Company built defective fan, fined $500,000
Friday, January 23rd, 2009Lasko Products has been ordered to pay a $500,000 fine for not quickly responding to problems with it’s portable box fans. The fans have been overheating and causing fires,.
Lasko received 42 complaints involving nine injuries and property damage from 2002 through 2005 as a result of defects in the fans they manufacture.
Federal law requires that companies report potential hazards to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission within 24 hours; Lasko did not fully report the problems until September of 2005.
The box and floor fans were sold under the brand names Lasko, General Galaxy and Air King from 2000 to 2004. They were sold at discount stores for between $10 and $25. In 2006, 5.6 million of the fans were recalled because of an electrical failure in the motor.