March
21, 2002
The
Toro Company, of Bloomington, Minn., is voluntarily recalling about 13,000
Toro-brand commercial-grade riding mowers. The riding mower's exhaust system can
ignite fuel vapors from spilled fuel if the engine backfires.
Toro has received 10 reports of fires caused when these mowers backfired and
ignited nearby fuel vapors. One serious burn injury was reported. Property
damage was limited to varying degrees of damage to the mowers.
The recall includes Toro-brand Zmaster Z100 series riding mowers. They are red,
equipped with 17 to 23 horsepower engines and have mowing decks from 44 to 52
inches. The mowers have independently controlled rear-drive wheels, front
casters, and a centrally mounted mowing deck. The brand and model names (Toro
Zmaster) appear on the front of the mower. Toro dealers nationwide sold these
riding mowers between January 1998 and December 2001 for between $6,000 and
$7,300.
Consumers should immediately stop using these recalled mowers and contact
Toro or their local Toro dealer to determine if their riding mower's model
numbers and serial numbers are included in the recall. The model and serial
number are located on a decal located on the right side of the operating
console below the seat. If needed, the dealer will schedule a repair of the
riding mower's exhaust system. For more information, contact Toro at (800)
225-0578 anytime or visit the firm's web site at http://www.toro.com/professional/lce/safetynotice.html.
Some of these riding mowers previously were recalled in March 2001. Even if
consumers previously had their riding mower repaired, they need to contact Toro
for this additional repair. Toro Timecutter Z and Wheel Horse residential duty
riding mowers are not part of this recall.