SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20190915-8D274-2147377679. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: Homelite 4218C (Gasoline-powered chain saw, 18-inch bar). Incident: Internal fuel line connections come apart during normal use, spraying gasoline inside the motor case (in potential direct contact with electrical spark and hot muffler, causing an immediate fire hazard) and also spilling on operator's hands and into the environment. This tool uses a primer bulb for starting. Two sections of fuel line are attached to small tubes on the primer bulb, relying only on friction and the rubber fuel line's normal elasticity to hold them in place; no clamps of any kind are used. This is an inherent design flaw: fuel-line connections in a confined environment subjected to high temperatures should be secured better. One of these lines leads from the fuel tank to the primer bulb; the second from the primer bulb to the carburetor. When the primer bulb is pressed (according to manufacturer's instructions for a cold start) it exerts pressure on the second of those fuel lines. That pressure pops the fuel line off the connecting tube, spilling gasoline into the case. I was able to cut off the end of that out-going line, which had apparently become enlarged, and achieve a somewhat more secure fit. But then after using the saw for just a few minutes, the second (incoming) fuel line spontaneously popped off, spraying a dangerous quantity of gasoline into the case and onto my hands. When the motor is turned off, the heat of the engine and muffler causes the spilled fuel inside the engine case to smoke. I have had this saw exactly one year. I bought it in September 2018 immediately after Hurricane Florence and used it for post-storm cleanup for the next few mont