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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Some 1.8 million Rival Slow Cookers are being recalled after 45 reports of handles breaking and 14 people being burned by hot contents.
The Holmes Group of Milford, Mass., which makes the cooker, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission on Thursday advised consumers to stop using the product immediately.
The cooker has a removable ceramic bowl inside a metal base. The Rival logo is printed on the front of the unit above the control knob. The bases are round or oval and were sold in various colors and designs. Involved in the recall are model numbers 3040, 3735, 5025, 5070 and 5445 manufactured before May 2002.
A date code is stamped on the plug at the end of the power cord attached to each unit. The first two digits represent the week of manufacture and the last two digits represent the year of manufacture. Any cooker with a plug dated from 0199 -- the first week of 1999 -- to 1802 -- the 18th week of 2002 -- is included in this recall.
Manufactured in China, the cooker was sold at Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target and other discount department stores nationwide from January 1999 through May 2002. It cost between $15 and $40.
Consumers should contact the Holmes Group to get a replacement base, either by calling 800-299-1284 or by registering online at http://www.rivalrecall.com.
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
