September 2008
Recalled Broil King Signet 90 grill might still pose risk, even with fix
A retrofit kit to fix a problematic gas grill might still leave some owners at risk, our follow-up tests show.
The kit is a stainless-steel baffle that is placed inside at the bottom of the firebox on the Broil King Signet 90 986784LP (Rating available to subscribers). We judged that grill Not Acceptable in the June 2008 issue of Consumer Reports after the firebox deformed and melted in our tests.
Working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada, Onward Manufacturing of Canada voluntarily recalled the grill on May 5, 2008, included the kit with new models, and began sending the kit free of charge to consumers who already owned the grill.
We installed the kit on two Signet 90 986784LP grills we bought after the recall and had no problems. But after we installed the kit on a grill we had bought before the recall, our flare-up tests with fatty steaks deformed the firebox.
We contacted Onward, the CPSC, and Health Canada as we had after our earlier tests for the June issue. Terry Witzel, president
of Onward, said that except for the retrofit kit, there were no design changes to the Signet 90 model we tested. Also, Onward
recommends against cooking with the Signet 90’s highest-heat Pow-R-Zone setting—a setting that wasn’t referred to by name
in the owner’s manuals for the units we tested. We use the highest-heat setting for our flare-up test on all gas grills; none
of the other grills we tested deformed on the equivalent heat setting.
We expect any product fix to provide consistent results. In this case, our tests showed varying results, which continue to concern us. While we no longer judge the Broil King Signet 90 986784LP grill Not Acceptable, we recommend that owners avoid cooking with the Pow-R-Zone setting. Also be sure to install the kit before using the grill; contact Onward if you don’t have one (www.broilkingbbq.com, 800-265-2150). And periodically inspect the firebox for any sign of damage.
The kit is a stainless-steel baffle that is placed inside at the bottom of the firebox on the Broil King Signet 90 986784LP (Rating available to subscribers). We judged that grill Not Acceptable in the June 2008 issue of Consumer Reports after the firebox deformed and melted in our tests.
Working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada, Onward Manufacturing of Canada voluntarily recalled the grill on May 5, 2008, included the kit with new models, and began sending the kit free of charge to consumers who already owned the grill.
We installed the kit on two Signet 90 986784LP grills we bought after the recall and had no problems. But after we installed the kit on a grill we had bought before the recall, our flare-up tests with fatty steaks deformed the firebox.
RETROFIT Signet 90 986784LP gets a baffle.
We expect any product fix to provide consistent results. In this case, our tests showed varying results, which continue to concern us. While we no longer judge the Broil King Signet 90 986784LP grill Not Acceptable, we recommend that owners avoid cooking with the Pow-R-Zone setting. Also be sure to install the kit before using the grill; contact Onward if you don’t have one (www.broilkingbbq.com, 800-265-2150). And periodically inspect the firebox for any sign of damage.
