Spending a lot of money on equipment that turns out to be faulty is frustrating, if not infuriating, because of the injury or laceration hazard it may pose to the user and bystanders.
The DeWalt miter saw recall may have made consumers feel this way, but here’s what you can do about it.
Overview of the Recall
Roughly 1.4 million miter saws manufactured by DeWalt have been recalled due to laceration hazard from direct contact with the spinning saw blade. Users may also suffer injury from flying debris if the plastic rear guard assembly detaches, when using the miter saw.
The front blade guard has detached or broken on 571 DeWalt tools, resulting in 9 reported laceration injuries.
The models are branded with the DeWalt name and come in a plastic yellow housing with black accents. The saw’s name plate bears the model number.
You can find date codes on the outside of the DHS790’s plastic yellow housing adjacent to the battery compartment.
This recall only applies to saws that don’t have either a green dot or black dot on the nameplate or the saw’s arm. If you notice your DeWalt saw components breaking, immediately stop and contact DeWalt.
Miter Saw Model: DWS779, DWS780, and DHS790
Number of Units: 1,364,000 million miter saws in the US + extra 118,600 in Canada
Date of Recall: August 04, 2023
Risk and Reports of Incidents and Injuries:
- Laceration hazard
- Injury hazard
- 571 reports to DeWalt of the rear safety guard assembly or components failing or detaching
- Nine incidents of laceration injuries due to contact with the miter saw blade
Stores and Dealers:
- The Home Depot
- Lowes
- Amazon
- Hardware stores across the country
Place of Manufacturing: Mexico and Taiwan
What are the DeWalt Miter Saws That Were Recalled?
DeWalt recalls the sliding compound miter saws are DWS779, DWS780, and DHS790 due to nine reports of laceration injuries. Depending on whether you bought the DHS790AB or DHS790AT2, the model number will be printed on the saw’s packaging.
Units with date codes 2019 04 and 2023 04 have a faulty rear safety guard that may detach, which can cause an injury to the user and bystanders. It can either break or detach, posing an injury hazard due to projectiles that can strike the user. Also, there are risks even you’re replacing the Dewalt miter saw blade.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, they retailed for $600 to $820 and could be purchased from places like Home Depot and Lowe’s, both online and in physical locations. Again, only saws produced between April 2019 and May 2023 will be recalled.
Customers who own any of the recalled DeWalt miter saw models are advised to immediately stop using them and contact the manufacturer for a free inspection and repair or a replacement unit.
How to Know if Your Miter Saw is Part of the Recall
You can look up the saw’s nameplate and manufacture date in its yellow body to see if it was recalled. The saw’s model number can be located on a label underneath the motor if the number doesn’t match one of the abovementioned ones.
Verify the time and date code. Recalled miter saws with model numbers DWS779 and DWS780 have it on the black motor cap next to the nameplate, whereas model DHS790 has it printed on the yellow plastic enclosure alongside the batteries.
To find the correct answer, search for a date between April 2019 and April 2023 in the format YYYY-MM.
You may find a green or black dot on the underside of the saw arm or adjacent to the serial number of some models produced during this time frame. If you see this symbol, you may rest assured that the product has passed inspection and is not subject to recall.
You may refer to the official DeWalt warning for pictures illustrating where to find and how to read the date stamp and nameplate.
If your saw’s model and manufacturing date fall within the recall’s parameters, you must have it serviced at a DeWalt service center before using it.
What Happens to My Miter Saw Next?
Since saws made between 2019-04 and 2023-04 were the only ones recalled, you may call and confirm with DeWalt if you have one of these units, and they will send you a free repair kit.
Alternatively, you can bring saws to a DeWalt service location and have the rear safety guard fixed at no cost.
Complete a form on the manufacturer’s website to get started. You’ll find the form in the middle of the recall page.
In addition to the repair kit instructions, you’ll also discover information on locating the saw’s model number and manufacturing date and a video demonstration of how to put the kit together.
DeWalt has also contacted all known purchasers, but you shouldn’t wait to discover if your miter saw has been recalled.
From 8 am to 6 pm Eastern Time [1], from Monday to Friday, you can reach DeWalt at (800) 990-6421 with any follow-up inquiries.
Conclusion
The DeWalt miter saw recall is unfortunate, but power tools can still be deadly if not used properly. Suppose any of your equipment acts strangely, stop using them immediately.
Contact the retailer or the manufacturer to determine the cause and if the unit has been recalled. You may also subscribe via email to the Consumer Product Safety Commission for recent developments.
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