Chainsaw recall notice: Milwaukee M18 FUEL top handle chainsaw
What the CPSC, Health Canada and the maker say about the October 2025 recall of the Milwaukee M18 FUEL top handle chainsaw: serial numbers, units, reports and remedy.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 8, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page sets out what the official records and the maker's own recall page say about one recall: the Milwaukee M18 FUEL top handle chainsaw, catalog number 2826-20, recalled in the United States and Canada in October 2025. The wider list is in the guide to chainsaw recalls and safety notices. The notices linked below are the record.
The fault as the notices describe it
The CPSC record says the chain brake of the recalled saw may not activate, posing a laceration hazard. The Health Canada notice words it as the chain brake not preventing the chain from moving when the brake is activated. The maker's page says the chain brake may not prevent the chain from moving when the brake is locked, and that failure of the brake could pose a laceration risk if the operator contacts the chain.
Which saws
The saw is a battery-powered top handle chainsaw with a 12 inch or 14 inch bar, made for the maker's M18 battery packs. The affected saws are the ones where the fourth character of the serial number is the letter A. Saws with a B in that place are not affected, according to the maker. The CPSC record puts the serial number on the upper left of the nameplate and the catalog number on the upper right. The maker's page says the serial number is on the top right corner of the nameplate, so both versions are shown. The saw was sold as a bare tool or in kits with batteries and a charger. Health Canada lists these item numbers: 2826-20T and 2826-21T and 2826-22T for the 14 inch saw, and 2826-20C for the 12 inch saw.
Numbers, dates and where sold
- Recall date: October 30, 2025, in the CPSC record and the Health Canada update.
- Units: the CPSC record gives "About 90,860 (In addition, about 7,500 were sold in Canada)".
- Sold: home improvement stores and online, March 2023 to September 2024, in the CPSC record.
- Reports: two reports of the chain brake not activating in the United States, one of them a lacerated finger. Health Canada says no incidents or injuries in Canada as of October 21, 2025.
- Maker named by the CPSC: Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. of Brookfield, Wisconsin.
- Recall type: a joint recall of Health Canada, the CPSC and the maker, according to Health Canada.
Remedy
All three sources give the remedy as a free repair. The CPSC and Health Canada notices say owners register the saw on the maker's service portal to get a prepaid shipping label. The maker's page adds that only the saw is shipped, without the bar and chain, battery or charger, that shipping is free, and that repairs are expected to take 7 to 10 business days. The page also says the recall covers only this saw among the maker's chainsaws. It calls the recall voluntary and run in cooperation with the CPSC. For the maker's own wording, see the Milwaukee Tool recall notice page.
To correct or remove an entry, write to the address at the foot of this page.