Coby recalls 12,000 DVD/CD players for fire risk

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Coby Electronics Corp recalled about 12,000 portable DVD/CD players because they can overheat, posing a fire hazard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Thursday.

The company has received three reports of the players overheating, including one that involved minor property damage from a fire, the agency said.

The players were made in China for New York-based Coby.

The recall involves two models of portable DVD/CD players that can also play MP3s -- TF-DVD170 and TF-DVD176. Both models were sold at discount, electronics and office supply stores in the United States from May 2006 through October 2007 for between $140 and $170, the government said.

Consumers should immediately stop using the players and contact Coby to learn how to return the units and receive a full refund, it said.

The safety agency posted photographs of the recalled players and details on its Internet site here .

(Reporting by Julie Vorman; editing by John Wallace)