As you can imagine, injuries sustained by sharp-edged fragments of projectile plastic can range from mild to severe lacerations and even blindness. If you have been injured by DeVilbiss products, our Milwaukee product liability attorneys want to hear from you. Our experience in pursuing injury claims against manufacturers of defective and unsafe products allows us to recover maximum damages for our clients.
First came the news of plastic wheels on MTD snow throwers exploding when owners inflated the tires. As if that wasn’t bad enough, then came similar stories of exploding plastic wheels on pressure washers and air compressors manufactured by DeVilbiss Air Power Company.
To their credit, DeVilbiss issued a recall in 2006 for all pressure washers and air compressors bearing the brand names Delta, Excell, Porter-Cable, Pressure-Wave and Water Driver. At the time, at least 26 people had been injured by broken pieces of plastic wheels flying through the air. Within just 3 years, though, there were over 100 reports of injuries and DeVilbiss issued another statement warning consumers to stop using these products. The devices were made between January, 2004 and May, 2006 and sold at hardware and home improvement stores.
Nearly 700,000 of these products were made, so in spite of the recall notice it’s inevitable that more injuries will be reported.
Just as the MTD snowthrower wheels were prone to exploding due to becoming brittle and cracking in cold temperatures, the plastic wheels on the affected DeVilbiss products also become brittle with exposure to cold temperatures. When the pneumatic tires are inflated, the stress put on the plastic wheels causes them to suddenly burst and send pieces of plastic flying like shrapnel.
You may be thinking: “If it’s not too cold outside, it’s probably safe to inflate the tires on my DeVilbiss-made air compressor.” Don’t risk it. The company has issued a recall, so if you have one of their products you should contact DeVilBiss at (866) 323-9867 for information on where you can get free replacement wheels.
Approximately 620,000 pressure washers and 72,000 air compressors with plastic wheels are affected by the recall. The model numbers referenced below can be found on a nameplate on the back of the base part of the pressure washer engines. On the air compressors, look for the nameplate bearing the model number on the front of the motor housing.
JavaScript is required for full site functionality.
