Model YF6022 Owners Should Stop Using the Machine Before the First Snowfall, Even if It Worked Fine Last Winter
Credit: Homeowner.ca
Late October is when Canadian garages get rearranged. The lawn mower goes to the back, the snow thrower comes to the front, and someone pulls the cord across the driveway to make sure it still starts. For tens of thousands of households, that ritual now needs a different ending. Health Canada announced on October 26, 2026 that Home Hardware Stores Limited is recalling 37,667 Benchmark-branded 22-inch, 15-amp electric snow throwers, model YF6022, because the power cable can break in extreme cold and expose the user to an electric shock.
The timing matters more than the number. This is a defect that hides in mild weather and appears in exactly the conditions the machine was bought for. A test run on a 5°C afternoon proves the motor works. It says nothing about how the cable behaves at the bottom of a January cold snap.
This article answers three questions in order: whether your machine is affected, what to do with it now, and how to stay ready for the first storm. It also covers why the unit cannot be passed along to someone else, and offers a short, separate check for anyone running a different corded electric snow thrower this season.
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The notice, published as recall RA-82852, names Home Hardware as the recalling retailer and identifies a single model. According to Health Canada's recall notice, the company had received 19 reports of the power cord breaking in Canada as of October 5, 2026, and no reports of injuries.
The machines were manufactured in China by Suzhou Murray Electronics & Machinery Co., Ltd and supplied by Sumec Hardware & Tools. Health Canada has not published a temperature threshold for "extreme cold," and it has not described a cause beyond cold exposure. Readers should treat any claim that goes further than that as speculation.
A sales window that spans six winters means the recalled population is large and mixed: some machines are nearly new, others have cleared driveways since 2020. Every one of them is in scope. The notice does not list a serial-number range or date code that would exempt older or newer units.
Several recent recalls have landed just as Canadians swap seasonal equipment, including the DR Power trimmer mowers owners were parking for winter.
The notice, published as recall RA-82852, names Home Hardware as the recalling retailer and identifies a single model. According to Health Canada's recall notice, the company had received 19 reports of the power cord breaking in Canada as of October 5, 2026, and no reports of injuries.
The machines were manufactured in China by Suzhou Murray Electronics & Machinery Co., Ltd and supplied by Sumec Hardware & Tools. Health Canada has not published a temperature threshold for "extreme cold," and it has not described a cause beyond cold exposure. Readers should treat any claim that goes further than that as speculation.
A sales window that spans six winters means the recalled population is large and mixed: some machines are nearly new, others have cleared driveways since 2020. Every one of them is in scope. The notice does not list a serial-number range or date code that would exempt older or newer units.
Several recent recalls have landed just as Canadians swap seasonal equipment, including the DR Power trimmer mowers owners were parking for winter.
Identification is quick, and it does not require plugging anything in. The recalled unit has a red and black base and wheels, a black handle, and the word "BENCHMARK" printed on the side. The deciding detail is the model number, YF6022, which appears on a label on the back of the base of the machine.
Retail naming and recall naming do not match exactly, which can trip people up when they search their email. Home Hardware's product listing calls it a snow blower, shows item number 5554513 with a 22-inch clearing width and 14-inch intake height, and now marks it as discontinued.
If you bought the machine for a parent or a neighbour, this is the moment to check theirs too. Older owners and renters who inherited equipment are the least likely to see a recall notice on their own.
Identification is quick, and it does not require plugging anything in. The recalled unit has a red and black base and wheels, a black handle, and the word "BENCHMARK" printed on the side. The deciding detail is the model number, YF6022, which appears on a label on the back of the base of the machine.
Retail naming and recall naming do not match exactly, which can trip people up when they search their email. Home Hardware's product listing calls it a snow blower, shows item number 5554513 with a 22-inch clearing width and 14-inch intake height, and now marks it as discontinued.
If you bought the machine for a parent or a neighbour, this is the moment to check theirs too. Older owners and renters who inherited equipment are the least likely to see a recall notice on their own.
Most product problems announce themselves early. A motor that overheats or a switch that sticks tends to show up in the first few uses, and owners learn to trust a machine that has behaved for a season or two. This recall breaks that logic. Health Canada ties the failure to extreme cold, so the risk is concentrated in the hardest days of winter, and a mild December or a lucky run of milder storms could have kept a unit from ever reaching those conditions.
That is why "it worked fine last year" should not factor into the decision. The question is not whether the machine runs. It is whether the cable will hold when the temperature drops far enough, and the recall exists because, for some units, it has not.
Cold is hard on electrical cords in general. The Electrical Safety Authority has long warned that extension cords stored outdoors in the winter can crack. That is general guidance about cords, not an explanation of this specific defect, which Health Canada has not detailed.
A broken cord on a machine you are holding, in snow, is a different risk from a frayed lamp cord indoors. Power-cord defects have driven other recent recalls, such as the Panasonic toaster ovens recalled over a power-cord shock hazard, but outdoor winter use adds moisture and wet gloves to the picture.
Most product problems announce themselves early. A motor that overheats or a switch that sticks tends to show up in the first few uses, and owners learn to trust a machine that has behaved for a season or two. This recall breaks that logic. Health Canada ties the failure to extreme cold, so the risk is concentrated in the hardest days of winter, and a mild December or a lucky run of milder storms could have kept a unit from ever reaching those conditions.
That is why "it worked fine last year" should not factor into the decision. The question is not whether the machine runs. It is whether the cable will hold when the temperature drops far enough, and the recall exists because, for some units, it has not.
Cold is hard on electrical cords in general. The Electrical Safety Authority has long warned that extension cords stored outdoors in the winter can crack. That is general guidance about cords, not an explanation of this specific defect, which Health Canada has not detailed.
A broken cord on a machine you are holding, in snow, is a different risk from a frayed lamp cord indoors. Power-cord defects have driven other recent recalls, such as the Panasonic toaster ovens recalled over a power-cord shock hazard, but outdoor winter use adds moisture and wet gloves to the picture.
The direction from Health Canada is short: immediately stop using the recalled snow thrower and contact Home Hardware for instructions on how to destroy it in exchange for a refund. The order matters. Get the instructions first, then destroy the unit the way Home Hardware specifies.
Do not improvise. Some recalls ask owners to cut the power cord and send a photo, but this notice tells you to get instructions from Home Hardware first. Wait for Home Hardware's instructions so the unit is destroyed the way its refund process requires.
Destroy-for-refund remedies are common in electrical recalls. The Amana through-the-wall unit recall is one example of how the steps can differ from one recall to the next.
It is tempting to recover a little money by listing a working snow thrower online in November, or to hand it to a neighbour who rents and only needs to clear a short walk. The recall notice closes both doors: it states that the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act prohibits recalled products from being redistributed, sold or even given away in Canada.
The statutory text is narrow and direct. Section 8 of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act says no person shall advertise or sell a consumer product that they know is the subject of a voluntary recall in Canada because the product is a danger to human health or safety. The same rule applies to products under a government recall order.
Two details matter for homeowners. First, "voluntary" describes how the recall started, not whether owners can ignore it. In its Canada Consumer Product Safety Act Quick Reference Guide, Health Canada notes that most recalls happen at the supplier's own initiative, and that no one may advertise or sell a product they know has been voluntarily recalled for safety reasons. Second, the rule turns on knowledge. Once you have read this notice, you know.
The practical upshot is simple. The refund is the only legitimate way to recover value from this machine, and the unit should leave your garage through Home Hardware's process, not through a garage sale, a donation bin or a marketplace listing.
It is tempting to recover a little money by listing a working snow thrower online in November, or to hand it to a neighbour who rents and only needs to clear a short walk. The recall notice closes both doors: it states that the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act prohibits recalled products from being redistributed, sold or even given away in Canada.
The statutory text is narrow and direct. Section 8 of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act says no person shall advertise or sell a consumer product that they know is the subject of a voluntary recall in Canada because the product is a danger to human health or safety. The same rule applies to products under a government recall order.
Two details matter for homeowners. First, "voluntary" describes how the recall started, not whether owners can ignore it. In its Canada Consumer Product Safety Act Quick Reference Guide, Health Canada notes that most recalls happen at the supplier's own initiative, and that no one may advertise or sell a product they know has been voluntarily recalled for safety reasons. Second, the rule turns on knowledge. Once you have read this notice, you know.
The practical upshot is simple. The refund is the only legitimate way to recover value from this machine, and the unit should leave your garage through Home Hardware's process, not through a garage sale, a donation bin or a marketplace listing.
This section applies to every corded electric snow thrower, including models that are not part of RA-82852. It is precautionary guidance, not a recall instruction. A corded machine is only as safe as the cord feeding it, and late October is the right time to look before the first snowfall forces a rushed start.
The Electrical Safety Authority, Ontario's electrical regulator, frames outdoor cord use as "right cord, right place, right use." Its outdoor safety guidance says to use only extension cords rated for outdoor use, to plug a grounded outdoor cord into an outlet with ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protection, and to inspect cords before each use. A GFCI is a device that cuts power quickly when it detects current leaking to ground, the exact scenario a damaged cord creates.
On sizing, the Electrical Safety Foundation International's cord guide lists 14-gauge cord for 14 to 15 amps at 25 to 50 feet, and 12-gauge for the same load at 100 feet. Lower gauge numbers mean thicker wire. Your snow thrower's manual has the final word on the cord it needs, so check it if you still have it.
This section applies to every corded electric snow thrower, including models that are not part of RA-82852. It is precautionary guidance, not a recall instruction. A corded machine is only as safe as the cord feeding it, and late October is the right time to look before the first snowfall forces a rushed start.
The Electrical Safety Authority, Ontario's electrical regulator, frames outdoor cord use as "right cord, right place, right use." Its outdoor safety guidance says to use only extension cords rated for outdoor use, to plug a grounded outdoor cord into an outlet with ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protection, and to inspect cords before each use. A GFCI is a device that cuts power quickly when it detects current leaking to ground, the exact scenario a damaged cord creates.
On sizing, the Electrical Safety Foundation International's cord guide lists 14-gauge cord for 14 to 15 amps at 25 to 50 feet, and 12-gauge for the same load at 100 feet. Lower gauge numbers mean thicker wire. Your snow thrower's manual has the final word on the cord it needs, so check it if you still have it.
If the outlet nearest your driveway is not GFCI-protected, a plug-in portable GFCI adapter from a hardware store is a quick fix for the season. For a permanent outdoor outlet, hire a licensed electrical contractor.
Missing GFCI protection and short cords were at the heart of the Workbless electric pressure washer recall, a reminder that the cord and outlet are part of the safety system.
The worst outcome of this recall would be an owner who keeps using the machine because there is no backup and the snow is already falling. The refund is the starting point; the replacement decision is yours. Without ranking specific products, the realistic pathways look like this:
Whatever you choose, do not let the gap push the recalled machine back into service. A shovel and a sore back are a better first-storm plan than a cable that may fail in the cold.
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About the Author
Ryan is the founder of Homeowner.ca and a proud Canadian homeowner based in Guelph, Ontario. Over his 25-year career in digital publishing, he has focused on transforming complex information into clear, practical guidance that helps people make confident, well-informed decisions.
