Garmin® Announces Limited Recall of Certain nüvi® Personal Navigation Devices
Taipei/ August 27, 2010 - Garmin Corporation, a unit of Garmin Ltd., the global leader in satellite navigation, announced today that it is voluntarily recalling approximately 1.25 million nüvi personal navigation devices (of which the majority of the quantity were sold in the United States and only very few quantity was sold in Asia) that contain batteries manufactured by a third-party supplier within a defined date code range and that have a specific printed circuit board (PCB) design. Garmin has identified potential overheating issues when the third party supplier’s batteries manufactured within this limited date code range are used in certain Garmin devices with the PCB design. It appears that the interaction of these factors can, in rare circumstances, increase the possibility of overheating, which may lead to a fire hazard.
This issue has been identified in less than ten cases in total involving certain nüvi models. None of the reported incidents has caused significant property damage and no injuries have occurred. Nevertheless, given Garmin’s longstanding commitment to safety and customer satisfaction, Garmin is proactively recalling nüvi units with the specific PCB design and with batteries from the specific date code range out of an abundance of caution. Garmin strongly urges customers to go online to determine if their nüvi device is one of the few nüvi models affected by this recall and, if so, to participate in the program. Only the 200W, 250W, 260W, 7xx and 7xxT (where xx is a two-digit number) model numbers may be affected. These units were sold worldwide.
To determine if a unit is affected, customers can visit http://my.garmin.com.tw/DeviceCheck/?lang=en. They will be asked to enter their nüvi’s serial number, and if their unit has the specific PCB design and contains a battery from the specific date range, they will be given instructions on how to return their nüvi at no charge. Garmin will replace the battery and insert a spacer on top of the battery next to the PCB before returning the nüvi to affected customers free of charge. If customers are unable to access the website, they may contact Garmin distributors in Asia through one of the phone numbers below:
• Indonesia +62 21 6929994
• Korea +82 2 515 8848
• Malaysia +60 3 9285 8062
• Singapore +65 6296 8238
• Thailand +662 266 9948
• Other areas in Asia, please call + 886 2 2642 9199
Owners should not attempt to remove or service the battery on their own. To ensure that the unit's battery is replaced as part of this recall, please return any affected unit directly to a Garmin-authorized facility, using the procedure outlined above.
Garmin is making every effort to cooperate with customers, dealers, and regulatory agencies worldwide, and the company apologizes for the inconvenience that this issue may cause.
Garmin does not expect this recall to have a material adverse effect on its results of operations, financial position or cash flows. The battery supplier has agreed to share the cost of replacement battery packs and all other costs of the recall program.
About Garmin Corporation
Garmin Corporation, is a unit of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation. Since 1989, this group of companies has designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications – most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin’s products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Garmin, Bluechart, City Navigator, Colorado, Foretrex and Oregon are registered trademarks and Dakota, is a trademark of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.
Notice on forward-looking statements:
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. All statements regarding the company’s future product introductions are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management's current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 27, 2008, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of Garmin’s Form 10-K can be downloaded at www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.