A leading climbing brand has launched a massive recall of some popular climbing harnesses due to a design flaw that may endanger rock climbers.
According to an alert by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, the US division of French company Petzl has issued a recall of three of its harnesses after discovering the flaw. According to the official recall, the harnesses can all be put on backward, meaning the rope or carabiner can be attached to a non-weight-bearing leg loop elastic band, placing the user at risk of falling and sustaining serious injury or death.
Approximately 22,000 of these products have been sold in the United States between January 2019 through May 2024, while another 5,800 were sold in Canada. There has been one report of a user in the United States suffering serious injuries from a fall.
This recall involves three Petzl climbing harnesses: the GYM harness (Model No. C032AA00), the PANDION harness (Model Nos. C029AA00 and C029AA01), and the PANJI harness (Model No. C028AA00). Serial numbers are printed on a label inside the harnesses.
If you believe you own any of these products, you should immediately stop using them and contact Petzl America for a free repair. Read our step-by-step guide to how to put on a climbing harness to make sure you're always putting safety first at the crag.
