Georgia's Rinnai America Corp has issued a voluntary recall for about 52,000 wall furnaces due to a carbon monoxide hazard.

A gasket in the Japanese-made Rinnai EnergySaver Direct-Vent Wall Furnaces can fail, posing a risk of poisonous carbon monoxide gas leaking into the home. The company has received 11 reports of carbon monoxide leaks. No injuries have been reported.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning – which kills 300 people a year in North America – include headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea and dizziness.

The recalled furnaces are either natural gas or LP gas (propane) fueled and have model numbers RHFE 431 or RHFE 556 printed on the top of the rating plate located on the right side of the unit.

The recall includes furnaces manufactured from February 2000 through December 2007 and sold during the same period for between $1,600 and $1,900.

Consumers can find the manufacturing date code in the first four digits of the serial number, written as YY MM, located at the bottom of the rating plate.

Customers should stop using the furnace immediately and contact the company to arrange for the installation of a free repair kit.

Recall notice

Company website