400,000 Handheld Massagers Recalled After 15 Users Report Being Burned

A bit of heat usually feels nice when getting a massage; burns and shocks from exposed electrical wires, not so much. Just ask the 15 people (so far) who have complained about being burned by HoMedics hand massagers.

HoMedics announced the recall of 400,000 handheld massagers because they posed a risk of electrical shock and burn hazards.

According to a notice posted with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the cord on the massager can break near the base, exposing wires.

HoMedics says it has received 140 reports of exposed wires, sparks, smoking, and some shooting flames coming from the massagers. Of those reports, 15 involved burn injuries to consumer’s fingers and other parts of their body.

A look at the CPSC’s saferproducts.gov database shows at least one customer complaining of receiving burns from an affected massager.

In a Feb. 2017 complaint, the owner of a HoMedics Back Massager says the device made a loud pop and emitted a bright flash of light.

“My hand felt burning and there was smoke,” the owner writes. “After I jumped away, I saw that the power cord was burned where it enters the device handle.”

The owner says they immediately pulled the power cord and noticed the cord had a short-circuit where it enters the ladle and the insulation was burned through.

Tuesday’s recall covers three different types of HoMedics Massagers:

• HHP-375H model Handheld Dual Node Percussion Massager with Heat: The device is white with a gray handle or black with a gray handle and has three sets of interchangeable nodes.

• HHP-250 model Handheld Hot and Cold Massager: The device is white with a gray stripe or gray with a blue stripe and has three, five, or eight interchangeable nodes.

• PA-MH-THP model Handheld Compact Percussion Massager with Heat: The device is white on the bottom of the base with gray on top and has two sets of interchangeable nodes.

The massagers were sold for between $30 and $50 at Bed Bath & Beyond, Macy’s, Rite-Aid, Walmart, another retailers and through HSN from Aug. 2013 to Feb. 2017.

Owners of affected massagers are urged to immediately stop using the device and contact HoMedics for instructions on removing the cord and to receive a refund in the form of a credit for any replacement product from the firm. HoMedics can be reached toll-free at 888-803-0509 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (CT) Monday through Friday or online at http://www.homedics.com.