Platinum Brunswick PBV5PL

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20230530-ADF70-4227502. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: Platinum Brunswick PBV5PL (Smoker grill). Incident: This consumer has owned a Pitt Boss Platinum Brunswick Wood Pellet Vertical Smoker (smoker) since December 14, 2021. It has been used an estimated 12-15 times since purchase. On two of these uses, the smoker had a serious "burn back" (described below), which resulted in an unreasonable risk of injury to the consumer and damage to personal property. Additionally, throughout the approximate 1.5-year ownership period, there have been repeated structural and mechanical issues. All mechanical and safety issues were promptly reported to the company via the company's customer service group. In general, the company was responsive to the mechanical issues, providing advice and numerous replacement parts (including controller board, ignitor, temperature probes, and more). An estimated 20-30 hours of labor were required by the consumer to replace parts and make needed repairs (including a malfunctioning door latch and seal). The company was not however, particularly helpful in dealing with the burn-back fire issues (discussed below). Frustrated with the scope, frequency, and severity of problems, the consumer attempted to return the smoker to Walmart (where it was purchased). The return was denied as it was beyond the designated 3 (6?) month return period. The smoker is fueled by wood pellets, which are stored in a large hopper located on the back of the smoker. The pellets are transported internally via a metal auger. It feeds a small fire chamber where the pellets are ignited producing heat and smoke. The burn back hazard is caused when the wood pellets contained inside the auger be