SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20140605-2E07E-1406833. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: Ryobi 14110A (Battery charger and battery of a 20 inch self propelled walk behind cordless lawn mower). Incident: The consumer stated that in 09/12/2012 the manufacturer replaced the battery and charger of the lawn mower under warranty because the charger was over charging the battery causing acid to be expelled from inside of the battery and was overheating. 05/01/2014- The consumer stated that he had the lawn mower's battery charging for approximately 8 hours when he noticed that the indication light that turns green when the battery is charged had not yet changed from red to green. He sensed an odor characteristic of the battery acid and noticed that the charger was hot to the touch. The consumer disconnected the charger and placed the battery on the lawn mower. He was able to use the lawn mower for 20 minutes when the battery lost its power. The consumer continued to use this product even though he is experiencing the same issue. 05/30/2014 (estimated)- The consumer contacted the manufacturer. He informed the manufacturer of the incident and requested a replacement for the charger and the battery. The customer service representative offerred to order a replacement charger and battery at the consumer's expense. The consumer declined the offer. The consumer stated that he believes this battery charger poses a fire hazard. No Relevant CPSC recalls were found.