S&W Shield EZ Safety Recall

Smith & Wesson has issued a safety recall surrounding a batch of EZ pistols manufactured between March 1st and October 31st 2020. The identified problem occurred on firearms where a hammer was cracked and then failed to fully engage the sear. This can cause a round to fire, cycle the slide, and then continue to discharge without the need for pressing the trigger.

Smith and Wesson has said that this dangerous malfunction can happen under two different scenarios.

They are as follows:

  1. With a loaded magazine in the firearm and the grip safety depressed, releasing the slide (by pulling it back, or releasing the slide stop), may ignite the round as the slide closes, without engaging the trigger. The condition may occur, regardless of the manual thumb safety position if equipped. This may also result in multiple discharges.

  2. With a loaded magazine in the firearm, the grip safety depressed, manual safety in the fire position, slide closed, and a round in the chamber, pulling the trigger will cause the round to fire normally, however as the slide cycles, the next round may be ignited as it is chambered by the hammer failing to fully engage the sear, causing multiple discharges.

According to the company this will not happen unless the grip safety is depressed and has occurred on only two firearms to date and they suspect that these are isolated incidents. However, it seems as though S&W has taken this issue seriously and has issued a recall on all EZ pistols manufactured between March 1 and October 31 2020.

To find out if you have an affected pistol, you can check the date of manufacture on your gun's box or check the serial number at mpshieldezrecall.com.

If you have one of the pistols manufactured during the above timeframe, stop using your EZ right away until you can find out if it has the cracked hammer in question.

If you have one of the affected pistols the company will make arrangements with you for inspection and the replacement of the necessary parts.

For more information, visit their recall web site.

Please share this information with your friends who may have a S&W Shield EZ.

About Joshua Gillem

Josh is a lifelong practitioner and student of the gun. He grew up shooting/hunting with his dad, and was given his first gun, a 12 gauge shotgun, when just a small boy. After high school, he joined the Marines where his love for firearms blossomed as he qualified with an M16A2, an M9, and a 240G. Josh has been writing about firearms and tactics for several years, owns the blog Gunners Den, is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, and believes that each individual person has the right to self-defense by any means necessary. Currently residing in gun-friendly NC, he carries a concealed gun on a daily basis, even in his own house.

7 Comments

  1. Mark A Trombley on November 24, 2020 at 4:18 pm

    Ii s the Smith and Wesson shield 2.0 affected in this recall you

    • Joshua Gillem on November 25, 2020 at 8:05 am

      Just the EZ pistol.

  2. Riker on November 24, 2020 at 5:50 pm

    Wow, we sent ours back for repairs. The factory sent us a note implying stupidity. Well, sounds like the table turned. As a retired former peace officer who carried S&W in his career, I’ll never recommend an S&W to anyone.

  3. Melissa on November 25, 2020 at 12:39 pm

    How do I get the replacement parts? After walking thru the steps, the end says “request return label”. I will not return my gun. I just want the parts. Please give directions for parts. thx

    • Joshua Gillem on November 30, 2020 at 7:19 am

      Melissa, I’m not sure as we don’t work with S&W like that. To my knowledge they need to inspect the gun to make sure it is or is not one of the bad ones. They probably don’t want to just send out parts to everyone without inspection because not every gun manufactured during that time is affected by the problem.

      Hope this helps.

      Josh

  4. Gary on November 26, 2020 at 8:22 am

    Very disappointed. I will send mine back better to be safe than sorry but my next gun will be a Ruger.

  5. Gary on November 29, 2020 at 6:14 pm

    Why hasn’t SW notified me? Their customer service must be from the 19th century.

    Never notified us on initial gum registration or recall.

    Losing confidence in Smith and Wesson.

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