Generac PWRCell System Faulty SnapRS 801 Components Class Action

Generac Power Systems, Inc. originally offered generators and other back-up power products, but in recent years it has expanded into the renewable energy business. At issue in this class action are SnapRS 801 Rapid Shutdown components, which are part of its PWRCell System for solar energy production. The complaint alleges that these switches malfunction, causing them to overheat, melt, explode, or catch fire, threatening the safety and property of those who own the systems.

The Nationwide Class for this action is all persons and entities in the US, including its territories and the District of Columbia, who bought and had installed a residential solar energy system equipped with Generac SnapRS Rapid Shutdown Inline Disconnect switches (the SnapRS 801 switch). A Tennessee Subclass has been defined for all those in the above class in Tennessee.

Generac claims to offer quality but affordable energy management devices for solar energy systems. The complaint quotes the company as saying that its “PWR cell offers 30% more power output than our competitors [], and it offers more storage capacity.”

“Solar management systems, like the PWRCell,” the complaint alleges, “are required by state regulation to include a rapid shut down device meant to isolate solar panels that could have exceeded safe operation voltage thresholds.” The SnapRS 801 was meant to fulfill this function. According to the complaint, Generac represented that the SnapRS 801 was compliant with the requirements for such devices in the National Electric Code and Underwriters Laboratories, and that it was made in an International Organization for Standardization (IOS) 9001 certified facility. The company warrants it for twenty-five years.

The complaint alleges that Generac knew of problems with the SnapRS 801 as early as April 2021, when partner Pink Energy reported a melted SnapRS 801 it discovered during a service call at a customer’s home. Pink had found, the complaint alleges, that the SnapRS801 “had shown clear signs of heat deformation, charring, and melting.”

After that, other similarly defective switches were found, the complaint alleges, and incidents of homes catching fire occurred. “PVRSS Lockout” incidents also took place, the complaint claims, in which defective SnapRS 801s caused systems to shut down until a service technician could replace the faulty switches and lift the lockout.

Generac first claimed that a firmware update would solve the problems, but not all solar energy systems were connected to the Internet and able to receive the update. After that, the complaint alleges, it brought out the SnapRS 801A, which supposedly corrected the problems with the SnapRS 801, but the complaint alleges that the malfunctions continued with this switch as well.

The complaint suggests that the SnapRS 801 has a failure rate of nearly 50%. It claims that Generac has not informed all owners of the PWRCell systems incorporating the faulty switches or issued a recall of them.

Article Type: Lawsuit
Topic: Consumer
Tags: Breach of warranty, Defective Product, Fraudulent Concealment, Solar Panels/Solar Energy