Schneider Electric Recalls Xantrex GT Series Grid Tie Solar Inverters Due to Injury Hazard
NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Office of Information and Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 18, 2011 Release #11-099

Firm's Recall Hotline: (800) 714-7176 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: Xantrex Grid Tie Solar Inverters

Units: About 25,000

Manufacturer: Xantrex Technology Inc. - a subsidiary of Schneider Electric, of Livermore, Calif.

Hazard: A component of the inverter can degrade, causing out gassing within the wiring compartment of the inverter. When arcing occurs, gasses could build and force the compartment cover to be blown off. If the cover is blown off with sufficient force it can injure the user or person, or cause damage to property in close proximity to the inverter.

Incidents/Injuries: Schneider Electric has received five reports of wiring compartment covers being blown off. No injuries or property damage have been reported.

Description: The recalled inverter converts solar photovoltaic voltages into utility grid voltages; allowing the owner to feed power into the electrical grid. The recalled units were manufactured between September 2005 and August 2010. These products were sold under the Xantrex, Sunpower, and General Electric brands. The brand name is printed on the front of the unit.

Affected part numbers, printed on the top of the unit, include the following:

Sold through: Solar distributors and system integrators nationwide and in Canada from September 2005 through January 2011 for between about $2,500 and $4,000.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately contact their authorized dealer to set up an appointment to get a free repair of the inverter.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Xantrex Technology at (800) 714-7176 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday.

Xantrex GT Series Inverter

CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.