Monoprice Voluntary Product Recall on CAT6 cabling (CMR)

https://mpcmrrecall.com/

Has anyone else gotten the email about the (what seems to be) massive recall on Monoprice Cat6 cable?
To get all fo the cable runs replaced that have this wire installed seems like it’s going to be a massive PIA and a lot of the information they are asking for is going to be next to impossible to get for all the locations with installed cabled so while they are claiming they will replace the cable for free the costs associated with documenting all of the required information they want is going to cost many a lot of man-hours that I presume will not be reimbursed

Dear Customer:

In cooperation with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”), Monoprice is voluntarily recalling the Category 6 CMR Communication Cable. The units fail to meet the flammability requirements of the UL 1666 safety standard. This may result in an increased risk of fire spread when the cables are exposed to a fire or flame. Monoprice is not aware of any incidents or injuries.

After extensive testing, we have determined that Monoprice branded Category 6 CMR Communications Cables in 250, 500 and 1000 foot lengths in colors including yellow, white, blue, black, red, orange, gray, pink and purple sold between December 2018 and February 2020 with UL jacket markings as follows are impacted by this recall effort:

  • (UL) E467139 23AWGX4P CMR CAT6 UTP RoHS Compliance XXXXFT.
  • (UL) E333346 23AWGX4P CMR CAT6 UTP RoHS Compliance XXXXFT.
  • (UL) E339722 23AWGX4P CMR CAT6 UTP RoHS Compliance XXXXFT.

Our records indicate that you may have purchased these cables.

Whats next?

Monoprice will be providing inspection and removal services for the recalled cable and will provide installation of UL 1666 compliant replacement CMR cable, as approved by the CPSC, free of charge. To the extent you have purchased recalled CMR cable and have yet to install the cable, Monoprice will provide replacement cable. Please check your inventory to determine if you have the cables in stock or, to confirm that they have been in installed.

Please contact Monoprice at your earliest convenience toll-free at 844-500-7656 from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT Monday through Friday or by email at mpcmrrecall@monoprice.com. Alternatively, you can access information online at www.mpcmrrecall.com or www.monoprice.com and click on “Recall” located at the bottom of the page where you will find a user friendly fillable form to register for inspection, removal and replacement, as applicable.

Regardless of the medium you choose to contact Monoprice, please be prepared to provide the following information to assist Monoprice in expediting this recall for you or your company:

  • UL jacket marking(s) on cables
  • Name, email address, phone number and address of purchaser
  • Is the location a residence or business
  • Location of installation at the address
  • Name of original installer _
  • Date of purchase (if known)
  • Location of purchase
  • Purchase price (if known)
  • Amount of cable purchased
    • Note: Cable length and number of units/ boxes
  • Date of installation (if known)
  • Address of installed cable (if different than address)
  • Owner of address of installed cable
  • Amount of cable installed
    • Is cable installed in runs greater or less than 50 feet
    • Specify lengths of runs
    • Amount of cable remaining after installation
    • Location of remaining uninstalled cable
  • If available, UPC codes from cable boxes

Monoprice very much appreciates your immediate attention to this important matter. We value you as our customer and look forward to working with you for the successful resolution of this recall effort. Please feel free to contact us at any time for questions or assistance.

Hoooo boy.
I see this only effects CMR cable.

I have never installed this cable but my heart goes out to those affected by this mess. Personally I use Hitachi cable which is stocked at a reasonable-ish price at my local electrical supplier and I’ve been really happy with it.

I guess I should have specified that in the title, ill update it

Cheap cabling usually costs more in the end. Buy CATX cable from an electrical supplier or if you have a business check out http://adiglobaldistribution.us/ they typically have better quality cable for the same or less price wise.

Thanks for the lead to ADI. I signed up for an account and will be using them going forward.

As to your comment about cheap cabling being more expensive, not passing a UL certification for over 2 years is unacceptable no matter how cheap the cabling is in my opinion. If the cable didn’t offer a reliable signal etc because it was cheap (which I don’t think it was that cheap) I would fully agree with your comment but if UL is giving them permission to list it as certified then that goes on a lot more people than just the manufacture to ensure it is up to their standards IMO. Cheap 12/2 wire still has to meet safety standards and be tested. It just seems outrageous to me to have the cable go that long with the issue being undetected.

Nevertheless, I won’t be doing business with Monoprice again

I used that E467139 at my house. I didn’t get the email though. I’m guessing that’s due to my purchase date of June 2018.

I’m guessing there was a manufacturer change in December 2018 or something?

Since this wasn’t plenum rated, of course I didn’t run it in ductwork or anything like that. I’m not personally super-concerned, because if we have a fire in the house by the time it gets to my CAT6 runs we’ll hopefully be outside at a neighbour’s place anyway.

But still, not good news, and @runDMG makes a fair point that undetected non-compliance for two years is a major concern. What about other SKUs in the Monoprice lineup? Shakes your confidence for sure.