Shock risk sparks Shark vacuum recall

NEW YORK — A Massachusetts company is recalling 143,000 upright vacuum cleaners because of the risk of electric shock.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said Euro-Pro Operating LLC is recalling four models of its Shark brand Rotator Powered Lift-Airway vacuum cleaner. The agency said the device’s aluminum wand can disconnect from the vacuum cleaner handle while remaining electrified, potentially shocking its users.

The CPSC said 142,000 of the vacuum cleaners were sold in the U.S. and another 650 in Canada between August 2014 and March 2015. They are about 45 inches tall and 12 inches wide and are maroon or purple with a clear plastic middle section. Some of the products were sold directly to consumers and others were sold at stores including Bed Bath &Beyond, Target, Best Buy, Kohl’s, and Lowe’s. They cost between $250 and $350 each.

The agency said consumers should contact Euro-Pro to get a replacement wand. It said Euro-Pro has received 62 reports of the wand detaching from the handle of the vacuum cleaner, but hasn’t received any reports of injuries.