NEWS S&W Recalls Walther PPK and PPK/S pistols

[lukem]

Smith & Wesson has identified a condition that may exist in certain PPK and PPK/S pistols which may permit a round to be discharged without the trigger being pulled. When the manual safety is disengaged, Smith & Wesson's Product Engineering Group has determined that the possibility exists in certain firearms that lowering the hammer may cause a chambered round to fire.

This recall applies to all Walther PPK and PPK/S pistols manufactured by Smith & Wesson from March 21, 2002, until February 3, 2009. The Serial Numbers of the pistol subject to this recall are as follows:

0010BAB - 9999BAB
0000BAC - 9999BAC
0000BAD - 9999BAD
0000LTD - 0499LTD
0001PPK - 1500PPK
0000BAE - 9999BAE
0000BAF - 9999BAF
0001WLE - 0459WLE
0000BAH - 9999BAH
0000BAJ - 9999BAJ
0000BAK - 9999BAK
0026REP - 0219REP
0000BAL - 5313BAL
0000BAM - 1320BAM

STOP USING YOUR PISTOL AND RETURN IT TO SMITH & WESSON AT ONCE.
Any unintended discharge of a firearm has the potential for causing injury, and we ask that you stop using your pistol immediately.

To facilitate the repair of your pistol, please contact Smith & Wesson's customer service department to receive instructions for the return of your pistol to Smith & Wesson.

When you return your pistol to Smith & Wesson, we will replace the existing hammer block feature with a new part at no cost to you. Your firearm will be returned as quickly and efficiently as possible.

When your pistol is returned, you should note a punch dot which appears at the back of the frame. See the photograph below.


This marking is verification that the new hammer block has been installed and that your pistol is safe to handle.

To receive a UPS pre-paid billable stamp and shipping instructions to arrange for the modification of your pistol click here or contact Smith & Wesson directly at 1-800-331-0852.

PPK Hammer Block Recall - Smith & Wesson

[2beararms]

WOW, that's a bad one and took a long time to catch. Shows that these things can even happen to as reputable a manufacturer as Walther.

The fact that the recall covers nine years of a very popular pistol, however, I hope means there have been very few incidents.

[Canis-Lupus]

Heads Up On Walther PPK, PPK/S recall via (free) UPS.
Entered all I needed to on the link provided by S & W (ME):
PPK Recall Return Form - Smith & Wesson
and it gave me a numerical tracking # that looks like this on screen:
"Your recall return shipment has been requested. Your confirmation number is: 12345." I called a UPS local store, only one place in my town, their main hub that will accept the weapon for free secure shipping back to S & W. Once the UPS mailing shipping label arrives by mail, call UPS info: 1-800-742-5877 and they will run your ZIP for the nearest UPS main hub(s) that will ship a weapon, the smaller UPS mail-shops will not accept the weapon for shipping, has to be a full service UPS facility. Then just take your Walther inside a closed box NOT wrapped or sealed, they will unpack/examine & repack prior to them shipping it, with the shipping label (arrives snail mail I guess to my home/address I input) and they will ship it out for free, no probs. If no concealed carry permit for transport suggest inside locked box & no ammo! Drop boxes and smaller UPS locations won't accept or ship, save a trip and call UPS for the nearest full-service center(s) in your a/o. No other paperwork required from my local UPS main hub except my ID's day I ship it.
FYI,

Canis-Lupus

[surfcc]

Thanks for the heads up! Funny thing is, I am driving through Springfield MA tomorrow! I'll drop off my ppk for the fix. Thanks again!

[surfcc]

I dropped off my PPK in Springfield on Wednesday. SHould have it back in a few weeks.

[Canis-Lupus]

I called S & W this a.m. (4 Mar). I registered online for return on 24 Feb '09. A lady told me they would start shipping out the UPS lables on 13 March, so I look for mine sometime late March.
Glad you got your's shipped, only a few buk$ without the free return to sender UPS sticker. But getting your Walther safe is worth speeding things up. Not even carrying mine till it gets fixed, thank God for a SA XD-9 primary carry.
Updated,

C-L

[Geezer]

Here we have a design that is decades old, and they screw it up? Next thing, they will put a lock on it.

[Heathen]

I bought a Ruger LCP and a Walther PPK/S 380 in the past eight months and both have been recalled. The Ruger LCP recall was fast, efficient, and I got the LCP back within two weeks.

The Walther is another story. I saw an article in the local newpaper on February 24, and logged into the web site and registered. I finally received an email with a UPS shipping label on March 28. The day I received the shipping label, I sent the PPK/s back to Smith & Wesson.

Since it has been at Smith & Wesson for a month now, I called Walther [Smith & Wesson] this morning and was told,yes, they received it, and some story about having to have them all in before they did anything to any of the pistols and we could expect to have the pistol back eight to twelve weeks from the date it was received.

She said they had not begun modification of any of the PPK/s or PPK subject to the recall and expected they would begin working on them sometime within the next month and when they did, expected to complete 400 - 500 per day.

This is bazar! You buy a supposed high quality pistol and they send you a letter and tell you there is a problem with accidental firing and not to fire the pistol. And it is going to take 4 or 5 months to repair a factory defect in a pistol?

The PPK/s I have has some other problems. It jams about every three or four rounds and about the same cycle upon firing, the hammer ends up in the half cock position requiring a manual hammer cock. I thought it might be ammo, but tried four or five commercial brands with the same result. That was before the recall notice.

I listed all of these problems when I returned the PPK/s for the recall. I hope Smith & Wesson correct all of these problems because this is the most disappointing pistol I have ever bought and 4 to 5 months to repair a defective pistol is absurd! I did not buy a Saturday night Special, or at least I didn't think I did. One might think this thing was made in I China from recycled beer cans.

I should have bought another Glock. They work without fail. I have five.

Heathen

[remltr]

New member and first post.

I got here by searching for the recall info today.

I just received in the mail the UPS return label from S&W.

I bought my PPK at a gun show about two years ago, used.

This is the first I have heard of the recall and thought maybe this might be a scam, but obviously not.

It is amazing that I was tracked down, because the show I bought it at, does not require any paperwork unless the seller has an FFL.

Anyway my serial number starts with a 2 and has six numerical digits and one alpha character for a total of 7 characters. So if I am reading correctly the serial numbers that apply, mine is not one of them. It also has an interarms etch on the slide. No SW etching at all.

BTW I haven't even fired this thing yet. It doesn't even look like it has been fired by the previous owner.

So how did they find me? And assuming there is a record somewhere that has my name and the serial number, why would I receive a return label.

I could be mistaken, but I don't think this applies to me. Any thoughts welcomed.