Appliance manufacturer Viking Range has agreed to pay a $4.65 million civil penalty in connection with charges that it failed to report to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) a safety defect in several models of its gas-fired ranges.
According to a press release issued by the CPSC, Viking received 170 separate incident reports between 2008 and 2014 that its ranges spontaneously turned on and could not be turned off by consumers using the standard control knobs. The product defect resulted in at least two reports of consumers suffering burns while attempting to disconnect the ranges’ power source, as well as multiple reports of consumers dialing 911 for emergency response assistance. However, despite this information, the company failed to notify the CPSC of the potential safety risk.
The affected ranges, which sold for between $4000 and $13,000, were ultimately recalled by Viking in May 2015. Approximately 52,000 units were identified as unsafe and subject to the recall.
In addition to paying the civil penalty, Viking has agreed to implement and maintain an enhanced program to ensure future compliance with all provisions of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA).
Read the text of the CPSC’s press release related to the settlement with Viking Range.
