Ryobi Product Recall List (Updated 2023)

Ryobi products have a mixed reputation. On the one hand, the tools are relatively inexpensive and great for DIY projects.  On the other hand, they have a reputation for being cheap and of poor quality. Often, reviews on these products vary from those who are very happy with what they have bought and others who told you to stay away at all costs.

Ryobi has had five product recalls in the past 11 years and ten recalls overall since 2006 due to overheating and exploding parts or broken parts (particularly fan blades) ejecting from the product. The most recent five recalled products include their electric jet fan blower, a brushless snow blower, their lithium-ion 18v batteries, a sheet sander, and their dual chemistry charger.

Ryobi is a reasonably common brand, and many of its older products are still in the market. If you are wondering whether you have a quality tool, we’ll take you through some of Ryobi’s most recent recalls and then go over some of the products they offer that have never had a recall placed on them.

List of Ryobi Products with Recalls 

Ryobi has had ten recalls in the last twenty years for its products overall. The bulk of those recalls, however, happened before 2013, and the last recall was over five years ago. Here is a list of Ryobi’s last five recalls, organized by product, with information on why they were recalled.

Electric Jet Fan Blower 

The Ryobi electric fan blower is a lightweight blower with a soft handle grip, and air speeds up to 135 mph. The electric fan blower has “RYOBI” and “8 amp JET FAN” on the side and is black and green. 

There is only a single recall for this product, issued in 2017, that affects electric fan blowers that were produced and sold from December 2015 to December 2016. This recall affected over 120,000 products sold in the United States, Canada, and Mexico through Home Depot or its online store. 

The recall concerned a plastic fan inside the blower, which broke too easily and allowed the broken part to fly out either the ends of the blower tub, posing a laceration threat to users. There were over 10,000 incidents, with 25 minor injuries reported. 

The affected units are model number RY42102 and have serial numbers between EU15401D170001 and EU16239N999999. You can find the serial number on the bottom of the blower on the data label. 

If you believe that your electric fan blower is affected by this recall, you can contact One World Technologies, the importer of these electric fan blowers. They can provide free replacements for affected units. 

Brushless Snow Blower

Ryobi Brushless Snow Blowers are green and black and have two LED lights at the front. The recalled model was 43 in tall and 22 in wide. “RYOBI” is printed on the front, and “40 V” is printed on the sides. 

There’s only a single recall for this product, issued in 2016.  This recall affected over 670 units sold in the United States and Canada from November 2015 to February 2016 through Home Depot or its online store. The units were sold individually or as part of a kit containing a 40-Volt lithium-ion battery and a battery charger.

The recall noted that the snow blowers have the possibility of overheating, posing a fire hazard. There were two reports of overheating during and immediately after use. One of the reports indicated that the machine caught on fire and had to be extinguished.

The Ryobi Brushless Snow Blower in question is model number RY40802 (The model number can be found on the back of the blower on the data label). Model numbers RY40802A and RY40822 were also affected by the recall. 

Again, One World Technologies should be contacted if you believe that your snow blower was affected by this recall. They will give you a full refund for it.

Lithium-Ion 18v Battery 

There is only a single recall for Ryobi Lithium-Ion 18V 4ah batteries. Like most of Ryobi’s products, the batteries are green and black, though they also have silver on them. “Ryobi” and “Lithium+18V” are printed on both sides of the battery pack.

The lithium-ion 18-volt batteries were recalled in late 2013, affecting model P108, part number 130429028. These batteries were sold from September 2012 to December 2012 in both the US and Canada in stores and online through Home Depot and other retailers. This affected about 56,000 units in total between the United States and Canada. 

The problem, as reported, was that the battery pack was overheating while on the charger resulting in it bursting or exploding. One World Technologies, the importer, received four reports of this, and although there were no injuries, there was some minor property damage. Some customers also indicated that the explosion resulted in fires in their houses.

If you have batteries that were affected by this recall, stop using the battery pack immediately and call One World Technologies. They will either replace or repair the recalled battery. One World technologies will pay for the shipping involved with replacing the batteries. 

Sheet Sander 

Ryobi’s quarter-inch sheet sander is a corded orbital action sander with a speed of 14,000 orbits a minute. The sander has a built-in dust bag to collect dust so that when used with the paper punch, the sanding appears sawdust free. 

Ryobi’s quarter-inch sheet sanders have a single recall. This one, in particular, dates back to 2011 and affected about 300,000 units that were sold between June 2005 through August 2010.  

The sheet sanders were sold through several outlets, both online and in stores.  These outlets included Home Depot, Amazon, and Direct Tools Factory Outlets. The specific model number for the defective product is model S651D.  These sheet sanders are colored black and blue with “Ryobi” on the side. 

The problem with the sheet sanders was that the fan assembly was prone to breaking, sending pieces flying from the product. This defect in the sander had the potential to harm the user by cutting them with debris. The recall was issued when One World Technologies received 31 reports of this – two reports included personal injuries sustained by the users.

If you have a sander affected by this recall, it can be replaced for free by One World Technologies. 

Dual Chemistry Charger 

Ryobi P113 Dual Chemistry Battery Chargers are a unique set of chargers that can charge both NiCd and Lithium-ion batteries. The charger is somewhat tiny, taking up no more than a square foot in space and weighing 1.7 lbs, and is billed as being a fast charger. The battery chargers have a green and gray coloration and ”Ryobi” on the front of the device.

The battery chargers were recalled in late 2013 over potential malfunctions that could cause fire hazards or burns to the customers that bought them. The recall was for any battery chargers that were bought between September 2007 to December 2009, with the date codes between 0731 and 0852.

The battery chargers were sold online and in stores in various retail outlets, including Home Depot and Direct Tools Factory Outlet. The total unit count was well over 625,000 units sold in the United States and Canada during this time.

The leading cause of the problem stems from the chargers overheating.  One World Technologies had 25 reports before issuing the recall. They recommend that if you have this charger, remove any batteries immediately, unplug it, and call them for a free replacement charger.

What Ryobi Products Have No Recalls? 

There are many Ryobi products without recalls. This is not an exhaustive list of Ryobi products, but it should give you an idea of all the types of products that Ryobi has produced that have never had issues. We’ll go over three: their jigsaw, their brad nailer, and their track saw. 

Jig Saw Kit 

Jigsaws are used for cutting curves and different shapes in wood. The Ryobi jig saw is no different. It has a variable speed trigger that can be ramped up to 3000 strokes per minute, and it has a modular system that allows for blades to be changed out.

The kit comes with a jigsaw, a non-marring shoe (the base plate of the jig saw), a t-shank wood cutting blade, a hex wrench for maintenance and changing out blades, and an operating manual. The jigsaw uses 18-volt batteries for its power source, which is not included as a standard part of the kit. 

Brad Nailer

A brad nailer is a gun that shoots small nails, usually used with thin pieces of wood and for trim work. Ryobi’s brad nailer is the lightest cordless brad nailer in its weight class and boasts that it is capable of driving up to 2 in nails into hardwoods. It also claims to work continuously through up to 1,900 nails before needing a charge.

Ryobi currently offers two variations of brad nailers, the P321 and the P320. These are priced the same on Ryobi’s website at $100. There is also a kit version that comes with a battery and a charger.

Track Saw

A track saw works the same way as a circular saw, except in reverse. Instead of running the circular saw across a piece of wood, the wood is run across the track saw. 

Ryobi has only one track saw offering.  It is sold in a kit or by itself, though with only a $10 difference – the tool by itself costs $290. It comes with two 27.5-inch tracks that can be combined to make a 55-inch track. The device includes a six-and-a-half-inch track saw, a 40-tooth carbide-tipped blade, a riving knife, a track clamp, various wrenches, and an operator’s manual. 

Conclusion 

One noticeable thing is that it has been some time since Ryobi has had to issue a recall. It is undeniable that as recently as ten years ago, Ryobi products had a lot of issues. However, detractors of Ryobi products are ignoring that the products have become better over the years. 

If you’re a homeowner on a budget, Ryobi still offers competitive pricing for their tools, with a quality that’s arguably worth it. So, if you’re looking to buy Ryobi, it’s recommended to try some of their newer tools.