Kannad Safelink Recall
Kannad Marine (www.kannadmarine.com), owned by Oriola Limited, has issued a voluntary, global recall of all of its Safelink EPIRBs due to a possible defect that could result in the beacon not operating in emergency situations. The Coast Guard strongly recommends that all owners and users of the Kannad Safelink EPIRBs (manual and automatic models) seek replacement devices as soon as possible and not use the Safelink EPIRB as a primary search-and-rescue beacon.
The Safelink EPIRBs yellow plastic may prematurely age when subjected to certain environmental conditions, and this could impact its long-term effectiveness in the field. According to Kannad, the issue may only impact a small number of devices, but the manufacturer decided to take broader preventative actions to ensure customers safety.
If you own a Safelink EPIRB that may be part of the recall (only Safelink EPIRBs, not the Safelink MOB alarm), be sure to register your details via the dedicated website: www.safelinkepirbsupport.co.uk. Kannad will direct you to a local partner to arrange a free replacement of your beacon with a Kannad Sport Pro+ (auto or manual, with a five-year warranty).
For more information, contact Kannad Marine: online at www.safelinkepirbsupport.co.uk; via email at [email protected]; or by phone at 800/262-8722.
Dometic recall, Lawsuit
Dometic, a manufacturer of systems-related products for the RV and marine markets, recently expanded its recall of refrigerators. The original voluntary recall, which included some two-door Dometic refrigerators manufactured between April 1997 and May 2003, has been expanded to include the same two-door refrigerators manufactured between June 2003 and September 2006.
If you have a double-door Dometic refrigerator on board, be sure to check whether its part of this recall. You can find out by visiting the companys recall page (under Support tab) on its website (www.dometic.com), and entering the products model and serial number. Note that the model numbers of the affected products all start with NDR or RM.
Dometics refrigerators are also the subject on an ongoing class-action lawsuit filed in April by a consumer-rights class-action law firm, Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, on behalf of a group of RV owners. The suit alleges that the company sold defective gas-absorption refrigerators with cooling systems that can spontaneously ignite if the cooling units boiler tube becomes corroded or cracked and expels hydrogen gas at high pressure. The lawsuit claimsthat the defective refrigerators have caused or contributed to at least 3,000 fires since 1997. The lawsuit seeks to force Dometic to repair or replace defective refrigerators and compensate consumers for the diminution of value of their RVs and boats as a result of these manufacturer defects.
As of presstime, Dometic had not responded to Practical Sailors request for more information on the expanded recall or on the pending class-action lawsuit.
