APC SurgeArrest Recall (2013)

The APC SurgeArrest Recall affected approximately 15 million APC 7-Series and 8-Series surge protectors manufactured between 1993 and 2002.

Affected products could overheat, smoke, melt, and potentially cause fires. The recall was announced in October 2013 and included products sold under the Personal, Professional, Performance, and Network product families.

Affected units can be identified by the manufacturing year encoded within the serial number.

The OldSurge Archive currently contains documented recall-era specimens manufactured in 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2002, representing both the SurgeArrest Professional and SurgeArrest Personal product families. Later post-recall-generation examples manufactured in 2008, 2015, 2017, and 2021 provide direct comparison points outside the affected production period.

The archive also preserves both a recalled 1998 APC SurgeArrest Personal PER7T and the 2021 replacement unit supplied by APC through the recall program, creating a rare opportunity to document both sides of the recall-replacement process.

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PowerPig's Recall Safety Guide illustrating the APC SurgeArrest recall process: Discover, Verify, Replace, and Recycle.

Hazard

According to APC and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), affected surge protectors could overheat, smoke, melt, and pose a fire hazard.

Incident Statistics

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, APC received approximately 700 reports of overheating and melting surge protectors and 55 reports of property damage related to smoke and fire.

The reported incidents included approximately $916,000 in residential fire damage and approximately $750,000 in damage to a medical facility.

Thirteen injuries were reported, including smoke inhalation and contact burns.

Affected Models

Affected 7-Series models included:

• PRO7
• PRO7C
• PRO7T
• PER7
• PER7T
• PRF7

Affected 8-Series models included:

• PRO8
• PRO8T2
• PER8T
• NET8

Additional affected models were included in the recall.

Identification

Affected units can be identified by the serial number located on the underside of the surge protector.

The two digits immediately following the first letter or letters of the serial number indicate the year of manufacture.

Examples documented by the OldSurge Archive include:

• APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 (Z94030204087) (1994, recalled)
• APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 (Z96030204796) (1996, recalled)
• APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 (Z98010201706) (1998, recalled)
• APC SurgeArrest Personal PER7T (Z98010214399) (1998, recalled)
• APC SurgeArrest Personal PER7T (7Z2102L08233) (2021, replacement unit)
• APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 (Z99080215662) (1999, recalled)
• APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 (2Z0250P17876) (2002, recalled)

Units with the following year codes were included in the recall:

Year Code	Included in Recall
93	Yes
94	Yes
95	Yes
96	Yes
97	Yes
98	Yes
99	Yes
00	Yes
01	Yes
02	Yes

OldSurge Archive Examples

Model	Serial Number	Year	Country	Recall Status	Article
PRO7	Z94030204087	1994	China	Recalled	APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 (Z94030204087)
PRO7	Z96030204796	1996	China	Recalled	APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 (Z96030204796)
PER7T	Z98010214399	1998	China	Recalled	APC SurgeArrest Personal PER7T (Z98010214399)
PRO7	Z98010201706	1998	China	Recalled	APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 (Z98010201706)
PRO7	Z99080215662	1999	China	Recalled	APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 (Z99080215662)
PRO7	2Z0250P17876	2002	China	Recalled	APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 (2Z0250P17876)
PRO7	1Z0222R02812	2002	China	Recall Redeemed (2026)	Pending documentation
PRO7	1Z0222R02815	2002	China	Recall Redeemed (2026)	Pending documentation
PRO7	4Z0842P07546	2008	Philippines	Not Recalled	APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 (4Z0842P07546)
PRO7	7Z1550L09782	2015	Philippines	Not Recalled	APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 (7Z1550L09782)
PRO7	7Z1714L05335	2017	Philippines	Not Recalled	APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 (7Z1714L05335)
PER7T	7Z2102L08233	2021	Philippines	Recall Replacement Unit	APC SurgeArrest Personal PER7T (7Z2102L08233)

The OldSurge Archive currently includes six documented APC SurgeArrest products manufactured during the recall period together with multiple post-recall comparison specimens. These examples include both recalled and non-recalled SurgeArrest Professional products as well as a recalled SurgeArrest Personal PER7T and its documented factory replacement.

The archive's documented PER7T example demonstrates that the recall affected multiple product families within APC's SurgeArrest lineup and was not limited to the Professional series.

Teardown examination further revealed that the Personal and Professional product families were not electrically identical. Although the archive's 1998 PER7T and 1998 PRO7 specimens share enclosure architecture, UL file number E111219, 330-volt TVSS ratings, and suppression boards carrying 1996 APC copyright markings, each utilizes a distinct suppression-board design. The findings demonstrate that APC's recall encompassed multiple related but internally different product families.

The documented recall-era examples span 1994 through 2002 and include APC PRO7 units incorporating ©1993, ©1996, ©1997, and ©2002 suppression-board revisions. Together, these examples provide a unique opportunity to compare multiple generations of recalled APC SurgeArrest Professional hardware against later non-recalled production units.

The 1999 specimen (Z99080215662) occupies a particularly important position within the documented timeline. Internal examination identified a previously undocumented suppression board marked ©1997, bridging the gap between the archive's ©1996 and ©2002 PRO7 generations. The example also incorporates internal molded date-code wheels, a July 1999 UL hologram label, and a June 1999 capacitor date code, all consistent with August 1999 manufacture.

Documented Recall Replacement Example

The OldSurge Archive's PER7T specimen (Z98010214399) is accompanied by documentation indicating that the unit was submitted to APC under the SurgeArrest recall program in June 2021.

The owner subsequently received APC SurgeArrest Personal PER7T serial number 7Z2102L08233, a replacement unit manufactured in 2021. Unlike most replacement products issued through long-running recall programs, the replacement unit was preserved with its original packaging, quality-assurance documentation, registration materials, user guide, accessory telephone cable, molded date codes, and complete internal construction. The preserved artifact therefore provides a rare documented example of a recalled APC surge protector that remained in service for more than two decades before participating in the recall process.

Both the recalled surge protector and its replacement unit have been preserved and documented by the archive. Together they provide a unique opportunity to compare APC SurgeArrest Personal products manufactured approximately twenty-three years apart while tracing the complete recall-replacement lifecycle from original sale through replacement fulfillment.

Recall Replacement Pair

Specimen	Year	Status	Article
APC SurgeArrest Personal PER7T (Z98010214399)	1998	Recalled Product	APC SurgeArrest Personal PER7T (Z98010214399)
APC SurgeArrest Personal PER7T (7Z2102L08233)	2021	APC Replacement Unit	APC SurgeArrest Personal PER7T (7Z2102L08233)

2026 Recall Redemption

In late 2026, two APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 units manufactured in 2002 were submitted to Schneider Electric under the APC SurgeArrest recall program. Both units fell within the affected production range and were confirmed as eligible for recall processing.

The redeemed units carried serial numbers 1Z0222R02812 and 1Z0222R02815, indicating manufacture in 2002 and placing both products within the recall period.

During communication with Schneider Electric representatives, the owner was informed that APC no longer manufactured surge protectors suitable for direct replacement of the recalled products. Rather than providing replacement hardware, Schneider Electric issued two $30 USD Amazon electronic gift cards as the recall remedy for the submitted units.

As part of the recall process, Schneider Electric instructed the owner to disable the recalled products by cutting the attached power cords and to dispose of the units after redemption.

This outcome contrasts with an earlier recall submission documented by the archive in 2021, when APC replaced a recalled SurgeArrest Personal PER7T with a newly manufactured PER7T replacement unit. The difference suggests that the recall program's resolution process evolved over time as APC's surge-protection product lines were discontinued and replacement inventory was exhausted.

Both redeemed PRO7 units were retained temporarily for documentation and analysis prior to disposal. Planned examination includes destructive teardown, component-weight analysis, and material-composition measurements intended to document the physical construction of recalled APC surge suppressors before their removal from service.

The recall remedies documented by the archive therefore span at least two distinct phases of the APC SurgeArrest recall program: direct replacement with newly manufactured APC hardware in 2021 and gift-card compensation in 2026 after APC had discontinued production of consumer surge protectors suitable for replacement.

Year	Serial Number	PCB / Board Revision	Recall Status
1994	Z94030204087	©1993	Recalled
1996	Z96030204796	©1993	Recalled
1998	Z98010201706	©1996	Recalled
1998	Z98010214399	640-0323C REV 6 (©1996)	Recalled
1999	Z99080215662	©1997	Recalled
2002	2Z0250P17876	©2002	Recalled
2008	4Z0842P07546	©2002	Not Recalled
2017	7Z1714L05335	©2009	Not Recalled
2021	7Z2102L08233	Main board ©2006; Telephone board ©2007	Replacement Unit

The 1994 and 1996 specimens are particularly significant because both utilize suppression board 640-0321 REV 2 carrying a ©1993 American Power Conversion copyright notice. Internal examination revealed no significant differences in suppression-board layout, component placement, attachment-plug design, or overall construction.

These findings indicate that APC continued manufacturing the original PRO7 design through at least 1996 production before introducing the later ©1996 suppression-board generation documented in the archive's 1998 specimen.

Timeline

Date	Event
January 1993 - December 2002	Manufacture and sale of affected APC 7-Series and 8-Series SurgeArrest products.
October 2013	APC and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall.
October 2013	recall.apc.com launched to process replacement claims.
January 2021	Replacement PER7T (7Z2102L08233) completed factory testing.
June 2021	Documented PER7T (Z98010214399) submitted to APC under the recall program and replaced with PER7T (7Z2102L08233).
April 2026	APC by Schneider Electric indicated recall.apc.com had been retired and directed customers to contact Schneider Electric directly.
September-October 2026	OldSurge Archive documented multiple recalled APC SurgeArrest examples spanning 1994 through 2002 production, including both Professional-series and Personal-series products.

Archive Significance

The APC SurgeArrest recall represents one of the best-documented product recalls currently preserved by the OldSurge Archive.

Documented examples presently include recalled products manufactured in 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2002 together with post-recall comparison specimens manufactured in 2008, 2015, 2017, and 2021. The collection also includes a recalled 1998 PER7T together with the documented 2021 replacement unit supplied by APC. Preservation of both products provides unusually complete evidence of the recall process and enables direct comparison of APC SurgeArrest Personal designs separated by more than two decades of development and corporate ownership.

Together, these artifacts provide a unique opportunity to compare recalled and non-recalled APC SurgeArrest products spanning more than two decades of development while documenting changes in suppression circuitry, manufacturing practices, component sourcing, and product-family evolution.

Official Recall Documentation

The APC SurgeArrest recall was published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) as Recall No. 14-001.

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  Recall overview and summary.
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  Affected model numbers and identification information.
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  Incident statistics and remedy information.

APC Recall Documentation

The following screenshots were captured from APC by Schneider Electric FAQ FA158846 on September 11, 2026.

• 
  Overview of the APC Surge Product Recall including serial-number identification guidance and recall eligibility criteria.
• 
  Affected APC 7-Series and 8-Series SurgeArrest model numbers included in the recall.
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  Recall resolution information including retirement of recall.apc.com and current Schneider Electric contact information.

Recall Website

At the time of the recall, APC operated a dedicated website at:

http://recall.apc.com

By April 2026, APC by Schneider Electric indicated that the dedicated recall website had been retired due to low usage and directed consumers to contact Schneider Electric directly for recall assistance.

Archived Recall Website

During the active recall period, APC operated a dedicated website at:

http://recall.apc.com

The website provided recall eligibility information, model identification guidance, serial number decoding instructions, and an online claim submission process for obtaining replacement units.

The following screenshots were captured from archived copies of the website preserved by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

• 
  Main page of the APC recall website captured October 7, 2013, shortly after announcement of the recall.
• 
  Serial-number identification guidance and affected model listing from the APC recall website.
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  Claim submission section instructing owners of affected products to stop using recalled surge protectors and submit a replacement claim.

References

• APC by Schneider Electric recall notice
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall notice