Cree light bulbs

28 reports to CPSC, the latest made Feb 27, 2025. A report isn’t a recall.

Watch it to hear when CPSC publishes new reports about it. CPSC’s own search

Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own search is on saferproducts.gov.

At a glance

From SaferProducts.gov, released Nov 4, 2026.

28reports to CPSC
Feb 27, 2025the latest report was made
Jul 21, 2013the earliest
24with the company’s comments

Brand: Cree
Maker: Cree, Inc.Makers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
Product: Light bulbsCPSC’s product type: Light Bulbs (code 627), in Furniture, Furnishings & Decorations: Indoor Lighting

By month

1 report from March 2024 to February 2025; the most in February 2025, 1. 27 earlier reports, since July 2013, are in the table.

The numbers, as a table

Reports to CPSC by the month each was made, newest first
Month	Reports
February 2025	1
March 2021	1
January 2021	1
March 2020	1
June 2019	1
December 2018	1
January 2018	1
June 2017	1
October 2016	1
August 2016	1
July 2016	1
March 2016	1
November 2015	1
October 2015	1
September 2015	1
July 2015	1
June 2015	1
May 2015	1
April 2015	1
January 2015	2
June 2014	2
May 2014	1
January 2014	1
October 2013	1
September 2013	1
July 2013	1

How badly anyone was hurt

First aid 1 CPSC: Injury, First Aid Received by Non-Medical Professional
No one hurt 21 CPSC: Incident, No Injury
Not said 6 CPSC: Unspecified

As each report says it, in short words; CPSC’s own words are under each.

The reports, as CPSC published them

Reports people made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC publishes each one after sending it to the company named, and doesn’t guarantee they’re accurate. A report isn’t a recall.

Each report is the words of the person who made it, as CPSC published them. The company’s comments, where CPSC published any, are set apart as the company’s own.

CPSC, SaferProducts.gov public database export. Released Nov 4, 2026. Updated daily.

No one hurt
Made Feb 27, 2025, sent to the company Mar 4, 2025, published by CPSC Mar 18, 2025

The product, in the report: CREE LED Lamp. 1750 Lumens/2700K/23Watts. Numbers on the bulb: TBR40-18027FLFH25-12DE26-1, E330248, 1118GT, LED LAMP MADE IN CHINA

I have a CREE LED light bulb that was in an open can fixture. It severely overheated, turning many of the internal components black (charred) and melting the base of the bulb, causing the bulb to drop from the ceiling, crashing onto my microwave over and bouncing into the sink. It charred the side of the fixture and left charred pieces from the light laying around on my counter. It may actually have caught fire internally (I was away from home when this happened).
This “meltdown” also destroyed my [REDACTED] Dimmer wall switch.

Model
TBR40-18027FLFH25-12DE26-1
UPC
Unknown
Serial number
na
Where
Lees Summit, Missouri: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Age 62, Male
The reporter’s relation to them
Self
As this report names them
Brand CREE, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

CPSC report 20250227-5AF7E-2147332881. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Mar 5, 2021, sent to the company Mar 18, 2021, published by CPSC Apr 1, 2021

The product, in the report: Cree SPAR38-15030457d- 12DE26-1 Flood Lamp 45 Degree 3000K 16.9W 120V -60Hz

Cree SPAR38-15030457d- 12DE26-1 Flood Lamp. When I turned the kitchen light switch on, I noticed that one of the bulbs was out. About 2-3 minutes after that, I heard a strange noise, and looked up and smoke was coming out of the light fixture, then a small flame, I immediately turned off the light switch. Fortunately, the recessed light housing prevented any further damage or fire. (I have pictures and the product)

Model
Cree SPAR38-15030457d- 12DE26-1 Flood Lamp
Serial number
E330248
Bought from
Home Depot
Bought
Oct 30, 2019
Where
Greenville, South Carolina: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Unknown
The reporter’s relation to them
Unspecified
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

CPSC report 20210305-2C338-2147365524. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Jan 22, 2021, sent to the company Mar 4, 2021, published by CPSC Mar 18, 2021

The product, in the report: Cree LED lightbulb

After noticing a burning smell we found that one of our Cree LED light bulbs had failed and while no longer giving off light, it was becoming very hot. It was hot enough that when touched by water it sizzled.

Model
BA19-08027OMF-12DE26-2U_00
Bought from
Home Depot, Wisconsin
Bought
Jan 1, 2015, about then
Where
Verona, Wisconsin: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Unknown
The reporter’s relation to them
Unspecified
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

CPSC report 20210122-CFDA4-2147366335. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Mar 31, 2020, sent to the company Apr 7, 2020, published by CPSC Apr 21, 2020

The product, in the report: Standard base 17w LED light bulb

The light was on for about 30 minutes, then the bulb caught on fire. It could have been in that fixture for a year or more though. Not really sure.

Model
TA21-16050MD-FH25-12DE26-1
Bought from
Home Depot
Where
Newark, Delaware: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Unspecified
The reporter’s relation to them
Unspecified
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

CPSC report 20200331-47FD6-2147373125. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Jun 8, 2019, sent to the company Jul 3, 2019, published by CPSC Jul 25, 2019

The product, in the report: LED light bulb

I was eating lunch on the dining room table, and the glass cover detached itself from the rest of the bulb and fell from the ceiling, right in front of me. The bulb was made by Cree. Most of them have burned out prematurely.

Bought from
Home Depot
Bought
Jun 1, 2015, about then
Where
Atco, New Jersey: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Age 68, Male
The reporter’s relation to them
Self
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(7/16/2019) Cree, Inc.: Upon learning of this report, Cree Lighting’s Customer Service Team immediately contacted the consumer to better understand the issue. The consumer confirmed that he had experienced a detachment of the exterior glass globe from the base of one of his bulbs. The consumer confirmed that no one had been harmed or injured. Our Customer Service Team apologized for the globe detachment, thanked him for bringing the issue to our attention, and replaced all of the consumer’s bulbs as a courtesy. The consumer seemed satisfied with this resolution.
In manufacturing millions of bulbs, there will occasionally be outlying quality issues, even with Cree Lighting’s superior quality assurance and control systems. Cree Lighting monitors failure rates and customer return rates very closely, and we continue to believe we have one of the lowest product failure rates in the industry. Cree Lighting stands behind its product line and investigates each such report brought to its attention.
We want to encourage interaction, feedback, comments, questions and concerns with our customers, and we want to address issues promptly and directly so that they may be appropriately handled. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.creelighting.com.

CPSC report 20190608-FCB71-2147380533. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Dec 22, 2018, sent to the company Feb 4, 2019, published by CPSC Feb 19, 2019

The product, in the report: 4-foot-long LED replacement light for a two bulb fixture.

LED bulb in an overhead florescent fixture caught fire while the light was on. Bulb is an LED replacement for a florescent fixture. No one was injured and no property damage sustained.

Model
BT848 E330248
Serial number
LP005219A
Bought from
The Home Depot, Oregon
Bought
Dec 1, 2016, about then
Where
O’Brien, Oregon: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Age 73, Male
The reporter’s relation to them
Self
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(2/15/2019) Cree, Inc.: At Cree, safety is our priority and we are concerned with any report of a safety issue involving our products.
Since receiving this report, we have been in communication with this customer to express our concern and ensure that the customer has been provided the necessary information to return the product. After reviewing the product’s serial numbers, Cree believes that this customer’s lamps are included in a joint CPSC voluntary recall previously announced in August 2016. https://www.cpsc.gov/zh-CN/Recalls/2016/cree-recalls-led-t8-lamps
Cree will continue to work with this customer and with CPSC to retrieve the recalled lamps and provide a refund. We have provided this customer with direct contact information for the Cree representatives assigned to this matter so that any further questions or concerns regarding the product may be addressed immediately by Cree.

CPSC report 20181222-A2537-2147383633. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Jan 9, 2018, sent to the company Apr 9, 2018, published by CPSC Apr 23, 2018

The product, in the report: BA19-08027omf-12DE26-1u_00 Cree bulb 2012

Cree bulb BA19-08027omf-12DE26-1u_00 was acting faulty flickering so I decided to change them when I try to unscrew it the glass came off so I said no biggie as I reached back at it I received a slight zap i did not know that the base was energized when reaching for it till I looked and see that it’s completely exposed I have a total of six that have came apart .

Model
BA19-08027omf-12DE26-1u_00
Bought from
Home depot
Bought
Jan 9, 2018, about then
Where
Alvin, Unspecified: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Age 39, Male
The reporter’s relation to them
Self
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(4/20/2018) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s LED bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed.
In connection with this response to Report #20180109-08BD1-2147393848 (the “Report”), our Customer Service Team contacted the consumer to understand the issue. The consumer confirmed that he had experienced a detachment of the exterior glass globe from the base of the bulb. The consumer confirmed that no one had been harmed or injured, but he wanted to ensure that people were aware of this potential issue. Our Customer Service Team apologized for the detachment issue, thanked him for bringing the issue to our attention, and replaced the consumer’s bulbs. The consumer seemed satisfied with this resolution.
When you are manufacturing millions of bulbs, there will be some production shortcomings. Cree monitors failure rates and customer return rates very closely, and we continue to believe we have one of the lowest product failure rates in the industry. To address the occasional failure, Cree designed the incident bulb described in the Report to fail safely, by including a transparent safety coating to enclose the glass globe of the bulb. The safety coating is engineered to keep the glass from shattering upon contact with a hard surface, thereby avoiding a laceration hazard to consumers. This bulb performed as designed in that it failed safely. We believe this safety coating on our glass globes is an important benefit, unlike a typical incandescent glass bulb or CFL glass bulb that does not have such a safety coating.
We want to encourage interaction, feedback, comments, questions and concerns with our customers, and we want to address issues promptly and directly so that they may be appropriately handled. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20180109-08BD1-2147393848. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Jun 13, 2017, sent to the company Jun 21, 2017, published by CPSC Jul 6, 2017

The product, in the report: Cree 65W Equivalent Soft White (2700K) BR30 Dimmable LED Light Bulb

Product: Cree 65W Equivalent Soft White (2700K) BR30 Dimmable LED Light Bulb
The light bulb exploded, popping the cover off the bulb and emitting smoke from the bulb. The LED element had burn marks on it.

Model
SBR30-06527FLFD-12DE26-1
Bought from
Home Depot, Georgia
Bought
Mar 1, 2017, about then
Where
Marietta, Georgia: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Unspecified
The reporter’s relation to them
Unspecified
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(7/6/2017) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s LED bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed.
In connection with this response to Report #20170613-716E4-2147399746 (the “Report”), our Customer Service Team contacted the consumer to understand the issue and to obtain the defective bulb. As a scientific matter, our LED bulbs cannot “explode”, but the incident description from the consumer means that we want to examine the defective bulb to understand whether we can determine the underlying cause of the product failure. As of the date of this Report, the defective bulb has not yet been returned, although the consumer has assured us it will be returned (via a pre-paid FedEx package that we provided to the consumer). We also provided the consumer with replacement bulbs to thank him for bringing this issue to our attention and for returning the defective bulb to us for further examination and testing. We will conduct further testing upon receipt of the bulb and take any appropriate action that may be warranted or advisable.
When you are manufacturing millions of bulbs, there will be some production shortcomings. Cree monitors failure rates and customer return rates very closely, and we continue to believe we have one of the lowest product failure rates in the industry.
We want to encourage interaction, feedback, comments, questions and concerns with our customers, and we want to address issues promptly and directly so that they may be appropriately handled. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20170613-716E4-2147399746. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
Not said
Made Oct 7, 2016, sent to the company Oct 18, 2016, published by CPSC Nov 1, 2016

The product, in the report: CREE LED Bulb

Bulb’s exterior globe, during normal use, came unglued and fell from lighting fixture in ceiling.

Model
BA19-08027OMF-12DE26-1U_00
Where
Denver, Colorado: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Unspecified
The reporter’s relation to them
Unspecified
As this report names them
Brand CREE, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Unspecified

The company’s comments, in its own words

(10/28/2016) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s LED bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed, and each Cree LED bulb with a glass globe (as described in the Report below) has a transparent safety coating that exceeds the safety standards specified by UL, and has undergone various UL accreditation procedures, including “drop” testing.
In connection with this response to Report #20161007-9C70E-2147412244 (the “Report”), our Customer Service Team contacted the consumer to understand the issue. The consumer confirmed that he had experienced a detachment of the exterior glass globe from the base of the bulb. The consumer confirmed that no one had been harmed or injured in any way, but he wanted to ensure that people were aware of this potential issue. Our Customer Service Team apologized for the issue, thanked him for bringing the issue to our attention, and replaced the consumer’s bulbs. After the consumer received the replacement bulbs, he thanked our Customer Service Team for our responsiveness and helpfulness.
When you are manufacturing millions of bulbs, there will be some production shortcomings. Cree monitors failure rates and customer return rates very closely, and we continue to believe we have one of the lowest product failure rates in the industry. To address the occasional failure, as discussed above, Cree has designed the incident bulb described in the Report to fail safely, by including a transparent safety coating to enclose the glass globe of the bulb. The safety coating is engineered to keep the glass from shattering upon contact with a hard surface, thereby avoiding a laceration hazard to consumers. This bulb performed as designed in that it failed safely. We believe this safety coating on our glass globes is an important benefit, unlike a typical incandescent glass bulb or CFL glass bulb that does not have such a safety coating.
We want to encourage interaction, feedback, comments, questions and concerns with our customers, and we want to address issues promptly and directly so that they may be appropriately handled. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20161007-9C70E-2147412244. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Aug 25, 2016, sent to the company Sep 2, 2016, published by CPSC Sep 19, 2016

The product, in the report: LED Light Bulb

My 3.5 year old child was getting ready to go to bed and went to unscrew a light bulb that was in his room by his bed. The bulb is an led light bulb so the bulb wasn’t too hot and when he went to go unscrew it the glass shattered. The glass is encompassed in some type of plastic, but it separated from the bulb exposing glass shards to his hands. Fortunately he wasn’t injured.

Model
BA19-0457OMF-12DE26-1U_00
Bought from
Home Depot
Where
Portland, Oregon: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Age 3, Male
The reporter’s relation to them
My Child
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(9/14/2016) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s LED bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed, and each Cree LED bulb with a glass globe (as described in the Report below) has a transparent safety coating that exceeds the safety standards specified by UL, and has undergone various UL accreditation procedures, including “drop” testing.
In connection with this response to Report #20160825-FF25D-2147414767 (the “Report”), we had our Customer Service Team research the matter. Unfortunately, we found that the consumer had previously lodged a complaint with Cree Customer Service (via email) about both “a buzzing sound while dimming our bulbs” and a glass globe detachment on August 3, 2016. Our Customer Service Team apologized to the consumer for both alleged problems, and resolved to ship the consumer replacement bulbs on that same date. However, because of a mix-up in our shipping department, the replacement bulbs were not shipped out in early August as we had promised the consumer. On August 25, 2016, the consumer sent another email to our Customer Service Team, this time only mentioning the glass globe detachment issue, and also informing our Customer Service Team that he was filing a Report of Harm with the CPSC. This Report #20160825-FF25D-2147414767 is that Report of Harm. Before we actually received this Report #20160825-FF25D-2147414767 on September 2, 2016, we had successfully shipped the replacement bulbs to the consumer, which our FedEx records show were delivered to the consumer on September 1, 2016. We have heard nothing further from the consumer, and assume the matter has been resolved to his satisfaction.
When you are manufacturing millions of bulbs, there will be some production shortcomings. Cree monitors failure rates and customer return rates very closely, and we continue to believe we have one of the lowest product failure rates in the industry. To address the occasional failure, as discussed above, Cree has designed the bulb to fail safely, by including the transparent safety coating described in the Report to enclose the glass globe of the bulb. The safety coating is engineered to keep the glass from shattering upon contact with a hard surface, thereby avoiding a laceration hazard to consumers. This bulb performed as designed in that it failed safely and the child was not injured due to the safety coating on the glass bulb. We believe this safety coating on our glass globes is an important benefit, unlike a typical incandescent glass bulb or CFL glass bulb that does not have such a safety coating.
We want to encourage interaction, feedback, comments, questions and concerns with our customers, and we want to address issues promptly and directly so that they may be appropriately handled. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20160825-FF25D-2147414767. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Jul 31, 2016, sent to the company Aug 8, 2016, published by CPSC Aug 22, 2016

The product, in the report: Model # BA21-16027OMF-12DE26-1U100 100W Equivalent http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cree-100W-Equivalent-Soft-White-2700K-A21-Dimmable-LED-Light-Bulb-BA21-16027OMF-12DE26-1U100/205054835 Soft White (2700K) A21 Dimmable LED Light Bulb

We purchased six 100W equivalent CREE LED soft white light bulbs from the Home Depot in May of 2013. One of them burned out and we replaced it thinking it was manufacturing error. When we took that one out, the glass bulb separated from the base.
Another three bulbs have failed recently, and when we rearranged the remaining bulbs, another two glass bulbs detached from their bases. That’s three out of seven. If our lighting fixtures were not positioned with the glass shade facing the ground, the detached glass casing could have come loose from the fixture and smashed from the ceiling onto the floor below. We find it hard to believe this is not a design or manufacturing flaw, and with the design of many light fixtures on the market, these light bulbs may be a hazard.

Model
BA21-16027OMF-12DE26-1U100
Bought from
Home Depot
Bought
May 1, 2013, about then
Where
San Diego, California: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Unknown
The reporter’s relation to them
Unspecified
As this report names them
Brand CREE, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(8/22/2016) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Since initially releasing its new line of high performance, low cost LED bulbs in March 2013, Cree has sold millions of Cree LED bulbs. Cree LED bulbs save 84% of the energy compared to typical incandescent bulbs, are designed to last 25 times longer, and come with an industry leading 10 year limited warranty. Cree’s LED bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed, and each Cree LED bulb with a glass globe (as described in the Report below) has a transparent safety coating that exceeds the safety standards specified by UL, and has undergone various UL accreditation procedures, including “drop” testing. In connection with this response to Report 20160731-FC56F-2147416439 (the “Report”), Cree is extremely limited in our ability to investigate and respond to the allegations in the Report because the consumer did not provide his or her information in the Report (so that our Customer Service Team could contact him/her to further investigate the matter and to offer replacement bulbs for the alleged failed bulbs). We have checked our Customer Service database of all calls received (because the consumer appears to have contacted Cree to ask for a refund), but we have been unable to determine which consumer made this Report. If the consumer wants to reach out to us on a non-anonymous basis, we would be happy to replace any failed bulbs. Moreover, while the Report purports to address failed 100 watt equivalent bulbs, because the consumer states that he or she purchased the bulbs in May 2013, if the purchase date is accurate, the bulbs at issue could not be 100 watt bulbs, because that product was not released for sale until early 2014. We had released our 60 watt and 40 watt bulbs in March 2013, so these alleged failed bulbs could only be 60 watt (or 40 watt bulbs) if purchased in May 2013. In addition, based on the description of the alleged failure – a glass globe detachment – that is similar to other alleged globe detachments with our 60 watt bulb product. When you are manufacturing millions of bulbs, there will be some production shortcomings. Cree monitors failure rates and customer return rates very closely, and we continue to believe we have one of the lowest product failure rates in the industry. To address the occasional failure, as discussed above, Cree has designed the bulb to fail safely, by including the transparent safety coating described above to enclose the glass globe of the bulb. The safety coating is engineered to keep the glass from shattering upon contact with a hard surface, thereby avoiding a laceration hazard to consumers. We believe this safety coating on our glass globes is an important benefit, unlike a typical incandescent glass bulb or CFL glass bulb that does not have such a safety coating. We want to encourage interaction, feedback, comments, questions and concerns with our customers, and we want to address issues promptly and directly so that they may be appropriately handled. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20160731-FC56F-2147416439. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Mar 23, 2016, sent to the company Mar 31, 2016, published by CPSC Apr 21, 2016

The product, in the report: LED 60 WATT LIGHT BULB

Cree 60 watt light LED light bulb outer shell exploded at base connection. No injuries but this is second (i.e. 2 out of 6 installed in summer of 2014) of these bulbs to explode. The first incident occurred last spring and I thought fluke and took it back to Home Depot which gave me a replacement bulb. Not interested in replacing it with another Cree bulb. The bulbs were/ are installed in vanity bathroom fixtures rated for 100 watt bulbs.

Bought from
Home Depot
Bought
Jul 10, 2014, about then
Where
Easton, Maryland: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Age 72, Female
The reporter’s relation to them
Self
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(4/14/2016) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Since releasing its new line of high performance, low cost LED bulbs in March 2013, Cree has sold millions of Cree LED bulbs. Cree LED bulbs save 84% of the energy compared to typical incandescent bulbs, are designed to last 25 times longer, and come with an industry leading 10 year limited warranty.
Cree’s LED bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. Cree takes this responsibility very seriously. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed, and each Cree LED bulb with a glass globe has a transparent safety coating that exceeds the safety standards specified by UL, and has undergone various UL accreditation procedures, including “drop” testing.
In connection with this response to Report #20160323-D602A-2147420727 (the “Report”), our Customer Service Team was able to reach the consumer that filed the Report by telephone and discussed the incident with her. Thankfully, no one was hurt in either globe detachment incident. We gave the consumer a full refund for the 6 bulbs that she had purchased, and she seemed pleased with our response.
Finally, by way of explanation, we also explained to the consumer that our bulbs cannot “explode”. While we understand from the Report that the consumer believes that the “bulb outer shell exploded at [the] base connection”, the physics and physical properties of the Cree LED bulb itself mean that the bulb cannot actually explode. In fact, the Cree LED bulb is designed to breathe (and is purposefully not airtight) so that there cannot be a pressure build-up in the physical structure of the glass globe of the bulb. Quite simply, the Cree LED bulb is not physically capable of exploding. That said, we presume that the sound the consumer heard with this bulb was in fact the glass globe of the bulb falling from the ceiling and hitting the floor (which would presumably cause a loud sound).

CPSC report 20160323-D602A-2147420727. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Nov 27, 2015, sent to the company Dec 7, 2015, published by CPSC Dec 29, 2015

The product, in the report: CREE Daylight LED 60 W replacement uses only 9 Watts. Brightness 800 lumens Omnidirectional Dimmable Energy Star creebulb.com Proof of purchase - 100480258

CREE Light Bulbs --- Especially the “Daylight LED 60 Watt” , but only uses 9 Watts --
The bulb has a tendency to separate from the body of the lamp itself (several of these have occurred over the past 2 years, and now continues)-- (drops from the ceiling), with leaves the LEDs and associated electronics exposed..., and if grabbed (while electrified), would probably cause an immediate electrical shock (the bulb does stay lit after the outer bulb drops). These bulbs were purchased at Home Depot. I have replaced my entire home with them (approx. 17 - 21), and had three spares (two now). I have called Cree twice in the past couple of years to report this (and they did replace those bulbs without further recourse or reservation)..., but now since it has happened a third time (it almost seems to work in clusters -- 6 to 9 bulbs have failed in the manner described), I think it might be best to notify the CPSC of this.... I will no longer call CREE as I believe their product is unsafe and now dangerous. Note: I have these bulbs also in my garage (which is colder in the wintertime), but it seems to make no difference whether it is in my home or the garage... they fail just the same... When one of two bulbs did fail in my garage it made direct falling contact with the cement which the glass shattered (apparently the bulb is coating with some kind of plastic coating which prevents the glass from dispersing in shatters, but can still cut the skin if improperly picked up) - which is the only saving grace I can say of these light bulbs). The bulb (to the body), seems to be attached with a type of silicone sealant of sorts. The outer shell of the bulb does get warm to hot (depending on ones definition of warm to hot)... I can not be the only one at this point that have problems with these bulbs. If I had any children I would be grossly concerned to the harm it would cause them if they touched the lit unprotected bulb, thankfully or un-thankfully I do not have any children.

Model
CREE Daylight LED 60W
UPC
1004802598
Bought from
Home Depot, Pennsylvania
Bought
Aug 1, 2013, about then
Where
Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Unspecified
The reporter’s relation to them
Self
As this report names them
Brand CREE, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(12/22/2015) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Since releasing its new line of high performance, low cost LED bulbs in March 2013, Cree has sold millions of Cree LED bulbs. Cree LED bulbs with the Cree Filament Tower™ Technology (which was used in our earlier generation of bulbs, which these incident bulbs appear to be) save 84% of the energy compared to typical incandescent bulbs, are designed to last 25 times longer, and come with an industry leading 10 year limited warranty.
Cree’s LED bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed, and each Cree LED bulb with a glass globe has a transparent safety coating that exceeds the safety standards specified by UL, and has undergone various UL accreditation procedures, including “drop” testing. And unlike compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), Cree LED bulbs are mercury free.
In connection with this response to Report 20151127-964B1-2147426321 (the “Report”), our Customer Service Team was able to reach the consumer that filed the Report by telephone and discussed the globe detachment incidents with him. As a result of this fact finding, it is the company’s understanding that in each instance in which the glass globe separated from the base of the bulb, no one was hurt. The incident bulbs failed safely in that the glass globe remained intact due to the safety coating around the glass globe.
So that we can investigate the consumer’s remaining bulbs, we have also offered to exchange and replace the consumer’s remaining bulbs, and the consumer appears satisfied with the resolution of this issue. Cree Customer Service will send the consumer some replacement bulbs in exchange for his current bulbs, and we will conduct further tests on the consumer’s bulbs when we receive them.
When you are manufacturing millions of bulbs, there will be some production shortcomings. Cree monitors failure rates and customer return rates very closely, and we continue to believe we have one of the lowest product failure rates in the industry. To address the occasional failure, as discussed above, Cree has designed the bulb to fail safely, by including the transparent safety coating described above to enclose the glass globe of the bulb. The safety coating is engineered to keep the glass from shattering upon contact with a hard surface, thereby avoiding a laceration hazard to consumers. We believe this safety coating on our glass globes is an important benefit, unlike a typical incandescent glass bulb or CFL glass bulb that does not have such a safety coating.
We want to encourage interaction, feedback, comments, questions and concerns with our customers, and we want to address issues promptly and directly so that they may be appropriately handled. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20151127-964B1-2147426321. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
Not said
Made Oct 18, 2015, sent to the company Oct 26, 2015, published by CPSC Nov 9, 2015

The product, in the report: CREE LED light bulb LEPD573A CREE (C) 2013

While relaxing one evening, we heard a sound as though something had fallen from the wall, very loud. A light in our kitchen ceiling had exploded.
My husband went to check what made the noise, and after determining it was a light bulb he then turned off the electric switch. After a few seconds, he started to pick up pieces of the light bulb to clean up, however, it was much too hot to handle.
Our concern is that this particular type of light bulb, a CREE LED, might explode when we aren’t around and create a fire.
I have contacted CREE and have sent pictures of the bulb to them to identify the type. Information for contact of representative:
[REDACTED] Customer Service Representative | Lighting - Racine [REDACTED] Office: 262.884.3387 | Mobile: | Fax: 262-504-5415 www.cree.com

Model
LEPD573A
Where
Enterprise, Utah: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Unspecified
The reporter’s relation to them
Unspecified
As this report names them
Brand CREE, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Unspecified

The company’s comments, in its own words

(11/9/2015) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Since releasing its new line of high performance, low cost LED bulbs in March 2013, Cree has sold millions of Cree LED bulbs. Cree LED bulbs save 84% of the energy compared to typical incandescent bulbs, are designed to last 25 times longer, and come with an industry leading 10 year limited warranty.
Cree’s LED bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. Cree takes this responsibility very seriously. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed, and each Cree LED bulb with a glass globe has a transparent safety coating that exceeds the safety standards specified by UL, and has undergone various UL accreditation procedures, including “drop” testing.
In connection with this response to Report #20151018-8E90B-2147427426 (the “Report”), our Customer Service Team was able to reach the consumer that filed the Report by telephone and discussed the incident with her. Thankfully, no one was hurt. The consumer was also kind enough to send us back the incident 100 watt equivalent LED bulb so that we could test it and try to re-create the alleged failure. The incident bulb appears to have failed in some way, in that the two levels of built-in “fail safe” features do not appear to have worked as designed, in that before the plastic inside the bulb reached a hot enough temperature to melt, the bulb should have first, cut back on the current delivered; and second, should have shut off power to the bulb. As of the date of this response to the Report (we have had the incident bulb less than a week), we have been unable to duplicate the failure this consumer experienced with the incident bulb with any other bulbs. We will continue to run additional tests and experiments to try to re-create this problem (after the date of this Report) so that we can understand what might have occurred here better and determine whether we have a defective product that requires a Section 15(b) report and corrective action.
Finally, by way of explanation, note that our bulbs cannot “explode”. While we understand from the Report that the consumer believes that “[a] light in our kitchen ceiling … exploded”, the physics and physical properties of the Cree LED bulb itself mean that the bulb cannot actually explode. In fact, the Cree LED bulb is designed to breathe (and is purposefully not airtight) so that there cannot be a pressure build-up in the physical structure of the bulb. Quite simply, the Cree LED bulb is not physically capable of exploding. That said, we presume that the sound the consumer heard with this bulb was in fact the glass globe of the bulb falling from the ceiling and hitting the floor (which would presumably cause a loud sound). Finally, we note that the Cree bulb is made out of non-flammable material, so a Cree LED bulb cannot “explode … and create a fire.” Such a result is simply not possible given the physical properties of the bulb and the materials of which it is made.
Cree Customer Service has sent the consumer some replacement bulbs, and it appears that the consumer is satisfied with Cree’s response and handling of her complaint. Our investigation will continue until we determine the root cause for this failure.

CPSC report 20151018-8E90B-2147427426. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Sep 13, 2015, sent to the company Sep 21, 2015, published by CPSC Oct 13, 2015

The product, in the report: 60 watt LED

An LED light bulb exploded. The base was so hot, we could not touch if after 15 minutes

Model
60 Watt
Bought from
home Depot
Bought
Sep 14, 2014, about then
Where
woodstock, Georgia: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Unspecified
The reporter’s relation to them
Unspecified
As this report names them
Brand CREE, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(10/2/2015) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Since releasing its new line of high performance, low cost LED bulbs in March 2013, Cree has sold millions of Cree LED bulbs. Cree LED bulbs save 84% of the energy compared to typical incandescent bulbs, are designed to last 25 times longer, and come with an industry leading 10 year limited warranty.
Cree’s LED bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. Cree takes this responsibility very seriously. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed, and each Cree LED bulb with a glass globe has a transparent safety coating that exceeds the safety standards specified by UL, and has undergone various UL accreditation procedures, including “drop” testing. And unlike compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), Cree LED bulbs are mercury free.
In connection with this response to Report 20150913-C9979-2147428463 (the “Report”), Cree is extremely limited in our ability to investigate and respond to the allegations in the Report because not only did the consumer not provide his or her information (so that our Customer Service Team could contact him/her to further investigate the matter), the consumer did not even provide a product number or UPC code number for the bulb, nor any picture of the alleged “exploded” bulb.
Frankly, based on the limited description of what is alleged to have occurred with the incident bulb, we think it is likely not a Cree bulb, and could be a counterfeit product. First, this is because if our LED bulbs are used properly, our bulbs cannot become “so hot that [it is impossible to] touch [if] (sic) after fifteen minutes.” In fact, the globe on our bulbs, while on, only become warm to the touch and can actually be held while on (unlike an incandescent bulb, which will quickly burn fingers upon more than a brief touch). Similarly, the base of the bulb cannot become that hot when used in a properly wired light fixture. Second, our bulbs cannot “explode”. While we understand from the report that the consumer believes that the bulb “exploded”, the physics and physical properties of the Cree LED bulb itself mean that the bulb cannot actually explode. In fact, the Cree LED bulb is designed to breathe (and is purposefully not airtight) so that there cannot be a pressure build-up in the physical structure of the bulb. Quite simply, the Cree LED bulb is not physically capable of exploding.
We want to encourage interaction, feedback, comments, questions and concerns with our customers, and we want to address issues promptly and directly so that they may be appropriately handled. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20150913-C9979-2147428463. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Jul 27, 2015, sent to the company Aug 5, 2015, published by CPSC Aug 19, 2015

The product, in the report: 9.5w, 800 lumens, 2700k, LED Bulb

We installed the Cree LED light bulb in our bathroom fixture for over a year. A few days ago, the glass cover of the bulb fell off from the main body of the bulb almost hitting my wife who was 2 feet away. The glass had a rubberized coating which thankfully did not shatter. Upon further inspection of the bulb, I found the bulb to be hot which melted of the glue or bonding agent that kept the glass cover to the main body. Pictures can be provided.

Model
Model # BA19-08027OMF-12DE26-1U_00
Bought from
Home Depot
Bought
Jul 1, 2014, about then
Where
Oregon: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Age 33, Female
The reporter’s relation to them
My Spouse
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(8/19/2015) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Since releasing its new line of high performance, low cost LED bulbs in March 2013, Cree has sold millions of Cree LED bulbs.
Cree’s LED bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed. Each Cree LED bulb has a transparent safety coating that exceeds the safety standards specified by UL, and has undergone various UL accreditation procedures, including “drop” testing. And unlike compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), Cree LED bulbs are mercury free.
In connection with this response to Report #20150716-99DA2-2147430242 (the “Report”), our Customer Service Team has reached out to the consumer a number of times (via telephone and email), but we have been unable to connect with the consumer thus far. As a result, Cree is somewhat limited in terms of being able to investigate the claim further as of the date of filing this Response. Based on the Report, we are pleased to know that our safety coating worked as intended, in that the bulb failed safely, the bulb did not shatter and that no one was hurt. Should we be able to reach the consumer directly in the future, we intend to obtain the bulb for further inspection and investigation, and will send the consumer some replacement bulbs.
When you are manufacturing millions of bulbs, there will be some production failures. Cree monitors failure rates and customer return rates very closely, and we continue to believe we have one of the lowest product failure rates in the industry. Cree stands behind its products and its warranty, and has since replaced the incident bulbs.
We want to encourage interaction, feedback, comments, questions and concerns with our customers, and we want to address issues promptly and directly so that they may be appropriately handled. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20150716-99DA2-2147430242. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
Not said
Made Jun 21, 2015, sent to the company Jun 29, 2015, published by CPSC Jul 14, 2015

The product, in the report: Cree LED Warm White 60W Equivalent BA19-08027OMF-12DE26-1U_00

Cree LED bulb BA19-08027OMF-12DE26-1U_00
Glass bulb dome seperated from base leaving exposed electrical components.

Model
BA19-08027OMF-12DE26-1U_00
Bought from
Home Depot, Alberta
Where
Canada: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Unspecified
The reporter’s relation to them
Unspecified
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Unspecified

The company’s comments, in its own words

(7/13/2015) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Since releasing its new line of high performance, low cost LED bulbs in March 2013, Cree has sold millions of Cree LED bulbs. Cree’s LED bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed. Each Cree LED bulb has a transparent safety coating that exceeds the safety standards specified by UL, and has undergone various UL accreditation procedures, including “drop” testing. And unlike compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), Cree LED bulbs are mercury free.
In connection with this response to Report#20150621-A900E-2147430909 (the “Report”), our Customer Service Team was able to reach the consumer that filed the Report by telephone and discussed the incident with him. As a result of its fact finding, it is the company’s understanding that the glass globe separated from the base of the bulb. No one was hurt. Cree Customer Service sent the consumer some replacement bulbs.
When you are manufacturing millions of bulbs, there will be some production failures. Cree monitors failure rates and customer return rates very closely, and we continue to believe we have one of the lowest product failure rates in the industry. Cree stands behind its products and its warranty, and has since replaced the incident bulbs.
We want to encourage interaction, feedback, comments, questions and concerns with our customers, and we want to address issues promptly and directly so that they may be appropriately handled. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20150621-A900E-2147430909. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made May 23, 2015, sent to the company Jun 2, 2015, published by CPSC Jun 23, 2015

The product, in the report: CREE LED Light Bulbs that were just recently discontinued by CREE and put on clearance by Home Depot. Bulbs are of varying lumen and kelvin. The models with the loose/missing domes: BA19-04527OMF-12DE26-1U_00 (three are this same model number) BA19-08050OMF-12DE26-1U_00 (one bulb) The models that are wiggling apart at the base: BA19-04527OMF-12DE26-2U_00 BA19-08027OMF-12DE26-2U_00

I have purchased multiple CREE LED Light Bulbs from Home Depot in last 3 years. Over those years I have purchased about 10 CREE branded bulbs and of those 10 I have had 4 fall apart. The top dome of the bulb falls off the base exposing the LED array ‘filament’. This leads to an electrical shock issue and an overall safety hazard as the top dome of the bulb is a form of glass. One of the bulbs fell to the ground and cracked into pieces. Luckily, I caught the broken glass before one of my dogs ingested it. Since I rarely entered the room the bulb was in, I didn’t notice it until I looked in the reflection of an item on the table and noticed the inside was exposed.
I have 4 other bulbs where the sealant on the dome has started to fail and are ready to come apart. I returned the first two bulbs to the Home Depot for an exchange but I still have the most recent two that fell apart. I believe this is a hazard to any living person or animal due to the shock and overall safety hazard of broken glass when gone unnoticed by the user.
I tweeted Cree on Twitter and brought the issue to their attention on there, where I was told I could exchange the bulbs at my local Home Depot. This was just over a year ago when the first two fell apart.
The first incident happened in April 2014. The second incident happened today (May 23, 2015).

UPC
813959019326
Bought from
The Home Depot, California
Bought
May 8, 2013, about then
Where
Rancho Cucamonga, California: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Unspecified
The reporter’s relation to them
Unspecified
As this report names them
Brand CREE, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(6/15/2015) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Since releasing its new line of high performance, low cost LED bulbs in March 2013, Cree has sold millions of Cree LED bulbs. Cree LED bulbs with the Cree Filament Tower™ Technology (which was used in our earlier generation of bulbs) save 84% of the energy compared to typical incandescent bulbs, are designed to last 25 times longer, and come with an industry leading 10 year limited warranty.
Cree’s LED bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. Cree takes this responsibility very seriously. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed. Each Cree LED bulb has a transparent safety coating that exceeds the safety standards specified by UL, and has undergone various UL accreditation procedures, including “drop” testing. And unlike compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), Cree LED bulbs are mercury free.
In connection with this response to Report #20150523-FE5B8-2147432682 (the “Report”), our Customer Service Team was able to reach the consumer that filed the Report by email and discussed the incident with her over email. We have offered to replace the four bulbs that the consumer claims have had globe separation, as well as the two bulbs which the consumer has claimed are starting to separate, and the consumer appears pleased with the resolution of this issue.
When you are manufacturing millions of bulbs, there will be some production shortcomings. Cree monitors failure rates and customer return rates very closely, and we continue to believe we have one of the lowest product failure rates in the industry. To address the occasional failure, Cree has designed the bulb to fail safely, by including the transparent safety coating described above to enclose the glass globe of the bulb. The safety coating is engineered to keep the glass from shattering upon contact with a hard surface, thereby avoiding a laceration hazard to consumers. We believe this safety coating on our glass globes is an important benefit, unlike a typical incandescent glass bulb or CFL glass bulb that does not have such a safety coating.
We want to encourage interaction, feedback, comments, questions and concerns with our customers, and we want to address issues promptly and directly so that they may be appropriately handled. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20150523-FE5B8-2147432682. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
Not said
Made Apr 12, 2015, sent to the company Apr 20, 2015, published by CPSC May 11, 2015

The product, in the report: Cree led bulb purchased at Home Depot

While my 13 year old grand daughter was watching tv she heard a loud pop and the power in the room went out. On investigation we found the cree led light bulb in our ceiling fan had exploded. On further investigation we found another bulb that has a crack around the connection to the socket that looks as though it was going to go soon as well.

Bought from
Home Depot
Bought
Dec 1, 2014, about then
Where
federal way, Washington: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Unspecified
The reporter’s relation to them
Unspecified
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Unspecified

The company’s comments, in its own words

(6/18/2015) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Since releasing its new line of high performance, low cost LED bulbs in March 2013, Cree has sold millions of Cree LED bulbs. Cree’s LED bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed. Each Cree LED bulb has a transparent safety coating that exceeds the safety standards specified by UL, and has undergone various UL accreditation procedures, including “drop” testing.
In connection with this response to Report#20150412-8D217-2147433789 (the “Report”), our Customer Service Team was able to reach the consumer that filed the Report by telephone and discussed the incident with her. As a result of its fact finding, it is the company’s understanding that the glass globe separated from the base of the bulb and fell to the floor. It failed safely in that it remained intact due to the safety coating around the globe. No one was hurt. The consumer disposed of the bulb so we were unable to recover the incident bulb for further inspection. Cree Customer Service nonetheless sent the consumer some replacement bulbs.
When you are manufacturing millions of bulbs, there will be some production failures. Cree monitors failure rates and customer return rates very closely, and we continue to believe we have one of the lowest product failure rates in the industry. It appears that the globe detached from the base of the bulb in this instance. Cree stands behind its products and its warranty, and has since replaced the incident bulbs.
We want to encourage interaction, feedback, comments, questions and concerns with our customers, and we want to address issues promptly and directly so that they may be appropriately handled. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20150412-8D217-2147433789. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Jan 26, 2015, sent to the company Feb 3, 2015, published by CPSC Feb 26, 2015

The product, in the report: Cree 13.5W LED Bulb

I have had a Cree 13.5 watt light bulb on my daughters night stand in a lamp for over a year. I was reading her a book this evening and noticed the light was smoking. Upon further inspection I realized the bottom of the bulb had caught fire. This was of immediate concern and extreme worry to me.

Bought from
Home Depot, Washington
Bought
Jun 1, 2014
Where
Seattle, Washington: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Unknown
The reporter’s relation to them
Self
As this report names them
Brand CREE, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(2/18/2015) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Since releasing our low cost LED bulbs in March 2013, Cree has sold millions of Cree LED bulbs. Our Cree LED bulbs save up to 84% of the energy compared to typical incandescent bulbs, are designed to last 25 times longer, and come with an industry leading 10 year limited warranty.
Cree’s LED bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. Cree takes this responsibility very seriously. For example, the Cree LED bulb is UL listed. And unlike compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), Cree LED bulbs are mercury free. When you are manufacturing millions of bulbs, there will be some production failures. Cree monitors failure rates and customer return rates very closely, and we continue to believe we have one of the lowest product failure rates in the industry. We also carefully review known product failures to try to improve product reliability.
In connection with this Report, we have been able to speak with the consumer that filed the Report. The consumer has been very gracious with his time to try to help us understand the root cause of the bulb failure, and has now sent us the bulb and the lamp for further inspection and root cause analysis. Unfortunately, as of the date that our response to this Report is due, our engineering team has not yet received the bulb and lamp. We will promptly inspect the bulb and the lamp in the next few days and try to determine the root cause of the event. In the meantime, we have replaced the consumer’s bulb, and the consumer appears to be satisfied with our response to his concern and issue.
Based on the one picture of the bulb we have seen and the conversations with the consumer, it appears that an electrical arc has occurred between the neutral wire of the bulb and the Edison shell. In the (unlikely) event that this did occur, it is possible for a small quantity of smoke to emit from the bulb, and a charring to appear in the immediate vicinity of the location of the arc. It is very difficult to understand how the bulb itself could have caught fire in this scenario, but we will examine the bulb and the lamp when we receive them. As with any product failure, we will perform root cause analysis and work to take steps in order to improve product reliability. At this point, we cannot definitively say if the bulb or the lamp was the cause of the event.
We want to encourage interaction, feedback, comments, questions and concerns with our customers, and we want to address issues promptly and directly so that they may be appropriately handled. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20150126-9CB2D-2147436089. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Jan 19, 2015, sent to the company Jan 28, 2015, published by CPSC Feb 11, 2015

The product, in the report: Cree 120 V LED light bulb hard to read bulb as it is blurry from the fire. 120E26-1U_00

Light base melted and blew apart in fixture. Cree 120E26-1I-00 LED light bulb 2014 2330248. Started a fire with the lamp shade, melted the base of the lamp fixture as the issue was in the base of the bulb. Luckily nobody was hurt and the fire was put out. this happened immediately after turning the table lamp on. it started buzzing and then blew.

Model
Cree LED light bulb 120E26-1I-00
Bought from
Home depot, California
Bought
Sep 1, 2014
Where
Mammoth Lakes, California: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Male
The reporter’s relation to them
My Client, Patient, Student, Etc. (professional relationship)
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(2/11/2015) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Since releasing our low cost LED bulbs in March 2013, Cree has sold millions of Cree LED bulbs. Our Cree LED bulbs save up to 84% of the energy compared to typical incandescent bulbs, are designed to last 25 times longer, and come with an industry leading 10 year limited warranty.
Cree’s LED bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. Cree takes this responsibility very seriously. For example, the Cree LED bulb is UL listed. And unlike compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), Cree LED bulbs are mercury free. When you are manufacturing millions of bulbs, there will be some production failures. Cree monitors failure rates and customer return rates very closely, and we continue to believe we have one of the lowest product failure rates in the industry. In connection with this Report, we have been unable to speak with the Condo Association Property Manager that filed the Report, but we have been able to speak with the customer that purchased the bulb, and the customer has been kind enough to forward us multiple pictures of the bulb and the lamp (some of which pictures were posted by the Condo Association Property Manager with the filed Report). Based on these pictures, it is clear that the bulb did not “blow apart”, as claimed in the Report. In fact, the bulb is still largely intact (the globe is still on the bulb, although blackened). Because we have been unable to obtain the lamp or the bulb itself from the Condo Association Property Manager, however, we are left to form our hypothesis of what happened based on the pictures and correspondence with the customer.
Based on the review by our engineers of all of the data we have at this time, we believe that the most likely cause for this incident is a short between the line and neutral contacts on the Edison shell of the lamp, which then caused an electrical arc. From the pictures we have reviewed, there is a heavy carbon-like coating on the exterior of the bulb. If the bulb were to have actually been at fault, we should have seen physical damage to the bulb, and not the black coating on the bulb. Ideally, if we had the bulb and the lamp, we would be able to verify that the cause of the fire initiated within the socket of the lamp.
We want to encourage interaction, feedback, comments, questions and concerns with our customers, and we want to address issues promptly and directly so that they may be appropriately handled. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20150119-5B543-2147436303. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
Not said
Made Jun 28, 2014, sent to the company Jul 9, 2014, published by CPSC Jul 23, 2014

The product, in the report: Cree LED Light Bulb 2700 K warm white 60 watt equivalent

The product is the Cree 2700k 800 lumen warm white LED light bulb. We installed it in a ceiling light fixture Sept 2013. In June 2014 it suddenly exploded and the glass bulb fell from the ceiling. The lightbulb had been on for a few hours and the light itself contined to work after the explosion, the part that broke away was the glass bulb/enclosure. We have confirmed the light fixture is rated for this bulb (60 watt equivalent) so the problem is not an incompatible light fixture. We also found other reports/reviews of these bulbs exploding online so we feel you should know about this happening to us. Please let me know if you would like pictures.

Bought from
Home Depot
Bought
Sep 1, 2013, about then
Where
Brooklyn, New York: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Unspecified
The reporter’s relation to them
Unspecified
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Unspecified

The company’s comments, in its own words

(7/23/2014) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Since releasing its new line of high performance, low cost LED bulbs in March 2013, Cree has sold millions of Cree LED bulbs – we believe more than any other LED bulb in America. Cree LED bulbs with the Cree Filament Tower™ Technology save 84% of the energy compared to typical incandescent bulbs, are designed to last 25 times longer, and come with an industry leading 10 year limited warranty.
Cree’s LED bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. Cree takes this responsibility very seriously. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed, and each Cree LED bulb has a transparent safety coating that exceeds the safety standards specified by UL, and has undergone various UL accreditation procedures, including “drop” testing. And unlike compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), Cree LED bulbs are mercury free.
When you are manufacturing millions of bulbs, there will be some production failures. Cree monitors failure rates and customer return rates very closely, and we continue to believe we have one of the lowest product failure rates in the industry. To address the occasional failure, Cree has designed the bulb to fail safely, by including the transparent safety coating described above to enclose the glass globe of the bulb. The safety coating is engineered to keep the glass from shattering upon contact with a hard surface, thereby avoiding a laceration hazard to consumers.
As of the date of filing of this response, we have been unable to connect with the consumer that filed the report, but we will continue to endeavor to do so, both to replace the incident bulb for the consumer, but also to obtain the incident bulb for further inspection. As for the incident bulb itself, while we understand from the report that the consumer believes that the bulb “exploded”, the physics and physical properties of the Cree LED bulb itself mean that the bulb cannot actually explode. In fact, the Cree LED bulb is designed to breathe (and is purposefully not airtight) so that there cannot be a pressure build-up in the physical structure of the bulb. We assume that what the consumer did hear was either (a) a “popping” or similar sound from the moment when the globe detached from the base of the bulb or (b) the sound of the glass globe hitting the floor. Quite simply, this kind of bulb is not physically capable of exploding.
We want to encourage interaction, feedback, comments, questions and concerns with our customers, and we want to address issues promptly and directly so that they may be appropriately handled. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20140628-D189B-2147443303. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Jun 6, 2014, sent to the company Jun 18, 2014, published by CPSC Jul 2, 2014

The product, in the report: LED lamp, medium base, 120 volts

This is regarding Cree brand LED lamp model number BA19-110270MF-12DE25-1U100 (may apply to other models as well), sold exclusively by Home Depot. The lamps have an outer glass shell, similar to the glass envelope on ordinary incandescent lamps. The problem is that the glass shell is not adequately affixed to the lamp, and can spontaneously separate when the lamp is warm from use. Aside from any danger caused by falling glass, this also exposes the internal electrical connections to contact by the consumer (and this is a line-powered device). This has happened to three of the six lamps I own. I believe that this is a serious product safety hazard, and that the lamps should be recalled.

Model
BA19-110270MF-12DE26-1U100
UPC
810048026494
Serial number
N/A
Bought from
Home Depot
Bought
May 1, 2014, about then
Where
Arlington, Virginia: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Age 61, Male
The reporter’s relation to them
Self
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(7/2/2014) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Since releasing its new line of high performance, low cost LED bulbs in March 2013, Cree has sold millions of Cree LED bulbs – we believe more than any other LED bulb. The Cree LED bulb has the unique attribute of looking and operating like an incandescent light source. Cree LED bulbs with the Cree Filament Tower™ Technology save 84% of the energy compared to typical incandescent bulbs, are designed to last 25 times longer, and come with an industry leading 10 year limited warranty.
Cree’s LED bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. Cree takes this responsibility very seriously. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed, and each Cree LED bulb has a transparent safety coating that exceeds the safety standards specified by UL, and has undergone various UL accreditation procedures, including “drop” testing. Unlike compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), Cree LED bulbs are mercury free.
When you are manufacturing millions of bulbs, there will be some production failures. Cree monitors failure rates and customer return rates very closely, and we believe we have one of the lowest product failure rates in the industry. To address the occasional failure, Cree has designed the bulb to fail safely, by including the transparent safety coating described above to enclose the glass globe of the bulb. The safety coating is engineered to keep the glass from shattering upon contact with a hard surface, thereby avoiding a laceration hazard to consumers.
Unfortunately, it appears that this consumer received some bulbs that did not meet our high production and quality standards, and perhaps even worse, it seems that his initial customer service experience (with non-Cree personnel) was unacceptable as well. We have since been in direct contact with the consumer, and the consumer now appears happy with Cree’s customer service response and Cree’s LED bulbs. While we have replaced the incident bulbs for the consumer, we cannot conduct our own investigation of the incident bulbs (manufacturing date, etc.) because the CPSC has possession of the incident bulbs.
We want to encourage interaction, feedback, comments, questions and concerns with our customers, and we want to address issues promptly and directly so that they may be appropriately handled. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20140605-B3CD2-2147443946. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made May 21, 2014, sent to the company Jun 2, 2014, published by CPSC Jun 16, 2014

The product, in the report: CREE LED bulb: 9W/120V/60HZ/15ma/500K/800 lumens

The light switch had previously been turned “on” but no one was in the (laundry) room. When entering the room I saw the fixture lying on the floor together with the bulb casing and fragments of the fixture. The casing surrounding the filament had fallen off, the filament was still screwed into the bulb socket and was lit.

Bought from
Home Depot, Virginia
Bought
May 1, 2013, about then
Where
Richmond, Virginia: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Age 90, Male
The reporter’s relation to them
Self
As this report names them
Brand CREE, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(6/16/2014) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Toward that goal, in March 2013 Cree released a new line of high performance, low cost LED bulbs that have the unique attribute of looking and operating like an incandescent light source. Cree LED bulbs with the Cree Filament Tower™ Technology save 84% of the energy compared to typical incandescent bulbs, are designed to last 25 times longer, and come with an industry leading 10 year limited warranty.
These bulbs have been designed and tested for safety because consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology, and Cree takes this responsibility very seriously. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed, and each Cree LED bulb has a transparent safety coating that exceeds the safety standards specified by UL, and has undergone various UL accreditation procedures, including “drop” testing. Unlike compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), Cree LED bulbs are mercury free.
Immediately after hearing about this incident through the SaferProducts.gov database report to Cree on June 2, 2014, Cree reached out to the consumer to replace the damaged bulb. We were happy to learn from our conversation with the consumer that the protective safety coating on the bulb appears to have worked as designed and prevented the glass globe from shattering upon impact with the laundry room floor. We offered to replace the bulb, but the consumer informed us that he had already returned the bulb to our retailer partner for a free replacement.
Cree encourages feedback, questions and concerns from its customers. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20140521-DA6AB-2147444346. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
Not said
Made Jan 17, 2014, sent to the company Jan 28, 2014, published by CPSC Feb 20, 2014

The product, in the report: 9 watt daylight CREE LED light bulb

on 1/13/2014 about 8:40 pm I was watching tv. I heard a bang and then a crash from the kitchen. I looked around and then noticed under the toe kick of the cabinet a frosted plastic coated bulb cover. I looked up anr in a cieling fixture the cree bulb had exploded and the cover crashe to the floor. The light was still working. I turned off the light and replaced the bulb. The bulb was about 9 months old along with the others in the cieling lights. There was no reason for it to explode unless it had a defect of some kind. I emailed Cree, and CPSC, Home Depot where I got the bulb.
I gooled Cree exploding bulbs and found others had the problem too. It is 1/17/2014 and no word from CREE.

Model
none
Serial number
none
Bought from
Home Depot
Bought
Feb 24, 2013
Where
cary, North Carolina: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Unspecified
The reporter’s relation to them
Unspecified
As this report names them
Brand CREE, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
Reports CPSC links to it
20140115-42EB1-1381234, 20140116-1BFED-2147448103
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Unspecified

The company’s comments, in its own words

(2/11/2014) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Toward that goal, in March 2013 Cree released a new line of high performance, low cost LED bulbs that have the unique attribute of looking and operating like an incandescent light source. Cree LED bulbs with the Cree Filament Tower™ Technology save 84% of the energy compared to typical incandescent bulbs, are designed to last 25 times longer, and come with an industry leading 10 year limited warranty.
Consumer safety is fundamental to achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology, and Cree takes this responsibility very seriously. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed, and each Cree LED bulb has a transparent safety coating that exceeds the safety standards specified by UL.
We were disappointed to learn that this consumer had a negative experience with our bulb, and then (initially) with our customer service response process. We have since been in regular contact with the consumer, and believe we have satisfactorily resolved his issue with his failed bulb – he quickly went out and purchased more Cree bulbs! Unfortunately, the consumer’s first contact with Cree did not receive the rapid response he deserves because his initial contact was through the email address for Cree’s LED components business, not our consumer products business. This was not the consumer’s fault. In fact, this situation has highlighted a gap in our own routing of customer service requests between our different businesses, and as a result, we have taken steps internally to address and correct this gap in our customer service process. We can now report that when we put the consumer in contact with the customer service team for Cree LED bulbs, our customer service representative immediately shipped a free shipping label to return the failed bulb and a replacement bulb.
As for the incident bulb itself, based on our subsequent discussions with the consumer and the physics and physical properties of the bulb itself, we have determined that the bulb in question did not “explode.” This kind of bulb is not physically capable of exploding. Rather, it appears that the glass globe detached from the base of the bulb (the bulb was in a downward facing kitchen can light fixture) and the globe fell to the kitchen floor. The protective safety coating on the bulb prevented the glass globe from shattering upon impact with the kitchen floor. The consumer then turned off the light, removed it from the fixture and has subsequently returned the bulb to us for replacement.
Cree encourages feedback, questions and concerns from its customers. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.creebulb.com or www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20140117-2660F-2147448082. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Oct 17, 2013, sent to the company Oct 25, 2013, published by CPSC Nov 18, 2013

The product, in the report: Cree brand LED Light Bulb

I removed a functioning standard light bulb from my table lamp. I installed a Cree brand “warm white LED 60W replacement” bulb purchased at Home Depot. I turned the knob on the lamp to turn on the bulb. Immediately, there was a pop and hissing noise as the bulb flashed on then off and smoke and flames rose around the bulb. The computer, which was plugged into the same surge protector, immediately shut off. I immediately turned the knob on the lamp “off”, unplugged the lamp and took it outside. The room was filled with a stench of burned rubber or plastic. I pressed the reset button on the surge protector and restarted the computer, which appeared to function properly. After a few minutes, I removed the Cree bulb from the table lamp and noticed that the contacts of the lamp were sooty and melted and the base of the bulb had smoke residue stains. I put the original functioning bulb in the lamp and turned the knob. The lamp no longer worked. I put the Cree bulb back into the damaged lamp and stored the lamp and bulb.

Model
“warm white LED 60W replacement”
UPC
813959019319
Bought from
Home Depot
Bought
Oct 6, 2013
Where
Webster, New York: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Unknown
The reporter’s relation to them
Self
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(11/7/2013) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Toward that goal, in March 2013 Cree released a new line of high performance, low cost LED bulbs that have the unique attribute of looking and operating like an incandescent light source. Cree LED bulbs with the Cree Filament Tower™ Technology save 84% of the energy compared to typical incandescent bulbs, are designed to last 25 times longer, and come with an industry leading 10 year limited warranty.
Consumer safety is fundamental in achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology, and Cree takes this responsibility very seriously. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed.
Shortly after hearing from the consumer (through the SaferProducts.gov database report sent to Cree on October 25, 2013), Cree reached out to the consumer to understand the incident described in the report. Cree promptly replaced the consumer’s bulb. Cree also was able to obtain the table lamp in question, as well as the bulb that was in the table lamp when the reported incident occurred. Although we have only had the table lamp and incident bulb for a short time prior to filing this response, after examination of the table lamp and bulb, Cree is highly confident that the issue reported was not due to the bulb, but rather, appears to be due to a malfunction in the table lamp socket. In fact, the bulb used in the table lamp at the time of the reported incident (and returned to Cree by the customer) actually still works.
Cree encourages feedback, questions and concerns from its customers. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.cree.com or www.creebulb.com.

CPSC report 20131017-DF15F-2147450812. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No one hurt
Made Sep 3, 2013, sent to the company Sep 10, 2013, published by CPSC Sep 24, 2013

The product, in the report: LED Bulb cree Model # BA19-08027OMF-12DE26-1U110 Home Depot Store SKU # 1000003071

The glass bulb unglued and internal contacts were exposed. These were not isolated from power line when measured with ohm meter.

Model
BA19-08027OMF-12DE26-1U110
Bought from
Home Depot
Bought
Aug 1, 2013, about then
Where
Unspecified: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Age 50, Male
The reporter’s relation to them
Self
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(9/20/2013) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Toward that goal, in March 2013 Cree released a new line of high performance, low cost LED bulbs that have the unique attribute of looking and operating like an incandescent light source. Cree LED bulbs with the Cree Filament Tower™ Technology save 84% of the energy compared to typical incandescent bulbs, are designed to last 25 times longer, and come with an industry leading 10 year limited warranty.
Consumer safety is fundamental in achieving Cree’s goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology, and Cree takes this responsibility very seriously. The Cree LED bulb is UL listed.
Shortly after hearing from the consumer (through the SaferProducts.gov database report to Cree on September 10, 2013), Cree reached out to the consumer to replace the damaged bulb. Even though the consumer stated that he had “repaired” the bulb, we do not want our customers using damaged products, and so we replaced the damaged bulb. As of the date of this report, we have not been able to receive and inspect the damaged bulb from the consumer. Cree encourages feedback from its customers by putting its toll free telephone number and website address on all its packaging. We also want to stress (as we make clear on the bulb’s packaging) that consumers should NOT use the bulb if the outer glass (the globe) is cracked or broken, even if the lamp continues to light (which it often will, even if the globe is broken). Rather, the bulb should be turned off, removed and (assuming normal consumer use) returned for a refund or replacement in accordance with the instructions on the packaging.
As mentioned above, Cree welcomes questions and concerns regarding our products. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20130903-0DC20-2147452437. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
First aid
Made Jul 21, 2013, sent to the company Jul 29, 2013, published by CPSC Aug 19, 2013

The product, in the report: Cree LED light bulb, sold exclusive at The Home Depot. I have both 60W Warm White and 40W Warm White. Not sure which one it was that exploded.

Had installed a bunch of Cree LED lightbulbs - 60W warm white and 40W warm white. While my daughter, 5, was in the bathroom, a lightbulb exploded.

Model
Cree 60W or 40W Warm White (Home Depot Exclusive)
Bought from
Home Depot
Bought
Jun 1, 2013
Where
Los Angeles, California: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Age 43, Male
The reporter’s relation to them
Self
As this report names them
Brand Cree, made or sold by Cree, Inc.
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Injury, First Aid Received by Non-Medical Professional

The company’s comments, in its own words

(8/12/2013) Cree, Inc.: Cree’s mission is to obsolete energy wasting light bulbs and drive 100% adoption of LED lighting. Toward that goal, on March 5, 2013, Cree released a new line of high performance, low cost LED bulbs that have the unique attribute of looking and operating like an incandescent light source.
The new Cree LED bulb showcases innovations across LED chips and components, optics technology, power conversion, thermal management systems and overall bulb design. The Cree LED bulb represents a breakthrough in LED bulb design and performance. Cree LED bulbs with the Cree Filament Tower™ Technology save 84% of the energy compared to typical incandescent bulbs, are designed to last 25 times longer and come with an industry leading 10 year limited warranty.
These bulbs have been designed and tested for safety. The Cree LED bulb is UL Listed. Each Cree LED bulb has a transparent safety coating that exceeds the safety standards specified by UL and has undergone various UL accreditation procedures, including “drop” testing. Unlike compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), Cree LED bulbs are mercury free.
Consumer safety is fundamental in achieving Cree’s (and the industry’s) goal of full consumer conversion to LED technology. Cree takes this responsibility very seriously. Less than 24 hours after hearing from this consumer, Cree was in direct contact with the consumer (Cree was notified of the incident at the same time as the CPSC). Based on our subsequent discussions with the consumer, we have concluded that the bulb in question did not “explode.” Rather, the consumer has told us that he believes that the glass globe detached from the base of the bulb, fell to the bathroom counter, and then bounced to the bathroom floor where it broke. Notably, the protective safety coating on the bulb prevented the glass globe from shattering, although a few small shards of glass did break off at the base of the globe. Unfortunately, a shard of glass entered the father’s foot (the daughter was unharmed), but this was resolved without the need for medical attention and was the only reported injury for this case. The consumer’s purchase has been refunded, but he has not returned the incident bulb to us for inspection because the CPSC instructed him to retain the incident bulb for 30 days. Therefore our further investigation into this matter is currently delayed until we can inspect the incident bulb.
Cree welcomes questions and concerns regarding our products. Consumers can reach our customer service department at 1-866-924-3645 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please also visit our website at www.cree.com.

CPSC report 20130721-32BFA-2147453960. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov

CPSC’s disclaimer

Disclaimer: CPSC does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of the Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database on SaferProducts.gov, particularly with respect to information submitted by people outside of CPSC.

Word for word, from the disclaimer in CPSC’s export.

Sources

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, SaferProducts.gov public database export.

Released Nov 4, 2026 and checked Nov 4, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.

Reports of harm are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), on SaferProducts.gov. CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record.

Cree light bulbs

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