STIHL Incorporated of Virginia Beach, Va., is recalling about 185,000 STIHL BF-KM mini-cultivator attachments.
The gearbox could have mistakenly been installed upside down by the STIHL dealer causing the tines to rotate backwards toward the operator, posing a laceration hazard to the user.
The firm has received 12 reports of incidents, including six reports of lacerations to consumers.
The mini-cultivator is one of 15 interchangeable attachments to the STIHL KombiMotor KM model powerheads, which are sold separately.
It is used to break up loose soil, and has four black discs with tines mounted to a gearbox and attached to a metal drive tube with a black deflector.
The mini-cultivator attachment should have been assembled by the STIHL dealer and not sold in a box or assembled by the consumer. The recalled mini-cultivator attachments are those with the gearbox installed upside down.
The mini-cultivator attachment, manufactured in the U.S., was sold at authorized STIHL servicing dealers nationwide from January 2005, through August 2020, for about $190.
What to do
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled mini-cultivator attachment and take it to an authorized STIHL servicing dealer for a free inspection and free proper assembly.
Consumers may contact STIHL at (800) 233-4729 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday, by e-mail at stihlrecall@stihl.us or online at www.stihlusa.com and click on “Information” at the top of the page, then “Product Recalls” at the bottom of the page, then “BF-KM recall” for more information.