Electrical Panel Safety

Replace Recalled Electrical Panels

Outdated and recalled electrical panels pose a big fire risk, which is why they can prevent you from getting homeowners insurance. Though they are most commonly found in older homes that haven’t been updated, check to make sure your home doesn’t have one of these four recalled electrical panels to be safe.

If your home does have one of these panels, you need to work with a licensed electrician to replace it as soon as possible.

4 Recalled Electrical Panels

Electrical panels, sometimes called load centers or breaker panels, are service boxes that contain your main power line and distribute electricity to circuits throughout your home. If the panel fails to operate as expected, it can send too much electrical current through a circuit and cause a fire.

Old electrical panels are usually found during the home inspection before you buy, but inspectors can miss them. The following panels are considered out of date or have been involved in an electrical panel recall:

Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Stab-Lok panels

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FPE panels were widely used from the 1950s through 1990. However, Stab-Lok panels can fail to trip when a circuit is overloaded, causing the system to overheat and potentially ignite a fire.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) investigated Stab-Lok panels in the early 1980s. In 2011, the CPSC stated it could not determine the safety of FPE panels or verify the manufacturer’s claims.

Although FPE Stab-Lok panels were never officially recalled, most electricians recommend removing them. Ways to recognize FPE Stab-Lok panels include:

“Federal Pacific Electric” or “FPE” stamped on the metal cover.
An information sticker inside that reads “Federal Pacific Electric,” “Federal Pioneer FPE,” or “Stab-lok.”
Breakers with a red stripe on each switch.

Zinsco panels, also known as GTE Sylvania-Zinsco panels

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Many homes built or updated in the 1970s, particularly in the western U.S., have Zinsco electrical panels. These panels pose fire hazards due to:

Insecure connections between breakers and bus bars.
Components made of aluminum that degrade over time.
Bus bars that corrode easily.
Breakers that melt into the bus bar.

Additionally, Zinsco panels may continue conducting electricity even when the breaker appears to be off.

Zinsco was purchased by GTE Sylvania in 1973, so check for the following names on your electrical panel:

Zinsco
Sylvania
GTE-Sylvania
Sylvania-Zinsco

Zinsco electrical panels often have brightly colored breaker tabs (red, blue, green) but can also have black breakers.

Challenger panels made by Challenger Electrical Equipment Corp or Eaton/Cutler-Hammer

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Challenger electrical panels were installed in homes during the 1980s and early 1990s. They were recalled in 1988 due to a mechanical component that could detach, causing overheating and fire hazards.

In 2014, Eaton/Cutler-Hammer recalled 1,000 additional panels because their easily accessed components presented a shock risk.

Signs you may have a Challenger electrical panel:

“Challenger” stamped on the handle or door.
“Challenger” on the manufacturer’s label inside the panel door.
Circuits with yellow buttons labeled “test.”

Challenger components may also appear in panels made by GTE Sylvania and Zinsco.

Pushmatic

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Pushmatic panels were popular from 1950 to 1980. While they weren’t originally considered fire hazards, they are now outdated and should be replaced.

New Pushmatic components are still available, but they may not be compatible with original Pushmatic panels.

Pushmatic panels are easy to recognize because they use rectangular push-buttons to control circuits rather than traditional right-to-left switches.