Outdoor gear company Black Diamond Equipment on Thursday announced a voluntary recall of its Recon LT avalanche beacons due to a software issue that could make the devices suddenly stop sending out signals.
In a recall notice posted online, company officials said the issue affects users “in rare and unlikely circumstances” when other transceivers nearby are in send mode. The issue can be solved with a mandatory software update.
“The Recon LT avalanche transceiver may unexpectedly enter search mode, despite the rotary switch remaining in its send position,” company officials said in the recall notice. “This malfunction can be resolved if users update their firmware to version v1.3 or later.”
Black Diamond said it has gotten six customer reports about the issue, which has not caused any accidents or injuries. The company said it has not prevented anyone from being found in an avalanche.
The voluntary recall includes all of the about 5,000 Recon LT avalanche transceivers sold between May 2021 and March 2023. The affected beacons were sold alone and as part of an avalanche safety set. The first four digits of their serial numbers range between 2119 and 2239, and company officials said customers can find their serial numbers by connecting their beacons to the PIEPS app by Bluetooth.
Black Diamond said consumers should “immediately stop using” the impacted transceivers and use the PIEPS app to update their devices’ firmware or send the beacons to the company’s service center for a free update. The beacons can also be returned to Black Diamond for a full refund.
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