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149,400 Portable Generators Are Being Recalled for a Fuel Leak That Can Catch Fire the First Time You Ever Turn It On, Federal Regulators Are Now Warning

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Photo by Zendure Power Station on Unsplash

Generac Power Systems is recalling about 149,400 portable generators after the company received 114 reports of fuel leaking from the carburetor — often the very first time a new unit is filled with gasoline — creating a fire and burn risk, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall notice. About 260 additional units were sold in Canada.

Photo by Zendure Power Station on Unsplash

 

Key Points

What’s Included

The recall covers GP3600, GP4000DF, GP6500, GP6500E, GP6500EDF, GP6700EDF, GP8000E, GP9200E, and GP9500ETF models. According to CPSC, “when first filling the recalled generator with gasoline, fuel can leak from the carburetor, posing a risk of serious injury or death from fire or burn.” The units were manufactured in Vietnam and distributed through home improvement retailers nationwide as well as online. Generac notes that units already filled with enough gasoline to move the fuel gauge off empty, or that have already been used without any leakage, can continue to be used while owners await repair — the defect appears specifically at that first, empty-tank fill-up rather than during ongoing use.

What Consumers Should Do

The timing lands just as many households in hurricane- and wildfire-prone regions begin their annual storm-season generator checks. A fuel leak that surfaces on a unit’s very first fill-up is a particularly dangerous failure point, since it can strike during exactly the moment — an approaching storm, a fresh power outage — when a household is relying on the generator working correctly with no time to troubleshoot. No injuries have been reported so far, which CPSC and Generac are treating as a reason to move quickly rather than a reason to wait, especially with peak hurricane season and the start of wildfire-driven outage periods both approaching in the weeks ahead. Owners who bought a generator in the last year specifically for storm preparedness should confirm their unit’s model and serial number now, rather than discovering a fuel leak in the middle of an actual outage when a replacement or loaner unit is far harder to come by.

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