CPSC, Gerry Baby Products Announce Recall to Repair Baby Monitors

April 8, 1998
Release # 98-090

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For Immediate Release;
Contact: Russ Rader
(301) 504-0580 Ext. 1166

Gerry Baby Products POC: Rick East (303) 450-3478

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Gerry Baby Products of Denver, Colo., is recalling about 86,000 rechargeable baby monitors sold under the Clear Choice brand name. When an electrical short occurs, the rechargeable battery can cause the monitor's "parent" unit to smoke and flame.

Gerry has received one report of flames and four reports of smoke coming from the monitor's parent unit. No injuries or property damage have been reported.

The Gerry Clear Choice rechargeable baby monitor being recalled is Model 618. The model number is found on a silver plate on the front of the monitor's AC adapter. The monitor consists of a "baby" unit, a parent unit, a recharging base for the parent unit and AC adapters. All of the units are white with a light blue accent color. Because it houses the battery, only the parent unit presents the hazard.

Mass merchandise and baby stores throughout the United States sold the baby monitors from April 1996 to March 1998 for about $40.

Consumers should disconnect and throw away the blue battery pack from the parent unit immediately. Consumers should contact Gerry Baby Products, anytime 24 hours a day, at (800) 273-3521 to receive a free replacement black battery pack with a safety fuse. Until the replacement battery arrives, the parent unit can be used safely with its AC adapter. Consumers also can receive the replacement black battery pack by writing to Gerry Baby Products at 1801 Commerce Drive, Piqua, Ohio 45356.

This recall is not related to the October 1996 recall of 990,000 Gerry model 602 baby monitors. Consumers with questions about the model 602 monitor can call Gerry at (800) 672-6289.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death from 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury and for information on CPSC's fax-on-demand service, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To order a press release through fax-on-demand, call (301) 504-0051 from the handset of your fax machine and enter the release number. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's web site at http://www.cpsc.gov or via Internet gopher services at gopher.cpsc.gov. Consumers can report product hazards to info@cpsc.gov. To establish a link from your web site to this press release on CPSC's web site, create a link to the following address: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml98/98090.html.