Salt Lake City, Utah (February 4, 2016) - Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd., in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), voluntarily issued a recall, subject to user inspection, of carabiners/quickdraws because of the possibility of defects in the gate that could cause the carabiner to fail or function incorrectly.
This recall concerns carabiners/quickdraws with manufacturing codes between 4350 and 6018. The complete list of carabiners, quickdraws and harness, belay and rock protection packages concerned by the recall is below.
In some carabiners, the gate rivets (in solid gate carabiners) and wire ends (in wiregate carabiners) attaching the gate to the carabiner body may not be properly manufactured, potentially resulting in the gate becoming detached.
Additionally, in some screwgate carabiners, the locking sleeve may not have been correctly assembled, resulting in a locking carabiner that does not lock properly.
No accidents have been reported; however, in the interest of customer safety, Black Diamond has decided to voluntarily issue a recall, subject to user inspection.
If you own carabiners/quickdraws that fall within the scope of this recall:
The instructions below will take you through the inspection procedures for the carabiners covered in this recall. We will be asking you to inspect for the following:
- For solid gate carabiners: gates are properly riveted.
- For wiregate carabiners: gate wire ends are properly formed.
- For screwgate locking carabiners: the gates and locking sleeves are assembled correctly and function properly.
- All carabiner gates fully close when released from any position.
This recall includes the following carabiners in all colors, including those sold as individual carabiners, carabiners in quickdraws and quickdraw packs, and as part of harness, belay and rock protection packages.
If you own any of the carabiners/quickdraws listed above, please follow this procedure to determine if your carabiner/quickdraws should be returned to Black Diamond.
The manufacturing code is a four- or five-character number etched on the spine of the carabiner.
Questions? Please consult the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Once you have determined if your carabiner/quickdraw is within the scope of the recall, identify your carabiner type and follow the specific inspection procedures.
Questions? Please consult the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
If you own any of the wiregate carabiners listed above, and they are within the manufacturing code range, please follow this procedure to determine if your carabiner should be returned to Black Diamond.
On wiregate carabiners, the wire ends are located where the wiregate attaches to the body of the carabiner.
1. Visually inspect both wiregate ends for a flared wire end. Look carefully at both sides of the carabiner to ensure both wire ends are flared/capped.
2. With your fingers, try to separate the two wires.
Questions? Please consult the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
If you own any of the solid gate carabiners listed above, and they are within the manufacturing code range, please follow this procedure to determine if your carabiner should be returned to Black Diamond.
On all solid gate carabiners, a rivet is located at the hinge of the gate assembly. On the Oval Carabiner and Light D Carabiner, there is also a second rivet at the nose end of the gate.
The gate of your carabiner should fully close when released from any position.
Gently open and close the gate of your carabiner with your thumb several times with pressure from different angles.
Questions? Please consult the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
If you own any of the screwgate locking carabiners listed above, and they are within the manufacturing code range, please follow this procedure to determine if your carabiner should be returned to Black Diamond.
On screwgate locking carabiners, a rivet is located at the hinge of the gate assembly, and the locking mechanism consists of a locking sleeve and two stopper rings on the gate.
Perform the following five inspection steps to determine if your carabiner should be returned to Black Diamond.
Visually inspect the gate rivet for two rounded rivet heads. Look carefully at both sides of the carabiner to ensure both ends of the rivet are rounded.
Questions? Please consult the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Gently open and close the gate of your carabiner with your thumb several times with pressure from different angles.
Questions? Please consult the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Visually inspect the locking sleeve. The sleeve should be oriented so that the tapered end points toward the hinge end of the gate.
Questions? Please consult the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Visually inspect the position of the stopper rings. Look carefully to see that there is one stopper ring at each end of the locking sleeve, making a total of two stopper rings and that each stopper ring is tightly seated.
Return
Questions? Please consult the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Visually inspect the position of the locking sleeve in the ‘locked’ position. The sleeve should cover at least as much of the nose as shown below.
Questions? Please consult the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
If any of your carabiners/quickdraws failed the inspection procedures above and are defective, please follow the steps below to return them to Black Diamond and receive replacements.
Questions? Please consult the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
