Product
Ryobi P261
Category
Lawn Equipment
Report number
20260701-8C3EF-2147314594
Ownership age
About 78 months to failure (from purchase date when reported)
Failure type
Fire / ignition
Incident narrative
SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20260701-8C3EF-2147314594. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: Ryobi P261 (Ryobi 18V ONE+ 3-Speed 1/2 in. Impact Wrench Kit.). Incident: Im reporting a dangerous failure with my Ryobi 18V ONE+ 1/2" Impact Wrench (Model P261, Serial #CS19265DB50596). A few weeks before it actually failed, the LED work light on the front started acting up. It would just stay on permanently, even when I wasn't pulling the trigger. I had to get into the habit of unplugging the battery every time I set the tool down just to keep it from draining. Then, the day of the incident, I was using the tool and set it down to talk to someone. I started smelling burning plastic, but it didn't really click at first. Then I saw someone else look over at the tool with a shocked face and run over, and thats when I turned around and saw white smoke pouring out of the rear vents. I immediately disconnected the battery, which stopped the smoke. The handle was hot to the touch, and the trigger felt jammed or hard to press. Thankfully, no one was hurt and the battery itself seems fine, but the tool is clearly a fire hazard. I already sent it back for an RMA (RMA #[REDACTED]), but Ryobi told me its out of warranty.
Official report number: 20260701-8C3EF-2147314594. Search that ID on SaferProducts.gov or match it in the CPSC public database export to verify this record.