NZXT is recalling more than 30,000 H1 PC cases after receiving reports of circuit boards overheating or catching fire.
The formal recall, confirmed by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Canadian government, covers all CA-H16WR-W1 white cases and all CA-H16WR-B1 black cases sold in the United States and Canada.
NZXT told the CPSC it has received 11 reports of circuit boards overheating or catching fire - six of which occurred in the US. As a result, roughly 32,000 H1 PC cases will be recalled in the US, and at least a further 1,000 in Canada.
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The issue with the H1 was first highlighted by Gamers Nexus, which revealed that the dangerous fault was the result of a badly designed printed circuit board (PCB) used in the PCIe riser cable, which placed a 12-volt power plane too close to a screw hole. This screw hole wasn’t properly plated to prevent the screw from eating into the PCB and eventually causing a fire.
This has since been confirmed by the CPSC, which notes: “Metal screws that attach the PCIe riser assembly to the chassis can cause a short in the printed circuit board and overheating, posing a fire hazard due to the circuit board’s design,” the CPSC recall said.
NZXT inititally responded to reports of the risk by sending out replacement plastic screws to reduce the risk of fire, before pausing all sales of the Xbox-influenced PC case in November.
At the time time, the company offered to replace PCIe riser cables with a new design and offering a full refund to those who purchased the case.
“We are working closely with the CPSC and the proper global authorities to ensure that we are doing everything we can to help NZXT customers,” the company said in its latest update.
“The CPSC’s function is to help people use products safely and we have been adhering to their strongly recommended schedule for releasing information to our suppliers and to the public. We’re taking this issue seriously and are working as quickly as we can to address it.
As per the CPSC’s website, anyone with a H1 case should call NZXT toll-free at 888-965-5520 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, by email at h1support@nzxt.com, or online at https://info.nzxt.com/h1-recall/.
