Chinese-Made Car Fuses Recalled
September 05, 2007

A California-based auto parts seller is recalling as many as 295,000 Chinese-made fuse sets that could be linked to electrical fires.

Harbor Freight Tools told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in an August 10 letter obtained by the Detroit News that the company was quickly recalling 295,000 aftermarket auto fuse sets -- which involve as many as 35 million individual fuses -- sold over a two-year period.

Harbor Freight, based in Camarillo, California, said its plan to recall the fuses came after four customer complaints "in a very short period of time" around August 4, along with questions it received from General Motors. NHTSA has also received two complaints. The company told NHTSA it was aware of property damage caused by the fuses, but not any injuries.

While recalls or bans of Chinese-made products, from pet food to toys seems a daily occurrence, only two recalls have been made so far of Chinese-made auto parts. Last month, New Jersey importer Foreign Tire Sales announced the recall of 255,000 Chinese-made tires because they lack a safety feature.

In a telephone interview, Harbor Freight's general counsel, Marc Friedman, told the Detroit News Tuesday that the company had sent employees to China to learn what was wrong with the fuses in question. The manufacturer of the fuses, which apparently have the wrong amperages, has not been revealed.

Posted by Michelle Krebs at 8:02 AM under GM , News | Comments (1) | digg this | Seed Newsvine