Southwire Recalls Voltage Detectors Due to Shock and Burn Hazards
Home product recall 16-183. Announced by CPSC on Jun 1, 2016.
- 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 Jun 1, 2016. Copied from CPSC on Oct 19, 2026.
- Stop using it what CPSC tells owners to do now (needs attention)
- Replace what’s offered
- About 1.2 million (in addition, 3,640 were sold in Canada) units, as CPSC gives them
- Not said injuries, in the notice
Every line below is in CPSC’s own words, with its source beside it.
What’s wrong with it?
The voltage detectors can give a false “no voltage” reading when being used to test live wires for electric current, posing shock, electrocution and burn hazards to consumers.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What should you do?
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled voltage detectors and contact Southwire for instructions on returning them for a free replacement voltage detector.
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.
- How to reach the firm: Southwire toll-free at 855-798-6657 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or online at www.southwire.com and click on Product Recall for more information.
Which ones are recalled?
This recall involves Southwire non-contact voltage detectors with model numbers 40110N and 40120N. Voltage detectors alert users to the presence of electric current running through electrical wires. The recalled voltage detectors are cylindrical shaped, about six inches long and about two inches in circumference. They are brownish gold in color with a black center insert. “Southwire,” the model number and the CE and UL listing symbols are printed on the voltage detectors. They have red LED lights to indicate the presence of live electric current. Model 40110N detects voltage from 100 to 1,000 VAC. Model 40120N detects voltage from 24 to 1,000 VAC.
About 1.2 million (in addition, 3,640 were sold in Canada) units, as CPSC gives them.
Non-contact voltage detectors.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
CPSC’s photos
CPSC shows 4 photos on its notice. Hearth Record doesn’t copy them; each opens on cpsc.gov.
Who made and sold it?
- Made by Southwire Company LLC, Carrollton, Ga.
- Lowe’s and other home and hardware stores nationwide and online at lowes.com and other websites from June 2013 through February 2016 for about $15.
- Made in China, as the notice gives it.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Was anyone hurt?
Southwire is aware of one report of an incident of a false reading by the voltage detector. The consumer received an electrical shock and fell off a ladder.
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.