Thousands of Bissell vacuums recalled over possible fire hazard

A certain Bissell vacuum has been recalled because the vacuum’s battery pack can overheat and smoke, posing a fire hazard. 

The vacuums were sold at major retailers across the U.S., including Lowe’s, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Target, Walmart, and Best Buy, as well as online. 

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Bissell has received 17 reports of the vacuum beginning to smoke and giving off a burning smell. Six of the reports included the battery pack catching fire. Three included minor property damage and two resulted in minor burn injuries. 

The models involved in the recall are the Bissell Multi Reach Hand and Floor Vacuum models 1985, 19851 (also called Multi Auto), 19859, 1985T, 2151, 21512, 21513, 21517, 21518, 21519, 2151A, 2151T, 2151W, 2151V.

The vacuum cleaners were sold in a variety of colors. 

"Multi Reach" is printed on the hand vacuum portion of the product.

The model numbers are printed on the product rating label located behind the dirt tank.

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Consumers who have this vacuum are instructed to stop using it immediately and contact Bissell for instructions on how to deplete the battery’s charge and receive a free replacement vacuum. 

The recalled lithium-ion battery should be disposed of in accordance with any local and state laws and not in the trash.

The recall includes about 142,000 of these vacuums in the U.S., and about 14,000 more in Canada. 

This story was reported from Detroit.