The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced a recall for all PIEPS Pro IPS Avalanche Transceivers manufactured by Black Diamond Equipment due to a serious safety hazard.
The recall affects approximately 770 avalanche transceivers, with around 70 units sold in Canada. These devices, which are critical for locating individuals in avalanche situations, may fail to power on or could stop functioning during use.
This failure poses a significant risk, potentially preventing rescuers from locating victims in avalanche emergencies, which could lead to serious injury or death.
The issue lies within the battery compartment, where there may not be enough contact force to supply power to the device. In some cases, the transceiver will fail to turn on or could stop operating during use, rendering it ineffective during a critical avalanche rescue situation.
The affected PIEPS Pro IPS Avalanche Transceivers are black plastic devices with a yellow “mark” button and an LCD screen below it. The words PIEPS appear in yellow lettering and PRO IPS in white lettering on the front of the unit.
The devices measure approximately 5 inches long by 3 inches wide and have serial numbers ranging from 2326 through to 2445. These can be found on the label inside the battery compartment door.
Consumers should check their devices for the affected serial numbers to determine if their unit is part of the recall.
What to Do
Consumers are urged to immediately stop using the recalled avalanche transceivers and contact Black Diamond Equipment for a full refund or free repair, including shipping.
The company is offering a pre-paid shipping label for returning the devices, and consumers will not be asked to provide proof of purchase. Black Diamond has already begun contacting all known purchasers of the affected units.
As reported by CPSC, Black Diamond Equipment has received one report of the battery compartment malfunctioning, but no injuries have been reported related to this issue at this time.
Consumers seeking more information on how to return their recalled transceivers can contact Black Diamond Equipment’s customer service or visit their website for further details.
Contact Black Diamond toll-free at 866-306-0865 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. MT Monday through Friday, email at [email protected], or online at https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/content/product-recalls/.