Excel Industries is recalling about 1,800 Accessory LED Light Kits sold for Hustler and BigDog ride-on mowers after finding the light bars can overheat or produce flames, posing a fire hazard, according to the CPSC’s recall notice. The kits sold for $180 to $330 through Hustler and BigDog dealerships and online, and no injuries have been reported.
Key Points
- Units recalled: approximately 1,800
- Hazard: the LED light bars can overheat or produce flames, posing a fire hazard
- Sold at: Hustler and BigDog dealerships nationwide, and online at hustlerturf.com and bigdogmower.com accessory pages
- Sold: April 2020 through July 2026, for $180 to $330
- Incidents reported: none as of the recall date
What’s Included
- Two LED light bars packaged with a mounting bracket
- Sold as an aftermarket accessory kit for Hustler and BigDog ride-on mowers
- Manufactured by Excel Industries LLC, of Hesston, Kansas
- Sold under both the Hustler and BigDog mower brand names
Unlike a defect confined to how a product performs under stress, this recall covers the light kit’s basic operation — the hazard exists any time the kit is powered on, not just under unusual conditions. That’s part of why the recall notice frames the required response as immediate rather than something to schedule around.
What Consumers Should Do
- Stop using the light kit immediately — do not power it on again, even briefly
- Contact the dealer where the mower or kit was purchased to arrange removal and a refund
- Removal can be done at the dealership or, with guidance, at home before the kit is returned
- Call Excel Industries at 888-848-6038, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or email safetyadvisory@sbdinc.com with questions
The recall, announced Aug. 27, 2026, covers kits sold over more than six years, from April 2020 through July 2026 — meaning owners who added the accessory to an older Hustler or BigDog mower years ago are just as much a part of this recall as someone who bought one this summer. Because the kits were sold as an add-on rather than bundled with every mower, Excel Industries is relying on dealers and owners checking their own equipment rather than a single serial-number lookup covering an entire model line.