Conair Hair Dryers May Catch Fire, Suit Alleges

A proposed class action filed in California’s federal court last week alleges that Conair Corp, the makers of Infiniti Pro 1875 watt Salon Performance hair dryers, failed to recall the device despite risk of fire.

It’s reported that multiple consumers have complained to the company.

According to the suit, Cynthia L. Czuhaj’s ten-month old hair dryer caught fire in August 2012. Czuhaj originally bought the hairdryer from Sam’s Club in October 2011 and used it daily without incident until, during one use, flames came from the product. Allegedly, similar products have experienced the same problem, and other consumers have complained to Conair without the company taking any action. Retailers have never received any notification of possible problems. The lawsuit alleges that a defect typically leads to problems within the first year of use, but that the product’s four year warranty is unenforceable because of the fire hazard.

The complaint claims that the company is aware of the problem with the hairdryers and has concealed the defect from consumers by failing to issue a recall or warnings on the product. Conair also failed to amend packaging or user guides to show any risk or injury that could result, the complaint says. It’s reported that multiple consumers have complained to the company and on Internet message boards.

The suit is seeking a proposed class made up of consumers who bought the Conair Infiniti Pro 1975 watt Salon Performance hair dryer within the period four years prior to the filing of any suit., and could potentially include thousands of individuals, according to attorneys.

The case is Czuhaj v. Conair Corporation et al, case number 3:13-cv-01901, in U.S. District Court of the Southern District of California.