White-Rodgers of St. Louis, MO has recalled about 740,000 of the company’s digital home heating and cooling thermostats manufactured in China.
White-Rodgers says that the alkaline batteries used in the thermostats can leak onto the circuit board, creating a potential fire hazards. The company has received seven separate reports of burn damage to the thermostat, including two incidents involving minor property damage. However, there have been no reports of injuries associated with the recalled thermostats.
The thermostats were sold through heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment manufacturers and distributors, and at hardware retailers nationwide from January 2006 through December 2013 for between $30 and $70.
In addition to the recall of units sold in the U.S., White-Rodgers is also recalling about 400,000 thermostat units sold in Canada.
