Got a Ryobi drill in the garage? Might want to check the model number. The company and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have announced a recall of nearly half a million Ryobi drills because of a potential fire hazard.

According to the recall notice, the switch on the Ryobi Model HP 1802M Cordless Power Drills can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers.

Ryobi has received 47 reports of the drills overheating, smoking, melting or catching fire, including 12 reports of property damage to homes or vehicles. Two of the incidents involved minor burns from touching an overheated switch.

The Ryobi Model HP 1802M cordless drill is powered by an 18 volt rechargeable NiCad battery. The drills are blue and black in color with “Ryobi” appearing in red and white on the left side. The model number can be found on a white label on the right side of the drill.

These drills were sold at Home Depot from January 2001 to July 2003 for about $100.

CPSC says owners of these drills should immediately stop using them, remove the rechargeable battery and contact Ryobi to receive a free replacement drill.

Contact Ryobi Customer Service at (800) 597-9624 between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s website at www.ryobitools.com

Ryobi Recalls Cordless Drills Due to Fire Hazard [CPSC.gov]

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