Chain Saws Recalled by McCulloch
Home product recall 81-024. Announced by CPSC on Oct 5, 1981.
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The short answer
Announced by CPSC on Oct 5, 1981. 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?
Chain Saws Recalled by McCulloch NEWS from CPSC U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 5, 1981 Release # 81-024 Approximately 8,000 Chain Saws Recalled WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 5) -- The McCulloch Corporation, of Los Angeles, California, is voluntarily recalling approximately 8,000 “Electramac” electric chain saws imported to the U.S. from Canada since April, 1981. The firm is conducting the recall in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recall applies to “Electramac” EM 10, EM 12A and EM 14A chain saws, which include an electric cord connected to the back of the unit. The saws have been sold nationwide for approximately $70 to $110. No other McCulloch products with electric or gasoline engines are involved. The firm initiated the recall after it learned of four incidents of spontaneous restarting among units manufactured by Black and Decker of Canada, Inc. McCulloch and Black and Decker of Canada are subsidiaries of the The Black and Decker Manufacturing Company, of Towson, Maryland. The saw’s “on/off” switch may fail to function properly, causing the chain saw to continue to run after release of the trigger or to start spontaneously when put down after use, No injuries have been reported, although these conditions pose a potential safety hazard, In the one occurrence reported in the U.S., the electric chain saw restarted after being switched off and put down. Black and Decker of Canada has produced an improved ’”on/off” switch that will eliminate the restarting problem, according to McCulloch. Consumers should immediately stop using their “Electramac” chain saws and bring them to a Black and Decker Service Center for repair. New “on/off” switches will be incorporated into their saws free-of-charge. Units with new switches, which will now be on sale, will be designated “Type 2” on the label on the saw. To learn the location of the nearest Black and Decker Service Center, consumers should look in the Yellow Pages section of the telephone directory under the heading, “Tools.” McCulloch, which informed CPSC of the potential hazard on September 8, has mailed certified letters providing recall instructions to all consumers who returned the registration card packed with the chain saws. Consumers who require additional information about this recall or are too far from a Black and Decker Service Center to return their saws should call McCulloch toll-free at 800-423-6302; in California, 213- 822-9724.
Electramac electric chain saws and Electramac EM electric chain saws.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Who made and sold it?
- Made by McCulloch.
- Made by Black & Decker.
- Made in Canada, as the notice gives it.
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.