More than 53,000 defective DeWalt sledgehammers recall after head detaches mid-swing

The Government of Canada has recalled over 53,000 sledgehammers after receiving reports the hammerhead may detach in the middle of a swing and injure the user.

Health Canada announced the recall on Apr. 20 after DeWalt received a report of a hammerhead detaching during use as of Mar. 15. This is the only reported occurrence in Canada, but it has been reported 191 times in the United States. In two of those cases, the user was injured.

The company reported  53,036 such hammers have been sold in Canada and 2,159,230 were sold in the United States. Customers who bought one of the effected hammers should immediately stop using the tool and contact the parent company,  Stanley Black & Decker, at 1-855-418-3032 or online for a refund.

A full list of the 21 recalled hammers is available on the Health Canada recall website. The hammers were manufactured in Vietnam and imported by the Mississauga-based Stanley Black and Decker. The affected products were sold between 2013 and 2022.