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Unless you’ve recently blown a fuse and suddenly found yourself without electricity, it’s probably been a while since you’ve spent some time at your circuit breaker box. But you might want to take a quick look at it today to see if it’s one of the 1.4 million electric panels being recalled for overheating. Here’s what to know.
Why are circuit breaker boxes being recalled?
According to a notice from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Schneider Electric is recalling approximately 1.4 million of its circuit breaker boxes—also referred to as “electric panels” and “load centers”—because they can overheat, posing thermal burn and fire hazards. At this point, Schneider Electric has received one report of an incident of a loose wire, but no injuries.
Which circuit breaker boxes are included in the recall?
This recall includes indoor, outdoor, and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Square D QO Plug-On Neutral Load Centers from Schneider Electric. The recalled breaker boxes are gray, come in various sizes, and are square or rectangular. They were installed in homes and recreational vehicles, as well as commercial establishments, including restaurants, manufacturing facilities, and warehouses.
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The breaker boxes were available for purchase from February 2020 through January 2022 for between $90 and $1,660 at home improvement and hardware stores nationwide, including Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Menards, both in stores and online.
There are two groups of circuit breaker boxes included in the recall. The first was manufactured between February 2020 and January 2022, with date codes between 200561 and 220233. The second group was manufactured between December 2019 and March 2022, and include the products bearing the catalog numbers below.
The catalog number and date code is located inside the door of the panel on installed indoor load centers. It can be found on the inside of the cover or door of the unit, or on the box itself when the cover or door is open on installed outdoor load centers.
Catalog/part numbers of recalled products:
CQO116L100PGRBQO130M200PRBQOC30UFWGCQO116M100PRBQO140L200PGRBQOC30UFWGWCQO116M60PRBQO140M200PRBQOC30USCQO124L125PGRBQO142L225PGRBQOC32UFCQO124M100PRBQO142M200PRBQOC32UFWCQO140L200PGRBQO142M225PRBQOC40UFCQO140M200PRBQO1816M200PFTRBQOC40UFWNQC20FWGQO816L100PRBQOC40USNQC20FWGWQOC12UFQOC42UFNQC30FWGQOC12USQOC42UFWNQC30FWGWQOC16UFQOC42USQO112L125PGRBQOC16UFWQOC54UFQO112L200PGRBQOC16USQOC54UFWQO112M100PRBQOC20U100FQOC60UFQO116L125PGRBQOC20U100FWQOCMF30UCQO116M100PRBQOC20U100SQOCMF30UCWQO120M100PRBQOC20UFWGQOCMF42UCQO120M150PRBQOC20UFWGWQOCMF42UCWQO120M200PRBQOC24UFQOCMF54UCQO124L125PGRBQOC24UFWQOCMF54UCWQO124M100PRBQOC24USQOCMF60UCQO124M125PRBQOC30U125CQOCMF60UCWQO130L200PGRBQOC30UFQO130M150PRBQOC30UFWWhat to do if you have a recalled circuit breaker box
If your circuit breaker box is part of the Schneider Electric recall, you should contact the company immediately to arrange to have yours inspected to determine whether it needs to be repaired or replaced. The inspection—as well as any resulting replacement or repair—is free of charge. This is also the case if you purchased one of the recalled electric panels but have yet to install it.
You can contact Schneider Electric Technical toll-free at 888-778-2733 from 8 a.m. through 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or via their website. In the meantime, the CPSC recommends that anyone with the recalled breaker boxes ensure they have a working smoke alarm in their home while they’re waiting for theirs to be inspected, replaced, or repaired.
