DR Power Equipment is recalling about 42,860 Pilot and Premier walk-behind trimmer mowers in the United States, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission is telling owners to stop using them immediately. The company had received 19 reports of the machines catching fire before the recall, including two reports of minor injuries: blisters on the hands and feet of the people operating them. The mowers were sold from November 2022 through July 2026 for roughly $380 to $550.
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The action is CPSC recall 27016, dated October 8, 2026. The commission describes the hazard in one sentence: grass and debris can accumulate inside the machine and ignite, creating a risk of serious injury or death from fire and burns. The commission notice and the database record agree on the unit count, the model numbers and the incident figures, so the numbers in this article come from two views of the same campaign rather than from a single listing.
Recall 27016 and the eight models it covers
The recall record in the federal SaferProducts recall database lists the campaign as 27016 with about 42,860 units in the United States, and the CPSC recall notice adds about 340 more sold in Canada. Six Pilot model numbers are covered, T4X1076DMN, T4X1076DMNR, T4X1076DMNSD, T4X1176DMN, T4X1176DMN-1 and T4X1176DMNR, along with two Premier numbers, TR43076DMN and TR43076DMNR. Every serial number within those eight models is included, so a mower either carries one of the listed model numbers or it does not. Generac Power Systems of Waukesha, Wisconsin, is listed as the importer, and the manufacturing countries are given as the United States and Vietnam.
Health Canada posted its own notice for the Canadian units under the same hazard heading. In the United States the mowers were sold at Ace, Tractor Supply and Bomgaars stores, at other home improvement, hardware and independent power equipment dealers nationwide, and online through the DR Power website.
Why clippings and debris are the fire fuel
A trimmer mower is a walk-behind machine built to cut heavy brush and tall grass that an ordinary lawn mower would choke on, and cutting that kind of material throws a steady stream of clippings around the engine and cutter head. Dry vegetation is easy fuel. The recall notice does not name the specific ignition source, and it does not describe the design change in the repair kit beyond calling it a repair, so the only mechanism CPSC puts on the record is accumulation followed by ignition inside the machine.
The incident count is modest next to the size of the population. Nineteen reports of fires were enough, though, for the company and the commission to treat the pattern as a defect rather than as owner misuse, and CPSC chose the stronger language about serious injury or death instead of limiting the warning to the two minor burns that were actually reported.
The sales window matters for owners deciding whether the recall reaches them. Units were sold across nearly four years, from November 2022 to July 2026, which means a machine bought this past summer and one bought three seasons ago sit in the same recall. Because the notice covers all serial numbers within the eight models, an owner does not need to match a date code or a production range; the model label alone settles the question.
Two people were hurt. Each suffered blisters on the hands or feet, and the notice does not say how either was injured.
The recall notice carries the formal title DR Power Equipment Recalls Pilot and Premier Trimmer Mowers Due to Risk of Serious Injury or Death from Fire and Burn Hazards, wording that frames the hazard by the worst outcome rather than by the two minor burns reported so far. The instruction that follows is direct: stop using the mower now, rather than waiting for the kit to arrive.
The free repair kit and how to claim it
The remedy is a repair. Owners are told to stop using the mower and contact DR Power for a free repair kit. Anyone uncomfortable installing the kit can ask for a free installation by an authorized dealer. DR Power can be reached at 800-854-3194 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, by email at [email protected], or through the company’s recall page, which is also reachable from its main site under Product Recalls.
Identifying a recalled mower takes a few seconds. The recalled machines are orange and black with the DR Power logo on top of the motor and on the frame above the cutter head, and the frame side is labeled Premier or Pro. The model number sits on a label on the side of the frame, and CPSC publishes its full list of campaigns on its recalls index for anyone who wants to confirm the number 27016 independently. Owners who paid between $380 and $550 should treat the mower as out of service until the kit is installed.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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