The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a CPSC Rowenta vacuum recall after saying the lithium-ion battery in certain cordless Rowenta cleaners can overheat and ignite. The hazard creates a risk of serious injury from fire and burn hazards, and consumers are being told to stop using the vacuum immediately.
The recalled products are the X-Force Flex 14.60 Animal, model RH99A2U1, and the X-Force Flex 15.60 Animal, model RH99F2U1. The affected battery model for the Versatile X-Force is ZR0097U2 with a date code that begins with 23 or 24. The battery sits in the handle of the device, and it was sold separately or with the vacuum cleaner, which is why a household may have only the battery, only the vacuum, or both.
The company has received two reports of the battery overheating or not charging, along with 65 additional reports globally. No injuries have been reported, but the pattern was enough for the recall to move forward now, while the risk is still limited to a warning and not yet a fire in a home.
Consumers with the recalled battery are being told to remove it from the handle right away and register at Rowenta’s website. Verification will require a photograph of the model number and date code, after which Rowenta will send a free replacement lithium-ion battery. The recalled battery should be disposed of under local and state rules and should not go in the trash, the general recycling stream or battery recycling boxes at retail and home improvement stores.
Groupe SEB USA dba Rowenta USA, of Parsippany, New Jersey, is the firm tied to the recall, and Rowenta has also set up a toll-free line at 800-769-3682, available from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. The unresolved question is not what owners should do — that part is clear — but how many of the batteries now in circulation still carry the same defect before they are taken out of service.
