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L.L. Bean Recalls Safety Kits

January 24, 2006
L.L. Bean is recalling about 4,000 safety kits, including its Auto Safety Kit, Auto Aid in a Bottle, Winter Safety Kit, and Outdoorsman in a Bottle.

The products have a flashlight that relies on a powerful magnet and copper coil for manual recharging. The magnet adversely affects the polarity of the compass rendering it unreliable.

The magnet could be powerful enough to disrupt a heart patient’s Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator (ICD). The product’s packaging lacks appropriate warning information.

Each kit contains a variety of safety equipment including a “Forever Flashlight,” which does not use batteries. Shaking the flashlight for 30 seconds provides about 5 minutes of light. The Outdoorsman in a Bottle kit contains a compass.

Other items which could be included in the kits include gloves, a blanket, emergency vest, a water bottle, a rain poncho and a knife. L.L. Bean is written on the bottle or blanket with these kits.

L.L. Bean’s stores, catalogs and Web sites sold these kits from August 2005 through November 2005 for between $20 and $60.

Consumers with recalled kits should contact L.L. Bean immediately to receive a free warning label for the flashlight. Consumers with Outdoorsman in a Bottle kits will receive a free replacement compass/whistle.

Consumer Contact: For more information, consumers can contact L.L. Bean at (800) 555-9717 between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm ET Monday through Friday, or visit their Web site at www.llbean.com.

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

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