SPOT Communicator Recall

SPOT has recalled their Satellite Communicator units. The Satellite Communicator may fail to send emergency and other messages. This recall only applies to the Satellite Communicator sold exclusively with the DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w GPS unit.

The Outdoor Safety Institute has recently written that SPOT devices are not the best option as a primary means of emergency communication. Our finding was partially based on reports about problems with the reliability of SPOT devices and this recall only reinforces this concern. See OSI's full recommendations on emergency communications devices for more details.

This is the second recall due to a failure of a SPOT device, we covered the previous SPOT 2 recall as well. While failures and recalls are sometimes going to occur, this is concerning for a product marketed for its ability to summon emergency response.

Details of the recall from SPOT:

Recall Notice:

Spot LLC has issued a product recall on the SPOT Satellite Communicator which is bundled and sold exclusively with the DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w. Spot LLC has discovered that a part, which does not meet operating specifications, was substituted in some SPOT Satellite Communicator devices during the manufacturing process.

In certain incidents, intended messages may not be transmitted, including requests for help or emergency assistance, when the SPOT Satellite Communicator is used at temperatures below 40 degrees Farhrenheit/4.44 degrees Celsius.

Please note this DOES NOT impact the DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w handheld device itself or any other DeLorme product.

Spot LLC is committed to providing the highest quality and best performance products to its customers. Therefore, Spot LLC is conducting a complete product replacement of all SPOT Satellite Communicators within ESN range:

ESN range 0-2000000 and 0-2019999.

Please stop using the SPOT Satellite Communicator and follow the instructions below to promptly return the device for an immediate replacement of a new SPOT Satellite Communicator at no charge. Customers who return their affected SPOT Satellite Communicator devices by June 1, 2011 will receive 6 FREE additional months of SPOT service automatically with a new SPOT Satellite Communicator device.

Important: Please DO NOT return the DeLorme PN-60w handheld. Only the SPOT Satellite Communicator should be returned.

Full details of the recall and the return process can be found at: http://www.findmespot.com/replacement/.

The recall notice can also be found on the US Consumer Product Safety Commissions website: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11735.html.