Automotive fuse/breaker recall

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

clifto - 20 Nov 2007 19:27 GMT

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/recallresults.cfm?start=1&Sea
rchType=QuickSearch&rcl_ID=07E090000&summary=true&PrintVersion=NO

Summary:
CERTAIN DORMAN PRODUCTS AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRICAL REPAIR KITS, P/N 86689B,
MANUFACTURED BETWEEN JANUARY 2006 TO OCTOBER 2007, SOLD FOR USE ON ALL
MAKES AND MODELS OF BOTH FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC MOTOR VEHICLES. THESE
KITS CONTAIN FUSES THAT FAIL TO MELT AT THE MAXIMUM ELECTRICAL CURRENT
AND TIME LIMIT DESIGNATION.
Consequence:
IF THE METAL STRIP INSIDE THE FUSE FAILS TO MELT WHEN EXPOSED TO AN
ELECTRICAL CURRENT GREATER THAN THE AMOUNT FOR WHICH THE FUSE IS RATED,
THE CIRCUIT MAY BECOME OVERLOADED POTENTIALLY CAUSING A FIRE.

This isn't the first time in recent weeks I've heard about fuses (all the
others specifically mentioned China manufacture) that didn't melt at the
rated current. Where the hell do we get fuses that won't burn our cars
down nowadays?

Signature

Angry American flags attack Hillary Clinton!

Reply to this Message

Scott Dorsey - 20 Nov 2007 19:55 GMT

>This isn't the first time in recent weeks I've heard about fuses (all the
>others specifically mentioned China manufacture) that didn't melt at the
>rated current. Where the hell do we get fuses that won't burn our cars
>down nowadays?

From Bussman. Look for UL and VDE certification.

I got a bag of samples from a Chinese factory called Sassin, last year
at a trade show for power supply designers. In a quick test of a few,
the fusing current was MUCH higher than the rating. I threw them all out.

Some of the Chinese folks are fine; even Littelfuse is doing manufacturing
in China now. Some of them... some of them aren't fine at all.
--scott

Signature

"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Reply to this Message

clifto - 20 Nov 2007 22:03 GMT

>>This isn't the first time in recent weeks I've heard about fuses (all the
>>others specifically mentioned China manufacture) that didn't melt at the
>>rated current. Where the hell do we get fuses that won't burn our cars
>>down nowadays?
>
> From Bussman. Look for UL and VDE certification.

Good idea, but I'd have to check what the certifications actually certify.
For all I know the standard is to not melt the fuseholder when the fuse
blows. I've been fooled before.

> I got a bag of samples from a Chinese factory called Sassin, last year
> at a trade show for power supply designers. In a quick test of a few,
> the fusing current was MUCH higher than the rating. I threw them all out.
>
> Some of the Chinese folks are fine; even Littelfuse is doing manufacturing
> in China now.

Yeah, but so is Mattel. Some say that Chinese quality is exactly what the
buyer demands from China, but even when buyers think they have a handle
on quality, stuff like this happens.

> Some of them... some of them aren't fine at all.

Yeah.

Signature

Angry American flags attack Hillary Clinton!

Reply to this Message

Scott Dorsey - 22 Nov 2007 16:51 GMT

>>>This isn't the first time in recent weeks I've heard about fuses (all the
>>>others specifically mentioned China manufacture) that didn't melt at the
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>For all I know the standard is to not melt the fuseholder when the fuse
>blows. I've been fooled before.

It's pretty damn close to that. The safety requirements on the certification
are very, very low. This means fuses that don't even pass THAT (or don't
even bother to test for that) are probably not such a good idea.

>> I got a bag of samples from a Chinese factory called Sassin, last year
>> at a trade show for power supply designers. In a quick test of a few,
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>buyer demands from China, but even when buyers think they have a handle
>on quality, stuff like this happens.

That's pretty much true. The problem is too many folks just get some
samples, find the samples meet spec, then order millions without doing
any regular testing. When you don't have control over the production line
and the guys who DO have control over it both have minimal safety regulations
and don't really understand the product they are making, bad things happen.

I have seen Chinese microphone plants where the whole notion of calibrating
machinery totally escapes everyone.

Guys like Littelfuse tend to set up their own facilities in China, sometimes
as joint venture companies, but with US manufacturing engineers and production
engineers. You need to have guys who actually understand the product on the
line, and who care about it. Agricultural quality control, where you make a
lot of products and grade them into A, B, C, and REJECT grades, is not
sufficient for items like fuses.
--scott

Signature

"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Reply to this Message