Recall Of Weed And Grass Trimmers Announced
Home product recall 77-086. Announced by CPSC on Aug 17, 1977.
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The short answer
Announced by CPSC on Aug 17, 1977. Copied from CPSC on Oct 19, 2026.
Every line below is in CPSC’s own words, with its source beside it.
What’s wrong with it?
Electrocution/Electric Shock
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What should you do?
The notice gives no remedy in a field of its own.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Which ones are recalled?
August 17, 1977 Release # 77-086 WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 17) -- Black and Decker Manufacturing Company, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), today announced a voluntary recall of approximately 40,000 No. 8209 Type 1 weed and grass trimmers. The trimmers were produced in the spring and summer of 1977 and distributed nationwide. The orange-colored trimmer has a suggested retail price of $59.99 and uses nylon line to cut weeds and grass. It is sold with an unassembled two-part handle that consumers must assemble prior to use. According to Black and Decker, engineering tests have indicated that consumers could damage the insulation surrounding the electrical cord when assembling the handle. Such damage could result in serious electrical shock. Consumers are urged to immediately stop using the No. 8209 Type 1 trimmer and to return it to only a Black and Decker service center or a Black and Decker-authorized service center listed in the Yellow Pages. Products subject to the recall will be modified to a No. 8209 Type 2 trimmer at no cost to the consumer. All No. 8209 Type 2 trimmers incorporate an additional safety feature to safeguard against any future possibility of electrical shock from this problem. Black and Decker, which informed CPSC of the potential safety hazard on August 1, has mailed certified letters providing recall instructions to all consumers who mailed in the registration card packed with the trimmer. Consumers who require additional information should place a collect call to Black and Decker, 301/828-2955, between 8 A.M. and 5 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Black & Decker weed and grass trimmers.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Who made and sold it?
- Made by Black & Decker.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Was anyone hurt?
The notice doesn’t say whether anyone was hurt.
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.