Cree launched with fanfare a touted light-emitting diode (LED) replacement for fluorescent tubes but on Thursday the Durham-based company recalled 700,000 of them due to a “burn hazard” from overheating and melting.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Cree issued the recall after Cree said it had received four reports “of the lamps overheating and melting.”
No injuries have been reported, the company added.
Products affected are LED T8 replacement lamps Cree has touted them as money savers, cutting 30 percent of energy needed for fluorescent lights.
The 4-foot tubes, which cost about $22 each, were sold between August of last year through April of this year at Home Depot as well as commercial lighting customers through electrical distributors.
The hazard is “electrical arcing may cause the lamp to overheat and melt, posing a burn hazard.”
“Consumers should immediately stop using, disconnect or switch off the fixture, remove the recalled T8 LED lamp, put it in a safe place and contact the firm to receive a full refund or replacement lamp,” Cree said in the recall announcement.
The tubes were manufactured in China and imported by Cree.
Contact info from Cree: “Customers can call toll-free at (888) 338-7883 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, email atT8LED@cree.com or online at www.cree.com and click on “Recalls” or go to www.cree.com/recall for more information.”
