About 20,000 Dual-Wattage Travel Converter Kits, were voluntarily recalled by Samsonite, in cooperation with the CPSC.
Manufactured in: China
Hazard: The converter can overheat if a load in excess of 50 watts is applied to the converter while in the 50-watt setting. This poses a fire and burn hazard to consumers.
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Incidents/Injuries: Samsonite is aware of three converters overheating. No injuries or property damage have been reported.
Description: This recall involves the Samsonite Dual-Wattage Travel Converter Kits used to make standard U.S. and Canadian appliances usable abroad. The kit includes one black converter to change 220-volt AC electricity to 110-volt AC, two adapter plugs with round prongs, two with flat prongs and one grounded adapter plug with three flat prongs. The converter has a red switch to adjust the wattage of the appliance from 50 to 1600 watts. The words "Dual-Wattage Converter" and "Do Not Use 50W on Hair Dryer" appear on the front of the converter. The Samsonite logo appears on each piece in the set.
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled travel converters and contact Samsonite to return the product for a full refund.
Sold at: Retail stores nationwide and at the Samsonite on-line store from January 2011 through December 2012 for approximately $35.
Consumer Contact: Samsonite; toll-free at (800) 382-7259 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday; at e-mail recall@samsonite.com or online at www.samsonite.com/recall.
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