Schneider Electric, the Lexington, Kentucky based manufacturer of Square D electric panels, is recalling about 1.4 million panels for potential risk of thermal burn and fire hazards.
Hazard: The wire binding screw within the lug body could potentially not be torqued properly to the Plug-on-Neutral bar. Over time, this unsecured electrical joint could result in losing the neutral connection and potentially lead to overheating at the load.
Affected Products: QO™ Plug-On-Neutral Load Center fro Plant 15. Impacted catalog numbers can be seen by contacting Schneider Electric using the link below.
Remedy: Affected devices need to be inspected per our customer notification letter. Contact our Customer Care Team for support.
For more detailed information, contact Schneider Electric.
RECOGNIZING SQUARE D QO PANELS
The affected QO panels have a tripped indicator window on the breakers. The cheaper Homeline series does not.
Photos courtesy of Ben Hendricks
2022 Recall (Most Relevant — Actual QO Load Centers)
-
Recall date: June 16, 2022 (DHSES NY, Fox 17)dhses.ny+1
-
Product: Square D QO Plug-On-Neutral (PON) Load Centers — indoor and outdoor breaker boxes/panels
-
Units affected: About 1.4 million in the US (plus 289,000 in Canada)
-
Manufacture window: February 1, 2020 through January 12, 2022, made at Schneider Electric Plant 15 only
-
Date codes: 200561 through 220233 (format YYWWDS)
-
Defect: A loose neutral screw connection on the plug-on-neutral bar that wasn’t torqued properly, which can cause the load center to overheat — thermal burn and fire hazard (AudioShark forum citing Schneider, Yukon government bulletin)yukon+1
-
Note for field verification: Panels with date codes before January 13, 2022 that were validated during Schneider’s containment process carry a green dot on the carton — those are excluded from the recallabihomeservices
-
This recall does not apply to Square D’s cheaper Homeline series — QO onlyabihomeservices
Earlier Related Recalls (Worth Knowing, Different Products)
-
August 2010: Counterfeit “Square D”/”SQD” branded QO breakers (not genuine Square D product) recalled by distributor Miami Breaker Inc. — models QO115, QO120, QO130, QO215, QO220, QO230, QO240, QO250, QO260, sold March 2005–July 2006. These fail to trip under overload. Genuine Square D QO breakers have the amp rating painted on the handle, the Square D insignia molded into the side, and a yellow chromate clip — anything not matching that description is suspect.cpsc
-
March 2014: A recall of genuine Square D FA, FH, FI, FY, and KI breakers (not QO) manufactured May–June 2013, date codes 13193–13255, for failing to trip under overload.everestglobal