Power Wheels Recall
It's the largest recall ever of any toy sold in stores. Fisher-Price is agreeing to make free repairs on up to ten million battery-run Power Wheels -- because they could catch fire. News Specialist Pamela Davis reports from the Fisher-Price designated Service Center in downtown Salt Lake.
I'm told these toys are incredibly popular with kids -- some children even take the Power Wheels on vacation with them. But there is a serious problem with these toy cars. And if you don't get it fixed right away, your child could get hurt.
There's a long line of Power Wheels waiting to be fixed at the Appliance Service Center. As news of the recall reaches parents across Utah, phone calls pour into the fix it place.
Gordon Daniels/Store Manager: "WE'VE RECEIVED THIS MORNING, ALMOST BEFORE WE OPENED, WE GOT ABOUT 60 OR 70 PHONE CALLS SO FAR."
These toy cars come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. The best way to know if your child's car is part of the recall is to look for the POWER WHEELS sign.
One problem the cars have is with these electrical connections. On the Today Show this morning, an expert showed how the electrical defects can melt the cars.
The cars are controlled by a single pedal. Another defect is that sometimes, when a child STOPS pressing the pedal...the car DOESN'T stop.
Gordon Daniels is telling customers all of these things can be fixed in about 20 minutes in his shop.
Gordon Daniels/Store Manager: "WE CAN TAKE CARE OF IT WHILE YOU WAIT, SO IT'LL BE JUST ONE TRIP. YOU WON'T HAVE TO GO BACK AND FORTH AND BACK AND FORTH."
But first you have to get your name on a list to get an appointment. The shop is still waiting for hundreds of replacement parts to arrive. They should be here in about two weeks.
PAMELA DAVIS, EYEWITNESS NEWS: "HERE'S SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER WHEN YOU DO BRING IN YOUR POWERWHEELS TO BE FIXED. NOT ONLY DO YOU HAVE BRING THE CAR, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO REMEMBER TO BRING THE BATTERIES, AND THE BATTERY CHARGER."
In the meantime, if your Power Wheels are going to be sitting around the garage until you can get them fixed, make sure you take out the battery. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says there have been cases when Power Wheels caught fire even while they were just sitting around.
The C.P.S.C. says so far the defect has caused 150 fires that burned at least nine children and caused $300,000 in damage. Mattel says the problems are extremely rare, affecting only one 10,000th of one percent of all the Power Wheels. They have sold four million of the vehicles since 1994.
These Power Wheels don't come cheap. They cost anywhere from $70 to $300. But remember the repair job for this particular electrical problem is FREE.
