Fire Extinguisher Recalls and Smoke Alarm Recalls: 100 CPSC Records, 1977 to 2026

Registry: CPSC fire safety product recall records, 1977 to 2026

Checked monthly against the CPSC Recalls API (CPSC updates weekly). Last checked 2026-10-26. Entries are neutral records of public data; each links to its source record.

Fire extinguisher recalls: 10 records and 43.95 million U.S. units

Ten CPSC records cover portable fire extinguishers. Two Kidde recalls, in 2017 and 2015, account for most of the units, and the 2017 record says it re-covers models from the 2009 and 2015 recalls.

The CPSC Recall API lists 10 portable fire extinguisher records between 1977 and 2017, with 43,951,900 stated U.S. units (CPSC Recalls API, pulled 2026-10-26).

The Kidde plastic-handle recall of November 2, 2017 (18-022) covers about 37.8 million U.S. units, plus 2.7 million in Canada and 6,730 in Mexico (CPSC recall 18-022). The record lists 134 plastic-handle models made from 1973 to 2017, approximately 391 reports of failed or limited activation or nozzle detachment, approximately 16 injuries, approximately 91 property damage reports and a 2014 death in a car fire.

The Kidde disposable extinguisher recall of February 12, 2015 (15-079) covers about 4.6 million U.S. units and 175,000 in Canada, with 11 reports of failure to discharge as expected (CPSC recall 15-079).

Commercial extinguishers appear in the record too. Kidde 10 lb industrial dry chemical units (05-589, July 26, 2005, about 470,000 units) could have their nylon valves separate from the steel cylinder during the 6-year recharge service or shortly afterwards, with 3 injuries in the reports. Ansul K-GUARD, SENTRY and FLAG FIRE wet chemical and water units (07-507, November 13, 2006, about 154,000) could fail to discharge if a dropped unit cracked its pick-up tube.

Smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm recalls

Smoke, combination smoke/CO and CO-only alarms make up 42 of the 100 records, the largest group by count, but a smaller share of units than extinguishers or sprinklers.

The CPSC Recall API holds 34 records for smoke alarms and combination smoke/CO alarms, with 12,737,520 stated U.S. units, and 8 records for CO-only alarms, with 1,435,103 units (CPSC Recalls API, pulled 2026-10-26).

The largest smoke detector record by units is the Kidde NightHawk combination smoke/CO alarm recall of November 10, 2016: about 3.6 million U.S. units and 1.5 million in Canada, because the alarm could stop chirping at its 7-year end of life if the batteries were replaced (CPSC recall 17-031). BRK wired-in smoke detectors followed on September 4, 1992 at approximately 3.5 million units, after horn contacts corroded (CPSC recall 92-130).

The largest CO alarm record is the Kidde Safety recall of March 19, 1999, covering about 1 million Nighthawk and Lifesaver alarms (CPSC recall 99-082).

The median smoke or smoke/CO alarm record covers 120,000 U.S. units, against 1,550 for a fire alarm panel or system component record (derived metric d8).

Sprinklers, alarm panels, exit lights and dampers in commercial buildings

Building fire protection components account for 38 records across alarm panels, sprinklers, emergency lights and damper actuators. Sprinkler recalls carry the largest unit totals in the whole registry.

Sprinklers and fire pump components account for 11 records and 45,206,315 stated U.S. units, or 41.9% of all counted units (CPSC Recalls API). The Central Sprinkler O-ring program of July 19, 2001 covers 35 million sprinklers: 33 million wet units made 1989 to 2000, 2 million dry units and 167,000 Gem and Star units (CPSC recall 01-201).

The Central Sprinkler Omega recall of October 14, 1998 covers approximately 8.4 million sprinklers; CPSC alleged that 30 to 40 percent of Omegas removed for testing failed to activate and recorded 17 fires in which Omegas reportedly did not function, with over $4.3 million in property damage (CPSC recall 99-008). In the Star dry sprinkler recall of August 4, 1999, 67 percent of tested sprinklers failed to activate (CPSC Recalls API, record 99-152).

Fire alarm panels, pull stations and notification devices account for 20 records but only 78,961 U.S. units, because each record covers commercial system parts such as Gamewell-FCI, Notifier, Fire-Lite, Simplex, Bosch and Siemens control panels, audible bases, pull stations and sounders (CPSC Recalls API).

Emergency and exit lighting accounts for 6 records and 2,943,650 units. The Lithonia Quantum ELM and ELM2 recall of May 28, 2014 covers about 1.7 million fixtures after 29 reports of circuit boards overheating and fixtures melting or catching fire (CPSC recall 14-194). Siebe actuators used in fire and smoke dampers, up to 560,000 units, could jam and keep dampers from closing (CPSC Recalls API, record 03-003, October 2, 2002).

Why the products were recalled: hazards in the CPSC record

Half of the 100 records describe a product that can fail to detect or alert to a fire. Failure to discharge or activate covers fewer records but most of the units.

Failure to detect or alert to fire is the primary hazard in 50 of 100 records (50.0%), covering 9,563,901 U.S. units (CPSC Recalls API, Hazards field).

Failure to discharge, activate or supply water is the primary hazard in 19 records but covers 88,690,515 U.S. units, because it includes the large extinguisher and sprinkler recalls.

Failure to detect or alert to carbon monoxide is the primary hazard in 9 records. Rupture, explosion or valve and nozzle separation, all in portable extinguishers, is the primary hazard in 4 records.

In 86 of 100 records (86.0%) the primary hazard is a product that may not work when needed: an alarm that stays silent, an extinguisher or sprinkler that does not discharge, a panel that does not signal, a light that does not illuminate or a damper that does not close (derived metric d2).

Primary hazard: The single hazard class assigned to each record from the CPSC Hazards field. Pre-2000 records often hold only a coded category such as 'Fire & Fire-Related Burn', so the class comes from the hazard sentence in the CPSC release text.

Recall timeline by year and decade

In-scope records appear in 37 of the 50 calendar years from 1977 to 2026. The 2000s hold 40 records, the busiest decade, driven by commercial alarm panels and sprinklers.

The busiest single years are 2003 and 2014, with 9 records each, followed by 2006 with 8 (CPSC Recalls API).

The 2000s account for 40 of 100 records (40.0%), including 20 records for building fire protection systems. The 2020s, through October 2026, account for 12 records, of which 10 are smoke, CO or heat alarm records.

How the unit figures were parsed

CPSC states units as free text such as 'About 37.8 million (in addition, 2.7 million in Canada)'. U.S. and Canada figures were split, and blank fields on older records were filled from the release text.

Six records state Canada units in the NumberOfUnits field, adding up to 4,540,000 units that are excluded from all U.S. totals in this report (CPSC Recalls API).

Sixteen older records have a blank units field; their U.S. figure comes from the release text in the same API record, for example 'Approximately 3.5 million BRK Electronics wired-in (AC-powered) smoke detectors'. The full parse log is in the registry CSV (columns units_field, units_source and units_not_counted_reason).

How facilities check a model number against CPSC records

Recalled extinguishers and alarms are identified by model number and date code printed on the unit. Commercial properties typically meet recalls during routine service visits.

CPSC recall pages identify recalled units by model number and date code. The Kidde 18-022 page, for example, states that the model number is printed on the extinguisher label, that digits five through nine of the 10-digit date code give the day and year of manufacture, and that units made before 2007 carry no date code (CPSC recall 18-022).

• Read the brand, model number and date code from the unit label (extinguishers) or the back of the alarm (smoke and CO alarms).
• Search the brand or product name at cpsc.gov/Recalls, which offers keyword, date, hazard and category filters and a download of all recalls; CPSC says the data updates weekly.
• Open the matching recall page and compare the listed model numbers and date-code ranges with the label.
• For bulk checks, query the CPSC Recalls API with ProductName or RecallTitle (for example RecallTitle=extinguisher).
• Also search the Product Safety Warnings view on the same CPSC page: some recent smoke/CO alarm warnings do not appear in the recall API.

Workplaces with portable extinguishers fall under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.157(e), which requires monthly visual inspection and an annual maintenance check, with the annual date recorded and kept for one year (eCFR, 29 CFR 1910.157). That annual visit is when a service technician handles each unit and can compare labels with recall lists. See our fire extinguisher inspection page for the service schedule and our fire alarm inspection, fire sprinkler inspection and emergency lighting inspection pages for system equipment, as adopted by your state.

Several commercial recalls in the registry were run through installers and distributors rather than end users: the 2006 Tyco smoke detector recall (128,000 units) states that building owners and managers would be contacted, and the 2005 Kidde industrial extinguisher alert told service organizations to stop servicing affected units (CPSC Recalls API, records 06-550 and 05-589).

Recalls and CPSC warnings since 2020

Twelve records are dated 2020 to 2026, mostly smoke and combination alarms, and several were sold through online marketplaces. CPSC also issued smoke/CO detector warnings that sit outside the Recall API.

The largest recent record is the Three61 Samurai mini smoke alarm recall of January 16, 2025: about 328,000 units sold through HSN, 8 reports of failure to activate in smoke, and a CPSC smoke sensitivity test in which one tested detector failed to alert (CPSC recall 25-095).

The newest in-scope record is the Treatlife combination smoke/CO detector recall of June 25, 2026, covering about 20 units sold on Amazon.com (CPSC recall 26-582). Four of the 6 smoke-type records dated 2023 to 2026 name Amazon.com as the sales channel (derived metric d10).

Counts and distributions

Download the calculations (CSV)

Key findings

1. The CPSC Recall API holds 100 U.S. records for fire extinguishers, smoke and CO alarms and related fire safety products between 1977 and 2026, out of 10,058 records in the API (0.99%).^[1]
2. The 100 records state about 108.0 million U.S. units in total (sum of CPSC figures, 1977 to 2026).^[1]
3. Ten portable fire extinguisher records state 43,951,900 U.S. units; between 39,184,900 and 43,951,900 are distinct, because the 2017 Kidde recall re-covers 2009 and 2015 models.^[1][4]
4. The Kidde plastic-handle extinguisher recall of November 2, 2017 covers about 37.8 million U.S. units, 2.7 million in Canada and 6,730 in Mexico, the largest record in the registry.^[4]
5. The Kidde 2017 record lists approximately 391 reports of failed activation or nozzle detachment, approximately 16 injuries and a 2014 death.^[4]
6. Sprinklers and fire pump components carry 45,206,315 U.S. units in 11 records, 41.9% of all counted units, led by the 35 million Central O-ring sprinklers of 2001.^[1][6]
7. CPSC alleged that 30 to 40 percent of Central Omega sprinklers removed for testing failed to activate (recall of October 14, 1998, 8.4 million units).^[7]
8. Smoke alarm and combination smoke/CO alarm recalls total 34 records and 12,737,520 U.S. units; CO-only alarms add 8 records and 1,435,103 units.^[1]
9. Failure to detect or alert to fire is the primary hazard in 50 of 100 records (50.0%).^[1]
10. In 86 of 100 records (86.0%) the product may not work when needed: no alarm, no discharge, no signal, no light or a damper that stays open.^[1]
11. Fire alarm panels, pull stations and notification devices make up 20 records but only 78,961 units; the median record covers 1,550 units against 120,000 for a smoke alarm record.^[1]
12. The 2000s are the busiest decade with 40 records; 2003 and 2014 are the busiest years with 9 each.^[1]
13. Ten of the 100 records name Kidde or Kidde Safety, the most for any single brand in the registry.^[1]
14. Four of the 6 smoke-type records dated 2023 to 2026 name Amazon.com as the sales channel.^[1][13]

Executive summary

• The CPSC Recall API holds 100 records for fire extinguishers, smoke and CO alarms and other fire safety products, dated 1977-01-03 to 2026-06-25.
• Those records state about 108.0 million U.S. units; 4,540,000 further units sold in Canada are kept separate.
• Sprinklers and fire pump components (45.21 million units) and portable fire extinguishers (43.95 million) hold 89.16 million of the units between them.
• Smoke, combination and CO alarms are the largest group by count, with 42 records.
• Failure to detect or alert to fire is the primary hazard in 50 records; failure to discharge or activate covers 19 records but 88.69 million units.
• The 2017 Kidde extinguisher recall alone is 35.0% of counted units; with the 2001 Central Sprinkler O-ring program the two reach 67.4%.
• Recent records are mostly smoke and combination alarms, and CPSC has issued further smoke/CO detector warnings that the Recall API does not include.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides, services and research

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• Fire Alarm Technician Salary by State and Metro
• Fire Protection Acquisitions in the U.S., 2020 to 2026
• Most Common Fire Code Violations
• Nursing Home Fire Safety Deficiencies

Methodology

Source selection: the primary dataset is a full pull of the CPSC Recalls API (https://www.saferproducts.gov/RestWebServices/Recall?format=json) on 2026-10-26, which returned 10,058 records dated 1973-06-08 to 2026-10-22. The API documentation page does not state date coverage, so coverage is reported from the data. Filtered queries (RecallTitle, ProductName, RecallDescription) were tested and return narrower sets; an unfiltered pull was used so that no record depended on one keyword.

Inclusion: records were found by keyword scans of the Title, Products.Name and Description fields (extinguisher, smoke alarm or detector, carbon monoxide alarm or detector, fire alarm, heat detector, sprinkler, fire suppression, escape hood, exit sign, emergency light, pull station, damper, and fire safety brand names), then reviewed by hand. Included: portable extinguishers, cooktop and aerosol suppressors, smoke, combination and CO alarms, heat detectors, fire alarm panels and system components, sprinklers and fire pump components, escape smoke hoods, emergency and exit lights, and fire/smoke damper actuators. Excluded records and reasons are listed in excluded.md (for example lawn sprinklers, voltage detectors, security-only panels and emergency call pendants).

De-duplication: records were de-duplicated by RecallNumber and by URL; 03-502 repeats 03-003 (same page, date and units) and was dropped. Updates (03-133), expansions (07-018), a second notice (77-083) and a civil penalty notice (78-089) stay in the registry as separate agency records, and their units are counted only once.

Units: the first number in the NumberOfUnits field is taken as the U.S. figure; a number followed by 'in Canada' is held separately and excluded from U.S. totals; 'million' is multiplied out and qualifiers such as 'about', 'approximately', 'up to' and 'more than' are dropped. Where the field is blank (16 older records), the figure comes from the release text in the same API record. 20-037 states 9,300 pairs and is counted as 9,300. The Mexico figure for 18-022 comes from the recall page.

Dates: registry dates are the API RecallDate except where the CPSC recall page or release text gives a different date: 77-001 (API 1997-01-03, page 1977-01-03), 01-201 (API 2001-01-13, page 2001-07-19), 99-082 (API 1999-03-24, page 1999-03-19) and 96-061 (API 1996-01-16, release text 1996-01-19). Eleven recall pages and three warning pages were opened to spot-check API fields.

Hazards: each record carries one primary hazard class assigned from the official CPSC Hazards field; for records where that field holds only a coded category, the hazard sentence in the release text was used. Secondary hazards (for example nozzle detachment in 18-022) are noted in the registry but not counted.

Limitations: unit figures are stated estimates and can overlap between recalls; record counts include four CPSC warnings and five renewed notices, updates, expansions or penalty notices tied to recalls; CPSC product safety warnings published outside the Recall API since 2024 are not in the registry; vehicle-mounted extinguisher recalls handled by NHTSA are not covered; scope boundaries are editorial. Last updated 2026-10-26.

This report presents published data with its limitations. It is not legal, engineering, financial or investment advice. Requirements depend on the code edition your state and local fire marshal have adopted; confirm with your authority having jurisdiction.

Sources, ranked by quality

Tier 1: primary and official sources (18)

• [1] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC Recalls API (Recall Retrieval Web Service), full JSON pull of 10,058 records. Recall dates 1973-06-08 to 2026-10-22. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [2] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC Recalls Application Program Interface (API) Information. Documentation, accessed 2026-10-26. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [3] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Recalls and Product Safety Warnings search. Updated weekly; accessed 2026-10-26. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [4] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Kidde Recalls Fire Extinguishers with Plastic Handles Due to Failure to Discharge and Nozzle Detachment; One Death Reported (18-022). 2017-11-02. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [5] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Kidde Recalls Disposable Plastic Fire Extinguishers Due to Failure to Discharge (15-079). 2015-02-12. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [6] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC, Central Sprinkler Company Announce Voluntary Recall To Replace O-Ring Fire Sprinklers (01-201). 2001-07-19. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [7] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC, Central Sprinkler Recall Omega Fire Sprinklers; Settle Lawsuit (99-008). 1998-10-14. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [8] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. BRK Recalls Some Wired-In Smoke Detectors Because Of Potential Alarm Failure (92-130). 1992-09-04. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [9] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Kidde Recalls Combination Smoke/CO Alarms Due to Alarm Failure (17-031). 2016-11-10. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [10] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Lithonia Lighting Recalls Emergency Lights Due to Fire Hazard (14-194). 2014-05-28. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [11] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC, Kidde Safety Announce Recall of Carbon Monoxide Alarms (99-082). 1999-03-19. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [12] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Three61 Recalls Samurai Mini Smoke Alarms Due to Failure to Alert Consumers to a Fire; Sold Exclusively by HSN (25-095). 2025-01-16. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [13] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detectors Recalled; Sold Exclusively on Amazon.com by Treatlife Technology (26-582). 2026-06-25. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [14] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC Renews Recall Warning On Certain Outdated Fire Extinguishers (Bernzomatic, 77-001). 1977-01-03. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [15] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC Warns Consumers to Stop Using JNHCD Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors Immediately (26-614). 2026-07-09. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [16] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC Warns Consumers to Stop Using TJTFJS Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors Immediately (26-708). 2026-08-20. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [17] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC Warns Consumers to Immediately Stop Using Juzhiann, YANLOYZW, JIKAIDA and Yieryi Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors (24-292). 2024-07-03. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• [18] Occupational Safety and Health Administration via eCFR. 29 CFR 1910.157, Portable fire extinguishers (paragraph (e), inspection, maintenance and testing). eCFR text as of 2026-10-01. Accessed 2026-10-26.