Over 1 Million DeWalt Saws Recalled Over Injury, Laceration Risk

DeWALT is recalling nearly 1.4 million units of its miter saws because of an issue that may pose a possible laceration hazard to its users. Injuries have already been reported in both the U.S. and Canada.

The problem with the DeWALT 12-inch Sliding Compound Miter Saws is that the rear safety guard can "break or detach," according to the announcement posted on the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) website Thursday. This poses a laceration hazard to the users if they come into direct contact with the saw blade. It also poses an injury risk to bystanders who may get hit with projectiles.

As of Thursday's recall, the company has received 571 reports of the "rear safety guard assembly or components breaking or detaching," according to the CPSC. Meanwhile, there have been nine reports of laceration injuries.

"This recall involves DEWALT Model DWS779, DWS780 and DHS790 (designated DHS790AB or DHS790AT2 on the carton) Miter Saws," the company noted in its safety recall notice. "Only saws with date codes 2019 04 through 2022 04 are affected."

DeWALT gave instructions on how to figure out if your unit is affected by the recall. For instance, it noted that saws that are marked with a green or black dot in specific locations have already been inspected and are not affected by the recall.

Customers may check the photos provided by the company for reference. They may also contact the company if they're having trouble looking for the date codes.

Customers who have an affected item should stop using it immediately. Instead, they should contact the company at 800-990-6421 to find out how they can receive a free repair kit or use the repair kit request form on the DeWALT website. They also have the option to take the saw to a DeWALT service center and have it repaired for free.

The recall affects about 1,364,000 units of miter saws. They were sold at Lowe's, The Home Depot and other hardware stores nationwide. The affected products were also sold online via websites such as Lowes.com and Amazon.com from April 2019 to May 2022.

Some 118,600 units were also sold in Canada, where there has been one report of a laceration injury.