In response to a CPSC recall alert issued last week, Rossignol has released a statement clarifying exactly which bindings were recalled. Apparently, the CPSC alert concerned a recall which began in December of 2003, and was completed within 60 days. Rossignol also stated that the alert issued by the CPSC was in regards to 2003-04 products and has no bearing on 2004-05 products.

The complete Rossignol letter reads:


The recent CPSC notice relates to a recall that began over one year ago, in December of 2003. The recall process was substantially completed within sixty days of the date it began, and the CPSC has closed its file and complimented us for our efforts. The CPSC issued the Recall Alert notice in order to complete its files, and its issuance only recently was largely due to internal delays resulting from personnel changes within the CPSC organization. In the words of the CPSC: The purpose of the Recall Alert is not as a tool to reach the affected consumers but rather it is intended as a public record and CPSC acknowledgement of our participation and acceptance of the firms corrective action plan.

The recall involved approximately 11,000 pairs of 2003/2004 model year bindings of the following models:

    Rossignol Models (2003/2004 model year only):

  • HC500
  • HC Rental
  • Zena
  • Unit Pack
  • Unit Rental

    Dynastar Models (2003/2004 model year only):

  • Classic RL
  • Classic Pack

No other models were involved.

When we received reports of several broken bindings in early December of 2003, we immediately investigated and determined that certain bindings, which had been produced by a subcontractor in Taiwan, might not meet our specifications, and we decided that all bindings from this subcontractor should be replaced. The CPSC was notified of these facts on December 9, 2003, and all of our actions involving this recall were undertaken with the CPSC’s approval.

Many of the recalled bindings were in rental fleets. Teams of technicians were immediately dispatched to the resorts and shops, which had these bindings, and all recalled bindings in these rental fleets were replaced prior to the Christmas holiday 2003. Notices of this recall were mailed in January of 2004 to all dealers and identified consumers who had purchased these bindings. Our efforts met with tremendous success, and nearly 90% of the recalled bindings had been returned and replaced by the end of the 2003/2004 season.

Overall, we received reports of only 23 broken bindings, all from rental shops, and once the recall began, we received no further reports of broken bindings. More importantly, we have received absolutely no reports of injuries due to this situation.
We believe that our customers’ safety is paramount, and we are pleased with the results of our efforts in this situation.

Please be advised that the statement issued by the CPSC on February 1, 2005 was merely a procedure the CPSC had to take to finalize the December 2003 Rossignol/Dynastar binding recall and is by no means related to 2004-2005 Snowboard binding product.