Climbing gear recalls, as the publishers announced them.

Who publishes recalls

The UIAA says its Safety Commission shares recent equipment recalls and warnings, and its 2012 press release states that it keeps a database of certified equipment and recalls. National product-safety regulators, such as the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Health Canada and Ireland's Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), publish notices for their own markets, and makers publish their own. The same recall can therefore carry different dates from different publishers.

The notices, by date

The notices in more detail

Via ferrata sets, 2012 and 2013

The UIAA's warning of 13 September 2012 followed a fatal accident in which a climber fell several metres and both lanyards of the set broke. The UIAA said the maker found the lanyard's strength had been dramatically reduced by intensive use, and that the set had met the UIAA standard. The BMC later reported a mass recall in autumn 2012 of sets with elasticated arms, then a second round in February 2013 after testing found ageing problems in both tear-webbing sets with elasticated lanyards and traditional rope and brake-plate designs. The UIAA release of 25 February 2013 said whether a set was recalled depended on its model. The two bodies differ on the meeting behind it: the UIAA names Munich without a date, and the BMC dates an emergency meeting 6 February 2013 without a place. The via ferrata sets page has the full account; our research did not reach the UIAA's table of affected models.

Black Diamond, 2016

The BMC reported on 20 April 2016 that Black Diamond had announced on 13 April a voluntary recall for inspection of Camalot and Camalot Ultralight camming devices, Index ascenders, and Easy Rider and Iron Cruiser via ferrata sets, together with a full quality audit of its Salt Lake City factory, while earlier recalls of karabiners and nylon slings were still under way. The CPSC's notice for the Camalots, sizes 0.3 to 6, and Camalot Ultralights, sizes 0.4 to 4, is dated 19 May 2016 and reported no incidents. The dates differ because they come from different publishers: 13 April 2016 from the maker, as reported, and 19 May 2016 from the regulator.

Belay devices and pitons, 2021

The UIAA's recall page, posted 16 March 2021, relays the makers' statements for the Beal Birdie and Edelweiss Kinetic belay devices and for the Salewa ring pitons listed in the table.

Black Diamond Neve Strap crampons, 2024

The CPSC said on 13 June 2024 that the firm had three reports of loose crampons or detached heel cups and no injuries, and called the problem a fall hazard.

Petzl LASER SPEED 10 cm ice screws, 2024

The CCPC's notice of 4 November 2024 says the maximum pull-out strength is insufficient, all batches are affected, and users should stop using them. Petzl's own safety alert, dated 2 October 2024 and covering Europe only, is known to us only from a search snippet because the page did not open. As summarised there, the screw reached 8 kN in one EN 568:2015 pull-out test against a required 10 kN, so it could not meet Regulation (EU) 2016/425, and a 29 November 2024 update said it had then been certified and would return to sale in December 2024. The Petzl details are therefore unconfirmed, and so is whether the re-certification covers screws already sold. The regulator's notice and the maker's update point in different directions, and both are given here.

Black Diamond Vision Harness, 2025

The UIAA relayed on 28 February 2025 a recall by Black Diamond Equipment Europe covering all sizes of the Vision Harness made and sold from 1 January 2018 to 26 February 2025. The maker linked it to premature degradation of the harness's specialised materials and construction, with a potential risk of serious injury or death.

Petzl SIMBA and SWAN harnesses, 2026

Health Canada's notice of 14 May 2026 covers certain SIMBA CLIMBING, SIMBA PARK, SWAN EASYFIT STEEL and SWAN EASYFIT STAINLESS full-body harnesses sold from July 2021 to November 2025. It says a missing rivet in the buckle could let it open during use, reports no incidents in Canada or the US as of 13 May 2026, and gives replacement as the remedy.

Recalls and lifespan

Recalls are separate from lifespan statements, which are each maker's general guidance for its products. The gear lifespan page covers those, and the standards and markings page explains what the marks on a recalled product meant when it was sold.