SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20260320-9C3C9-2147322453. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: E-circuit 16-3 SJTW 13AMP (25 ft indoor outdoor extension cord 16-3 SJTW 13AMP). Incident: As a Facilities Manager with extensive electrical systems experience, I am reporting a catastrophic failure of this product. I was using a 7-Amp leaf blower (well within the products 13-Amp rating). Within five minutes of initial use, the female connector housing experienced extreme localized overheating and visible smoke. The plastic burned entirely through the reinforced housing. This high-resistance failure did not trip a standard 15A/20A branch circuit breaker, indicating an internal manufacturing defect within the molded plug rather than a load fault. (Reference Image: Burned cord). Technical Evaluation: The packaging in the Houston, TX, store (obtained March 2026) lists this cord (16/3 SJTW) as rated for 13 Amps. This failure occurred at approximately half of its rated capacity. This represents a substantial fire hazard, particularly during holiday seasons when these cords are commonly used for constant-duty Christmas lights or small appliances. The distributor, Greenbrier International, Inc., has failed to provide a safe product that meets its stated ratings. As these products are currently on the shelf, an immediate recall of this entire lot is requested to prevent residential structure fires. I attempted to return the product and bring the issue to the store managers attention but was basically denied and ignored on two separate occasions. I just gave up but it's been weighing heavy on my mind and today thanks to AI I found out about you and an glad to make this urgent report.