About 1,200 Snowpulse Avalanche Airbag cartridges in the United States and 2,600 in Canada are being voluntarily recalled by manufacturer Snowpulse SA of Martigny, Switzerland, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada.
The USCPSC announced Thursday that a leak in the airbag cartridge can cause the airbag to not deploy, creating "a risk of death and injury in the event of an avalanche."
Snowpulse Avalanche airbags with inflation-system 1.0 air cartridges from model year 2008 to 2010 are part of the recall. Mountain sports enthusiasts use the airbags as a means of helping them keep above the surface of an avalanche.
"The packs are between 15 and 45 liters and have the 'Snowpulse' logo printed on them," the USCPSC news release stated. "The metal cartridge is inside the pack and unscrews from the airbag. Cartridges using inflation system 1.0 gauges can be identified by the pin inside the threaded fitting on the side of the cartridge. If this gauge does not have an 'A' or a 'B' on the dial then it is included in the recall."
No incidents or injuries have been reported for the airbags that were distributed in the United States by Mammut Sports Group Inc., of Shelburne, Vt., and in Canada by Mountain Sports Distribution, of Golden, British Columbia.
"On July 1, 2011, Mammut Sports Group AG acquired the Swiss avalanche airbag specialists Snowpulse AG," stated a news release on the Snowpulse website. "In the meantime, that company's production and quality processes have been analyzed and brought up to the level of Mammut's own quality standards. In the process, it was found that the measures Snowpulse AG had previously taken to assure quality with respect to this problem did not meet Mammut's high standards."
Consumers are advised to stop using the recalled airbags and contact Snowpulse for a replacement cartridge. For additional information, contact Snowpulse at 1-800-451-5127 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit www.snowpulse.com.
More information can be found at the USCPSC and Health Canada websites.
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