The Toro Company is collecting about 6,700 snow blowers to fix an issue that poses a risk of amputation. The defective product recall comes with much of the snow-covered country, including states like Texas and Georgia, which typically do not see the winter weather conditions that bring plows and shovels.
The Bloomington, Minnesota-based company received five reports of incidents in which the Toro Max Snowthrower auger failed to disengage when the control lever was released, according to a notice published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
No injuries were reported.
US Consumer Product Safety Commission
Made in Juarez, Mexico, the collected snow blowers were sold in stores and online across the country at Home Depot, Ace Hardware and Toro authorized dealers from November 2020 to January 2021 for about $ 1,200.
The recalled snow blowers involve the model year 2021 Toro Power Max 826 OHAE Snowthrowers, with model number 37802 listed on the back of the product. The serial numbers included in the recall can be found on the Toro website.
People who purchased the snow blowers were advised not to use them and to contact a Toro dealer for a free repair. Consumers can call the company free of charge at (833) 254-8856 to access a 24-hour Toro dealer location system, which can also be found online.