Depends who you listen to.
The internet is loaded with “Opinion pieces” from home inspectors and electricians. Key word here being “opinions”! Read those articles closely, and you will see the ‘opinion’ staring you in the face!
The CPSC many years ago declined to issue a Recall due to their test results.
The case was updated many years later with the same ruling. No Recall issued.
As an inspector, I refer any suspicious panels to a qualified, licensed electrical contractor for their determination and correction as necessary based upon their owneducatin and testing results.
I am not qualified to make that determination unless there are obvious, glaring defects with the panel or its components.I will not take the liability ‘hit’ on that!
Edit, from 1st link above:
Inspect Your Sylvania Electrical Panel
If you are in the market to buy a home in the greater Portland area, conducting a thorough inspection of the electrical panel and electrical system to ensure there is not a Zinsco and Sylvania electric panel is crucial in making a sound property investment. Zinsco panels are also known as Magnetrip panels as well. If you are unsure of the type of electrical panel your prospective home has, give us a call and we would be happy to conduct a pre-purchase electrical inspection to give you peace of mind.
Also:
If you see “GTE-Sylvania” or simply “Sylvania” on your panel, you may have a re-branded Zinsco panel, which should also be replaced. However, not all Sylvania and GTE-Sylvania panels present a hazard, so you’ll need to have an electrician inspect the panel to determine if it requires replacement.Sep 7, 2020
Recalled? No
Deemed a fire hazard? Yes, some of them. See Larry’s post above.
Is there a website that has all recalled or dangerous panels?
Hell no! Can you imagine the liability involved? Who would take such a broad risk of providing false or misleading information?
Yes, kinda, almost all of them are from attorneys looking to troll for “victims” or electricians (some are selling new panels, others are pointing out what the public has likely already heard).
I call them out as it can be more difficult to obtain homeowners insurance when a home has a Stab-Lok panel.
I’ve always found this to be a good source for reference.
Identify GTE Sylvania (Zinsco) Electrical Panel & Circuit Breaker (inspectapedia.com)
And of course there’s always Google.
sylvania electrical panel fire hazard - Google Search
No official recall but most inspectors will call out Zinsco panels as being past their typical service life and having an elevated risk of fire or other problems. If you are ever unfortunate enough to find yourself in the company of an attorney coming after you in regards to a past inspection, a term you will likely hear is, “standard of care.” That basically means what others (inspectors) in your industry are calling out and reporting on. Things get murky as there is no requirement in SOPs to call these out but most of us do and you’ll be fighting an uphill battle if you don’t too.
Morning, David.
Think of this, life expectancy and vintage or/and obsolete - outdated.
Breakers: The average lifespan of a circuit breaker is about 30 to 40 years.
Sylvania Electrical Panels & Breakers
Electrical panels that do not use the Zinsco™ breaker design.
Observation: Recommend a licensed electrical contractor evaluate the Sylvania panel, breakers OCPD’s and conductor terminations for posable updating and related anomalies associated with this brand of electrical equipment prior purchase.
Act upon any recommendations therein.
Not your job to require replacement (outside SOP).
Identify and advise getting it evaluated by someone qualified.
Yes, on the insurance problem. But in my experience, the big push is condo and apartments with common area. Must have periodic inspection (IR etc) or replace the panel option. Your area may differ.
The disclosure that I use regarding FPE, old Sylvania, Zinsco, Bulldog
There are documented problems with these panels that repair or part replacement cannot adequately correct. The best recommendation is replace these panels with modern compliant panels.
I’ve written up over a thousand of these and so far, minimal push-back. A couple of electricians have said “Don’t fix what ain’t broke,” and a few sellers have said that their panels are working just fine.
See Kevin’s post here for a good reference source: Sylvania panel recalled? - #10 by kleonard
If the breakers are the color of the rainbow I list it as dated and suggest further evaluation by a licensed electrician.
Very helpful, thanks Kevin!
while reading this statement, a thought occurred to me. would it take the liabilty away if you say this in your report? specifically a boilerplate in the beginning with the rest, “Be aware there are some electrical panels manufactured and in use that have been the subject of recalls and known safety hazards that did not warrant a recall. As inspectors and not licensed electricians, we have no way to know which panels are safe and which present hazards. For this reason, we do not refer any electrical panels as hazardous but we do provide the relevant details of the panel so that you can research this more thoroughly yourself if you choose, but we always recommend a qualified licensed professional to make that final determination. Think of it like this, would you trust your general practioner to do open heart surgery on you?” or something to that effect. maybe leave out the analogy at the end, but i like to simplify things and make them understandable when possible.
Yeah, you could “boiler-plate” it but we really DO have a way to know… hang out here 
Or, anywhere that inspectors do.
There really aren’t that many… FPE and Zinsco are automatic write-ups and replacement recommendations. I’m still not on board with Challenger and have never really understood all the hate (confusion?) with Pushmatic. All that being said, I do have a comment I include with any panel over 40 explaining that insurance companies sometimes deny coverage. That covers pretty much everything being talked about… except maybe a few Challengers.
yes and from hanging out here i see that taking on that added responsibility is not a good thing as it opens us up to liabilities by going above the sop. i am aware of the standards of care issue and am trying to avoid the added liability of acting like an electrician while avoiding the issue of not upholding the standard of care expected. i prefer to call out the ones i know are bad, but should i miss one since i am new i would also like to cover my arse. i think that the boilerplate will stay and if i see anything like fpe or zinsco i will say something to the tune of, “The electrical panel was made by Zinsco and has been recalled. I recommend further evaluation and/or replacement by a qualified licensed professional.” or the like.
the inspecting part is easy as hell, but it sure takes some work to get into the “avoid liability with your words” mindset to become an inspector. i had the hardest time not giving an unlicensed person’s number to a client because she couldn’t find anyone to help, but then i found one. not many contractors want small jobs these days it seems.