CPSC, Firms Announce Recall of On/Off Switches for Rope and Cable Lights
Home product recall 01127b. Announced by CPSC on Apr 18, 2001.
- CPSC: stop using it
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own notice is on cpsc.gov.
The short answer
Announced by CPSC on Apr 18, 2001. Copied from CPSC on Oct 19, 2026.
- Stop using it what CPSC tells owners to do now (needs attention)
- About 270,000 units, as CPSC gives them
- None injuries, CPSC’s notice says
Every line below is in CPSC’s own words, with its source beside it.
What’s wrong with it?
If the rope lights are plugged in, even if the lights are not lit, the recalled switch on the power cord could allow the rope lights to remain energized. This poses a potential electric shock hazard to consumers.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What should you do?
Consumers should not install the power switch supplied with the Westek rope lights. If the switch is already installed, stop using the lights immediately and unplug them. Consumers that have rope lights with on/off switches installed should call American Tack & Hardware Co. Inc. to receive a free replacement power cord.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
- How to reach the firm: Consumers may call American Tack & Hardware Co. Inc. toll-free at (800) 777-0801 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.
Which ones are recalled?
Rope lights are lights inside a plastic cord used for decorative lighting. The on/off switches for the rope lights were included as an optional accessory for consumers to attach to the power cords. They consist of a rectangular white plastic box about 1 inch long. The box contains a wheel-type switch through the middle that rotates to turn the power on and off. The Westek “Rope Lighting Kits,” which can be identified by the words “Westek” written on the plastic tube of the rope lights, were sold in 9-foot and 18-foot lengths in clear red, yellow, green, blue, and orange. The switches also were included in Westek “Power Cord Kits” designed for use with bulk rope lights.
About 270,000 units, as CPSC gives them.
On/off switches sold in packages of Westek rope lights.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
CPSC’s photos
CPSC shows 1 photo on its notice. Hearth Record doesn’t copy them; each opens on cpsc.gov.
Who made and sold it?
- Made by American Tack & Hardware Co. Inc., Monsey, N.Y.
- Home center stores, including Home Depot and lighting showrooms, sold these rope lights and power cord kits nationwide from April 1997 through October 2000 for about $29 to $39 for the Rope Lighting Kits and $7 to $10 for the Power Cord Kit.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Was anyone hurt?
None reported.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What the record doesn’t say
- The notice lists no UPCs, so check the model, the description and the photos.
- The notice lists no model numbers in a field of their own; its description may give them.
- How many have been returned or fixed isn’t in the notice.
Hearth Record wrote these lines.
Sources
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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Recalls API.
Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.
Recalls of kids’ and home products are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record. Copied on Oct 19, 2026.