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For homes that have horizontal forced-air furnaces in the
attics, the attic furnaces could be subject to a manufacturer's recall or class action. If
the furnace is attic-mounted and was installed between 1983 and 1994, the furnace could be
a major fire hazard . The furnace names include:
For more information on
furnace recalls contact: The above information has been published to provide general guidance on matters of interest to homeowners. Dennis and Donna "Sunshine" Smith do not have any further information regarding furnace recalls. For additional information, please call the phone numbers above or click on the links above.
Tentative deal in furnace lawsuit November 25, 2001
A tentative settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit against Consolidated Industries, which manufactured 190,000 faulty furnaces installed in California homes between 1983 and 1994. The settlement isn't expected to cover the total cost of a home's furnace replacement -- about $1,600 to $2,000 -- but similar settlements netted homeowners hundreds of dollars. The problem: Steel rods were installed above the burners in the gas furnaces to reduce nitrogen-oxide emissions, an alteration made to meet California air-quality standards. But these "NOx rods" can heat up to the point of cracking the furnace casing and letting flames escape. All the furnaces, which are mounted in attics, were made by Consolidated but were sold under dozens of brand names, including Trane, Kenmore and Amana. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission was negotiating with Consolidated to repair or replace the furnaces. But the negotiations dragged on for years, and before any agreement could be reached, Consolidated filed for bankruptcy and liquidated its assets, leaving homeowners holding the bag. The tentative settlement against Consolidated and another against Addison Products Co. could reimburse homeowners about $600. For information on both of these cases, contact the law firm of Rob MacDonald and Richard G. White at (408) 808-1410. In July, the Consumer Product Safety Commission launched a recall of 30,000 suspect furnaces carrying the labels Amana, American Best, American Standard, Bard, Comfort-Aire, Franklin Electric, GMC, Goettl, Goodman, Hamilton Electric, Janitrol, Johnstone, Liberty, Sunburst by Carrier Southern California and Trane. Homeowners with these models could be reimbursed about $450. For information, call (877) 347-6456 or see www.furnaceinspect.com. For a complete list of furnace brands and model numbers involved, see the Torrance Fire Department's Web site, www.tfd.torrnet.com. Copyright 2001 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. |
Gas-Fired Furnace
Recall 