This Snowblower is Being Recalled Because You Could Lose a Body Part
The below zero temperatures and snow is bad enough having to deal with but losing a body part takes winter weather warning to another extreme.
The U.S. Consumer Product & Safety Commission has released information on a nationwide recall of a snowblower that carries the hazard of amputation. The brand Toro recalled their 2021 Power Max 826 OHAE Snowthrowers and are advising people to stop using the snow blower.
The snowblower was sold across the country at Home Depot, Ace Hardware, and Toro Authorized Dealers nationwide and online from November 2020 through January 2021 for about $1,200.
Toro "received five reports of incidents related to auger failing to disengage when the control lever is released." An auger is basically like a twist drill which is what actually picks up the snow. When it "fails to disengage" it keeps spinning which hence could cause injury such as amputation. Thankfully, that hasn't been the case yet, which is why the company has issued the recall, to prevent this very thing from happening.
If you have this particular snowblower you can call an authorized dealer to fix it for you for free at 833-254-8856 or online here.
Looking ahead between now and March 20 (first day of Spring) the temperatures seem to be lingering between the 30's and 40's with not too much snow expected in the forecast. Hopefully this means that you won't need to be using the snowblower much more.