SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20111222-8D5DF-2147472148. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: Generac 5943 (Generac Portable Electric generator, 7500W Electric Start). Incident: Generac 7500W Electric Start Gasoline fuel leaks from unit when unit is shut off. With only 2.9 hrs of run time and I wake up to a pint of gas (&Fumes) on my garage floor. This situation is extremely dangerous as it causes uncontrolled release of highly flammable gasoline. I considered it to be too dangerous to try starting the unit since I was unsure if the entire fuel system would explode. I waited over 1 hr to talk to someone live at the main office and man I get is helpless and useless. He refused to connect me to someone in their engineering department, instead he suggested I complete an Incident Report Form, which I did on 12/20. I have heard nothing in response. This is a safety issue associated with Generac equipment and their response is for me to take it to a local authorized dealer, or in my case, as I have no way to transport the generator, pay to have the dealer come to my house to diagnose. The authorized dealer I spoke with was not aware of any reports from the factory of defects and dangerous fuel leaks. He suggested the problem was caused by ethanol in the gasoline I used. That is ludicrous. They refuse to admit that they have a problem, likely initiated with faulty parts in China. I read the reviews posted on the Internet and found 3 other identical complaints since October (after I bought my unit for $1K). This is a serious safety issue. How do I know that this defective piece of equipment now leaking gas will not explode when I try to use. Howe many other defective units are now in the homes of unsuspecting consumers who are now exposed to a fire hazard?