Cummins recalls nearly 3,000 portable generators over fire and burn risk

Cummins is recalling nearly 3,000 portable generators because a manufacturing defect can let pressure build inside the fuel tank, forcing fuel to spray out or the gas cap to shoot off, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Thursday. The agency classified the action as a fast-track recall, a designation reserved for cases in which a company agrees to a recall quickly after regulators identify a hazard.

A Valve Installed the Wrong Way

The recalled product is the Cummins Onan P5000iDF EFI Dual Fuel Portable Generator, a dark-gray unit that runs on gasoline or propane and produces roughly 4,500 to 5,000 watts depending on the fuel used. According to the CPSC notice, the generators' fuel-tank vent valves were installed incorrectly at the factory, which stops fuel vapor from venting properly as the tank heats up. Pressure can then build inside the tank until fuel discharges or the fuel cap is forced off, creating what the agency describes as a fire and burn hazard.

Cummins, based in Columbus, Indiana, with the generators built in Vietnam, told regulators it has received 11 reports of the problem, including one case in which a consumer was splashed in the face with fuel. The company said none of the incidents required medical attention. About 2,960 units are covered, sold for between $1,640 and $1,930 at Camping World, Northern Tool, Factory Pure and AP Electric retail locations, and online directly through Cummins, from May 2025 through August 2026.

One of Eleven Actions Posted the Same Day

The generator recall was part of a larger batch of consumer-product actions CPSC posted on its website on November 12, a mix of seven recalls and four safety warnings that is typical of the agency's regular Thursday postings, and which was also detailed the same morning in a wire notice distributed through PR Newswire. Elsewhere in the batch, Allstar recalled roughly 265,000 Sharper Image tabletop and infinity fire pits after four burn injuries, and Huffy recalled 286 Buzz Bicycles Cerana T2 e-trikes whose rear wheels can loosen or separate, which the agency linked to three injuries.

Also issued that day was a warning telling parents to immediately stop using about 13,278 Mommy & Me Pack & Play mattresses, which the agency says violate the federal crib-mattress standard and pose entrapment and suffocation risks to infants. None of those products is related to the generator recall, but their simultaneous release illustrates how routinely the agency's enforcement pipeline produces consumer-facing safety actions that households may never see unless they happen to own the specific item.

Who Is Affected, and What Owners Should Do

The recall affects a comparatively small, specialized customer base: buyers of a higher-end dual-fuel inverter generator typically marketed for recreational vehicles, tailgating and home backup power, rather than the mass-market units sold at big-box retailers. Even so, the timing is notable. Backup generators tend to see a sales and usage spike heading into winter storm season, when utilities warn of outages, and safety regulators routinely remind consumers that portable generators carry serious hazards beyond fire, including carbon monoxide poisoning, if they are run indoors or too close to a home. The fire and burn risk identified in this recall is separate from carbon monoxide exposure and relates specifically to how fuel vapor vents from the tank.

CPSC and Cummins are advising owners to stop using the generator immediately, check whether their unit's model and part number are included in the recall using the lookup tool on Cummins' recall page, and contact an authorized Cummins service location, found through the company's online service locator, to schedule a free repair. Cummins is not offering refunds or replacement units; the remedy is a free repair of the fuel-tank venting system at an authorized service center.

What Happens Next

CPSC recall notices typically remain open for years, with companies required to continue offering the remedy to any owner who comes forward, even long after the initial announcement. Consumers who are unsure whether their generator is covered are directed to Cummins' dedicated recall campaign page rather than general product support, since the company is tracking affected units by serial and part number. The agency's most recent prior portable-generator recalls involved different manufacturers and different defects, including fuel-leak and carburetor problems rather than a venting-valve installation error, underscoring that each case has required its own distinct fix rather than a single industry-wide standard change.