Sunsetter Motorized Awnings Recall
Costco Sunsetter Awnings recalled about 270,000 vinyl covers for its motorized awnings in the U.S., in addition to about 11,000 units in Canada, amid reports of the awnings coming open unexpectedly with enough force to cause serious injuries and even death, according to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) [1].
"If a powered awning is activated while the cover is secured with bungee tie-downs, when the cover is removed, the retractable awnings can open unexpectedly with enough force to strike a consumer standing in the awning’s path, causing them to fall and suffer death or serious injury," CPSC said in a recall notice dated August 19, 2019.
CPSC said it was aware of at least 14 incidents associated with SunSetter Awnings, including 6 injuries and 1 death, which occurred in a 73-year-old man who died after falling off a balcony when a motorized awning struck him while he was removing the cover's bungee tie-downs.
The recall includes all soft vinyl awning covers used with SunSetter Motorized, Sunsetter Motorized XL, Motorized XL PRO, Motorized PROXL, and Oasis Freestanding Motorized Retractable Awnings, CPSC said.
The defective products were distributed as part of a package directly by SunSetter, via independent dealers, and thru Costco Wholesale from June 1999 to January 2019. The company is offering free breakaway safety clips to replace the bungee tie-downs provided with the cover.
Who is At Risk?
Awnings can pose some serious safety hazards. They can collapse suddenly and injure people underneath. In recent years, recalls have been issued for motorized awnings due to electrical shock hazards, or because the awning can open suddenly and hit a person.
Keep Yourself Safe if You Have a SunSetter Awning
Consumers are asked not to install (or attempt to install) the covers for the motorized awnings, or remove the covers until they receive instructions from SunSetter.
Owners are asked to contact SunSetter for a set of free breakaway clips that replace the bungee tie-downs that have prompted the awning to break away and strike a person.
Related Articles:
Somfy Motorized Awning Recall
November 19, 2010 - Somfy Systems Inc. recalled about 4,600 Sunea CMO RTS motors used to operate retractable awnings amid concerns that "The awning motor’s power cable can be severed while the awning is opened or closed manually, posing a risk of electrical shock to the user," according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The recalled awning motor heads (model numbers 525A2, 535A2, 550R2) were silver and black-colored, and sold at major awning retailers nationwide from December 2009 to September 2010.
Can I File a Class Action Over Defective Motorized Awnings?
Although Schmidt & Clark, LLP, is a nationally recognized class action firm, we have decided against this type of litigation when it comes to defective awning lawsuits. Our lawyers feel that if there is a successful resolution to these cases, individual suits, not class actions will be the best way to get maximum payouts to our clients.
If you’ve been injured by SunSetter Awnings or other defective products, we know you’ve suffered emotionally and economically, and want to work with you personally to obtain the maximum compensation for the damages caused by your injuries from affected products. Contact us today to learn more about your legal rights if you've been harmed by a defective product.
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Do I Have an Awnings Recall Lawsuit?
The Product Liability Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in awnings recall lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new injury and death cases in all 50 states.
Again, if you were harmed by Oasis freestanding motorized retractable awnings, you should contact our law firm immediately for a free review. You may be entitled to a seek compensation by filing a suit and we can help.
