Recall of LawnBott mower prompted by CU tests

The May 2008 issue of Consumer Reports contains a report of our tests on lawn mowers, including one that we judged “Not Acceptable.”  The LawnBott LB3200 Evolution, a robotic mower that scoots around the yard without an operator, poses a serious safety risk, in our judgment.  When the 25-pound LawnBott was lifted off the ground, its blades kept spinning for nearly four seconds—long enough to cause serious harm to an adult or curious child.  If lifted less than about 45 degrees, the spinning blades wouldn’t shut off at all.  After our tests, we reported our finding to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) as well as to the U.S. distributor for this Italian-made machine, hoping that they would address this safety issue before people got seriously hurt. 

Today, our hopes were realized.  The CPSC has just announced a recall of four LawnBott robotic mowers with model numbers LB2000, LB2100, LB3000, and LB3200, the model we tested.  All models were manufactured by Zucchetti Centro Sistemi S.p.A., of Italy.

The mowers have a docking station for recharging and a shiny plastic cover sold in red, green or blue. ”Evolution” or “Deluxe” is printed on the side of the mower. They were sold nationwide by Kyodo America dealers from January 2006 through December 2007 for between $1,750 and $2,750.

According to the recall notice, the U.S. importer, Kyodo America Industries, of Lawrenceville, GA, has received one report of a consumer lifting the mower from the ground and suffering minor lacerations from the moving blade.

Consumers should stop using the recalled LawnBott mowers immediately and contact Kyodo America to register their lawn mowers for repairs that will not be ready until the end of June.  Although most recalls have a remedy immediately available, in this case the CPSC said it was important to warn consumers about the hazard now while the fix is still in the works.  For more information, contact Kyodo America at (877) 465-9636 or visit the firm’s web site at www.lawnbott.com. —Don Mays

Comments

[Tracy]

Mark is right on with everything he said. Consumer Reports was WAY off on this one. I have three kids 7 and under plus a puppy with NO issues. If you do not like it around when there is activity, run it at night.

[Mark]

The recalled Lawnbott Evolution is a fabulous piece of technology with an unbeatable safety feature--you don't need to be anywhere near it when mowing the lawn. 80,000 Americans each year are injured by conventional mowers from flying debris, burns, falls, physical stress, and, yes, lacerations, and dozens are even killed. The Lawnbott does pose a laceration risk, but it eliminates all the other hazards. And the Lawnbott is superior to conventional mowers in every other respect. While our neighbors' lawns grow between mowings, ours stays at a consistently beautiful height. The Lawnbott is silent, non-polluting, and unobtrusive. It doesn't need gas (gasoline storage is another hazard), it reduces fertilizer use, and it doesn't take up space in the garage. And best of all, it does the mowing, giving me more time with my family. So while the recall will hopefully make the Lawnbott even safer, the 80,000 people who will be injured this year by conventional mowers may judge that the recall is neither fair nor in the public's interest. I hope the Consumer Reports article does nothing to diminish the spread of robotic mowing technology and all the benefits that consumers gain from it.