SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20260330-77317-2147321168. Severity: No Incident, No Injury. Product: Pen and Gear WM672XA (Pen+Gear paper shredder (black) for home office use. Model number WM672XA. The product is a small household/desktop-style paper shredder head that sits on top of a waste bin. The unit label states AC 120V / 60Hz, 2A, and Made in China. The top/front of the shredder shows "6 sheets maximum." The control switch includes REV, OFF, AUTO, and FWD / Jam Remover positions. The product is intended for shredding paper in ordinary household or home office use.). Incident: I am reporting a safety incident involving a Pen+Gear paper shredder, model WM672XA, used in a home office setting. The shredder had been left plugged in and set to Auto mode, which is how it is normally kept. It had not been used for at least about two weeks, and possibly longer. I walked by the room and heard the shredder running continuously even though no one was using it at the time. When I checked it, the unit was very hot. The shredder bin contained shredded paper, but the machine should not have been running continuously. I turned the shredder off, unplugged it, emptied the paper, and then briefly tested it again. It still appeared to remain in a fail-on condition in Auto mode, continuing to run when it should have stopped. No injury occurred, but I am reporting this because the shredder appeared to activate on its own and became very hot, which I believe created a potential overheating or fire hazard. The product was being used as an ordinary household paper shredder for paper disposal in a home office.