the manufacturer in order to prevent any further accidents.
1. Nature of the accident and recurrence-prevention measures
1) Nature of the accident
A serious product accident occurred in a vacuum cleaner manufactured by Toshiba Home Appliances Corporation, causing the product to ignite and leading to extensive damage to the surroundings. This accident was reported to METI as a serious product accident in accordance with Article 35 (1) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (Control No. A201200114). In addition, two similar accidents in which the products did not catch fire were reported to the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE).
The cause of the accident is thought to be the attachment of a piece of a over-heated substance (highly-heated carbon) accidentally emitted from the motor of the product in question to an exhaust filter (made of an inappropriate non-flame-retardant material) inside the product, causing the product to ignite and leading to extensive damage to the surroundings.
2) Recurrence-prevention measuresp
To prevent further accidents, Toshiba Home Appliances issued a press release and posted further information on its website on November 27. The company will also announce the occurrence of the accident in newspapers to be issued on November 28, 2012, and send a notice to known purchasers of the recalled products through distributors to notify that it will provide a replacement of the recalled product of equivalent value, free of charge.
2. Products to be recalled: Details
1) Product name, model number, product number, quantity of the products to be recalled, serial number, and manufacture period
| Product name | Model number | Quantity | Serial number | Manufacture period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toshiba Cleaner (vacuum cleaner) | VC-Y2C(L) | 68,995 | Total 73,847 | 5100001- 5168995 |
Oct. 2009 - Mar. 2011 |
| VC-H2C(L) | 4,852 | 5100001- 5104852 |
Oct. 2009 - May 2010 | ||
2) Appearance of the products to be recalled, model and serial number
Verify serial number and model number indicated on the plate on the rear of the product.
3. Actions by the company
The company will provide a replacement of the product free of charge.
4. Notice by the company
- Press release:
- November 27, 2012
- Website:
- November 27, 2012
- Newspaper:
- November 28, 2012
- Notices sent directly to purchasers of the products:
- November 28, 2012, onward
5. Alert to consumers
Anyone who has purchased any of the above products should immediately contact the company as indicated below.
6. Contact
- Telephone:
- 0120-060-403 (toll-free)
- Service hours:
- 9:00 to 20:00 by December 14, 2012 (everyday)
- 9:00 to 17:00 from December 15, 2012, onward (except Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, including December 29, 2012 ? January 3, 2013)
- Website:
- http://www.toshiba.co.jp/tha/
(in Japanese)
Release Date
November 27, 2012
Division in Charge
Product Accident Information and Analysis Office, Product Safety Division, Commerce, Distribution and Industrial Safety Policy Group