1.3 Million Wireless Light Switches Recalled Due to Overheating, Fire Risks

More than one million wireless light switches have been recalled because the items may overheat and catch fire, posing risks of injuries and property damage, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said today.

Idea Village Products Corp. of Wayne, N.J. said it has received 14 reports of the switches overheating, including nine incidents in which they caught fire and five consumer reports of damage to curtains, bedding, and walls. There have been no reports of physical injuries, but there certainly is a risk of burns from the products.

About 1.3 million of the switches are included in today’s voluntary recall action, officials said.

The problem with the Handy Switch Wireless Light Switches involves the light switch receiver, which plugs inside a wall outlet and allows the light switch to remotely control devices plugged into the outlet. That part of the two-piece device can overheat and catch fire, officials said.

Defective products such as home appliances and household products like the recalled wireless light switches are responsible for thousands of deaths, accidents, injuries, and incidents of property damage across the United States each year. In many cases, these tragedies are avoidable if companies take the time and care necessary to ensure that their products are free of defects that make otherwise safe products unreasonably dangerous for users. Sadly, defective products still find their way onto store shelves and into homes.

One Model Number Recalled

The recalled Handy Switch is a white plastic wireless remote light switch with model number KS-080 printed on the back of the receiver. A blue electroluminescent nightlight is on the front of the receiver that is plugged into the wall outlet, officials said.

The products were sold at large merchandisers and drug store chains nationwide as well as through television infomercials and the Internet from March 2007 through July 2009 for between $10 and $15, the CPSC recall notice said. They were manufactured in China.

Consumers who have the faulty Handy Switches installed in their homes or other locations should immediately unplug and stop using them and contact Idea Village to learn about free remedy options, the CPSC said.

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