Daikin Agrees to Pay $8.5 Million Civil Penalty for Failure to Immediately Report PTACs that Posed a Fire Hazard

Daikin Agrees to Pay $8.5 Million Civil Penalty for Failure to Immediately Report PTACs that Posed a Fire Hazard

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is announcing that Daikin Comfort Technologies Manufacturing, Inc., f/k/a Daikin Comfort Technologies Manufacturing, L.P., of Waller, Texas, has agreed to pay an $8.5 million civil penalty. The settlement, which has been provisionally accepted by CPSC, resolves CPSC’s charges that Daikin knowingly failed to immediately report to CPSC, as required by law, that its Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners/Heat Pumps (PTACs) equipped with “DigiAir” modules contained a defect which could create a substantial product hazard and created an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death to consumers.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1973 and charged with protecting the American public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772, or visit http://www.saferproducts.gov. Further recall information is available at http://www.cpsc.gov.

Between 2017 and 2023, Daikin received multiple warranty claims relating to the PTACs, over a dozen reports of fires, and one report of a smoke inhalation injury. Despite possessing information that reasonably supported the conclusion that the PTACs contained a defect which could create a substantial product hazard or created an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death, Daikin did not immediately report to the Commission.

The Commission and Daikin jointly announced a recall of the PTACs on August 3, 2023. The recall press release stated that the DigiAir module compressor in the PTACs can overheat, posing burn and fire hazards.

In addition to the $8.5 million civil penalty, the settlement agreement requires Daikin to appoint an Internal Compliance Monitor and maintain internal controls and procedures designed to ensure compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA), including enhancements to its compliance program. Daikin has also agreed to submit annual reports regarding its compliance program, internal controls, and internal audit of the effectiveness of compliance.

The Commission has provisionally accepted the settlement agreement, subject to public comment. Michael Evans, a Trial Attorney in the Division of Enforcement and Litigation, represented the Commission in this enforcement action.

About CPSC
CPSC is the federal agency charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury associated with thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product-related incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. Since the agency was established more than 50 years ago, CPSC has worked to ensure the safety of consumer products, contributing to a decline in related injuries.

Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject to a Commission-ordered recall or to a voluntary recall undertaken in consultation with CPSC.

For lifesaving information:
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– Contact a media specialist.

Release Number: 26-560

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SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission