Olympus Recalls Digital Audio Recorders Due to Burn Hazard
Home product recall 15-029. Announced by CPSC on Nov 19, 2014.
- 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 Nov 19, 2014. Copied from CPSC on Oct 19, 2026.
- Stop using it what CPSC tells owners to do now (needs attention)
- Replace or Refund or Repair what’s offered
- About 500 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?
The recalled recorders can overheat when charging, posing a burn hazard to consumers and property.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What should you do?
Consumers should stop using the recorders immediately and contact Olympus, or the retailer where the recorder was purchased, to receive a full refund, free repair or a free replacement recorder.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
- What the company offers to fix a recalled product or vehicle: a repair, a replacement or a refund, as the recall notice says. For a vehicle, dealers make the safety repair free. Follow the notice’s own steps, or contact the company it names. Source: CPSC; NHTSA (49 U.S.C. 30120).: replace or refund or repair.
- How to reach the firm: Olympus Imaging America Inc., at (800) 622-6372 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or online at www.getolympus.com and click on “Repair Your Product” under the “Support” tab for more information.
Which ones are recalled?
This recall involves Olympus digital audio recorders with model number DS-5500. The recorders are black, measure about 4.5 inches tall by 1.9 inches wide by .67 inches thick. “Olympus” and “Digital Voice Recorder DS-5500” are printed on the front of the recorder. The recorder has three smart buttons, slide switches, edit functions, 2 GB of memory, an external SD card slot and a 1.7-inch LCD display on the front.
About 500 units, as CPSC gives them.
Olympus DS-5500 digital audio recorders.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
CPSC’s photos
CPSC shows 2 photos on its notice. Hearth Record doesn’t copy them; each opens on cpsc.gov.
Who made and sold it?
- Made by Olympus Imaging America Inc., Center Valley, Pa.
- Camera and electronics stores and mass merchandisers nationwide from February 2014 through June 2014 for about $450.
- Made in China, as the notice gives it.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Was anyone hurt?
Olympus has received three reports of the recorders overheating. No injuries or property damage have been 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
-
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.