I surely do wish that when CPSC recalls a product, they would state what the cause of the problem is. "The load center can overheat, posing thermal burn and fire hazards." does not say what the failure mechanism that causes the overheating is, though they surely know.
This is one of the recommendations made by the OSAC Subcommittee on Fire and Explosion Investigations in its Technical Guidance Document 005, entitled Strengthening Fire and Explosion Investigation in the United States: A Strategic Vision for Moving Forward, [
doi.org] at page 111.
Research Agenda Item #11 – Require manufacturers reporting recalls and the
CPSC to make available data that is developed in determining a product recall that
identifies the failure mechanism.
This is of high priority. The impact is significant.
Information reported to the public by CPSC is generally not specific as to
the mechanism of failure. Many fire investigators assume that just because
a product is recalled, it is the likely ignition source if found in the area of
origin in a particular fire. By providing detail on the failure mechanisms
and circumstances required for a fire to occur, the quality and validity of
cause determination would be enhanced. By improving the quality and
validity of cause determinations, the fire investigation community could
provide enhanced feedback to CPSC and manufacture