Wal-Mart recalls fiery DVD players

I should have bought the $31 DVD player.

(Credit: Matt Hickey)

Exploding iPhones are so earlier this week, people. The new scary consumer electronics product that might explode and kill you and your family is the cheap Durabrand DVD player exclusive to Wal-Mart. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of the device, saying the players can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers.

The players retail for less than $30, are made in China, and are full of shrapnel to flay flesh from bone. OK, that last bit was hyperbolic, but still, any Durabrand DVD player bought from Wal-Mart after 2006 can be returned to the nearest store for a full refund.

So far 12 out of approximately 1.5 million units have flamed up, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which adds that the fires have caused property damage but no injuries. While 12 problematic devices don't really add up to epidemic-like numbers, it's still troubling knowing yours could be the 13th. Not that I'm fearmongering or anything.

[ikramerica--2008]

Those cheep China brand DVD players are just failures waiting to happen. If you are lucky, it will simply stop working like two of mine did.<br /><br />I guess flaming up is for the unlucky. I'd be shocked if many of those 2006 model players still work 100%.

[kieranmullen]

Everything is made in China. (use spellcheck)

[ikramerica--2008]

So? There is a difference between "Made in China to the standards and specs of Toshiba" and "Made in China and sold as some random brand where remote codes don't work with universal remotes and the DVD player just decides to think the door is open in perpetuity one day."

[Vegaman_Dan]

@ikramerica--2008:<br /><br />Excellent point about Chinese quality following designs given to them. But how does that explain the iPhones and Touches? That's a superior high end design and yet they have similar problems.<br /><br />Explanations?

[emperorfurkan]

i was thinking the same , "2006 uptill now .. for full refund"<br /><br />i thrice bought made in chia product's all of them died ( stopped full functioning ) exactly after 6 months , which i think these products dont have life more than 6-7 months :)

[monkeyfun14]

I was thinking that stock photo would of been something posted on Gizmodo or Engadget then I read your bio.

[JLBer]

*sigh* HAVE. Would HAVE.

[gggg sssss]

Chinese WMDs

[Freiheit13]

"While 12 problematic devices don't really add up to epidemic-like numbers"<br /><br />I don't know, swine flu was called a pandemic with no more than 6 confirmed fatalities.

[mediocrates--2008]

ROFL!

[jollygreenguy]

HAHAHA

[jlt0x]

Yeah, crazy. But the manufacturer (or shall I say Walmart) knows just how cheap their devices are and don't want more incidents. They have the 12 as proof, but don't want one of their DVD players to blow up in some kids face.<br /><br />I've had one these small DVD players for almost 2 years. I only use it in my car --- I have an older built-in DVD system that doesn't play all of the recordable DVD formats; we use the Durabrand DVD player to play any DVD that the car can't play. ---- but I don't want that thing catching fire on somebody's lap or anywhere in the car while on the highway.<br /><br />I'll happily return it in exchange for something else.

[Havoc70]

Uh its from China what did you expect, Hell lead poisoning our kids, recall after recall, its MADE IN CHINA!<br />Which really means "We put out crap products" haven't you learned that yet?

[solitare_pax]

Perhaps the Chinese don't understand that there is a right way and a wrong way to burn a disk...

[zmjman08]

ROFL!!<br /><br />epic.

[baconstang]

Actually mine is labeled "Duraburn".

[perfectblue97]

The problem isn't Chinese made products, it's western designers and retailers.<br /><br />1) The vast majority of recalled Chinese goods are recalled because of a fault that was built in from the beginning. For example, toys with chocking hazards, or electrical equipment that gets too hot. This isn't the fault of the Chinese companies who make what they are told how they are told, it is the fault of the Western designers who commission the factories to make these products in the first place. It's their designs that are faulty. They want cheap products so they cut corners. It's not the factories fault as they don't have any real part in this process.<br /><br />2) The US has one of the worst consumer protection regimes in the free world. Wal-Mart should have ensured that these products were safe before they put them on the shelves. Maybe if Wal-mart were considered liable for selling a dangerous product they'd take more care what they sell. It takes three people to put a dangerous product on the shelf, the designer, the importer and the retailer. All of whom could have performed safety checks that would have caught this, but none of whom did.

[ubuntu_sg]

Not really the fault of designers... <br />its the chinese manufactures.. trying to use the ultra cheap parts with absolute no regard to the quality ( infact some time i wonder, whether these manufacturers know what does it mean by quality - latest news.. Chinese govt decided to remove the word quality from their dictionaries )

[edwardqiu123]

Yeah, it's just so typical of Americans, ASKING the Chinese to make **** products, and then when something goes wrong, just blame it all on them!!

[smith_jr]

Buy junk, get burned. Sheesh.

[ITcomposer]

BUY AMERICAN <br /> <br />Pros: <br />* No lead in your products <br />* You give a fellow american a job <br />* that american spends money in america <br />* No choking hazards in most cases <br />* You are not supporting a communistical country <br />* Communism sucks <br /> <br />PROS: You pay a little more but the quality is soo there

[edwardqiu123]

Buy American <br />Pros: You get to waste all your life's savings on a piece of crap when you can get it for 2/3 less. <br />Cons: 368 Pages would be needed to write down 1/2 of the cons (in font 5).

[JLBer]

Name ONE electronics manufacturer that makes its products in the U.S. anymore. In fact, name one consumer electronics manufacturer that has headquarters in the US and designs *and manufactures* all of its products in the US. <br /><br />Good luck.

[fondy]

I bought one of the Durabrand home theater-in-a-box systems from Wal-Mart a few years ago. One evening while watching TV, the thing caught fire for no apparent reason. It looked like the power cord melted. Luckily, the fire extinguisher from 1972 still worked.

[supreme_primate]

Wow whole new meaning to a hot flick. Really though you get what you pay for Chinese or otherwise.

[Dalkorian]

Come on people, are you really this stupid? With a name like "Durabrand", how can you go wrong? LOL!! You deserve to burn, not only for being this cheap and stupid to begin with but ultimately just for the act of stepping foot inside and spending money at prostitute-mart.