The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a voluntary recall alert in cooperation with Suntech America Inc. stating that Suntech's SolarBlend PV roof tiles may pose a fire risk.
According to the CPSC notice, the connectors between the solar roof tiles can become loose, creating a fire hazard. This recall involves all SolarBlend roof tiles with model numbers STP050D-5/ZCB (brown), STP050D-5/ZCF (terra cotta), and STP050D-5/ZCG (gray).
Suntech has received one report of a fire involving six SolarBlend roof tiles. Only the tiles were damaged, and no one was injured.
The affected products were sold by roofing retailers and installers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Kansas and Nevada from October 2009 through March 2011. Suntech has been notifying consumers directly, but consumers who have not been contacted by Suntech should turn off their solar energy systems immediately.
Consumers have been instructed to contact Suntech to schedule a free inspection and repair of the solar energy system. Suntech will repair the system at no cost to the consumer. More information is available here.
