Home Handguns Walther PK380 Recalled for Manual Safety Problem

Walther PK380 Recalled for Manual Safety Problem

October 5, 2012

Press release from Walther USA:

During an internal quality review, Carl Walther GmbH has identified a condition that may exist in certain PK380 pistols which may permit a round to be discharged if the trigger is pulled, despite engagement of the manual safety. Walther has found that engagement of the manual safety may not prevent firing of a chambered round when the trigger is pulled . . .

This recall applies to Walther PK380, .380 ACP pistols manufactured by Carl Walther GmbH from May through September 2012, which have a serial number range from PK101201 to PK112155.

STOP USING YOUR PISTOL AND RETURN IT TO WALTHERAMERICA AT ONCE.

Any unintended discharge of a firearm has the potential to cause injury, and we ask that you stop using your pistol until we have an opportunity to inspect it to make certain that there is no condition which will allow the pistol to discharge with the safety engaged.

To facilitate the inspection and repair, if necessary, of your pistol, please contact Waltheramerica’s customer service department at 1-800-713-0356 to receive instructions and a call tag for the return of your pistol to Waltheramerica.

Additional information will be posted on Waltheramerica.com. If you have any questions about this recall, please contact Waltheramerica at 1-800-713-0356.

21 COMMENTS

SD3 October 5, 2012 At 15:28

B-b-b-but Berettas are crap!!!
G2 October 5, 2012 At 15:36

B-b-b-b-but external safety’s are crap! (which is why I carry a PPQ:)
- ST October 5, 2012 At 15:49
  
  You know whats crappier than an external safety?
  
  A bullet hole in your gluteous maximus.
  - G2 October 5, 2012 At 19:19
    
    Well, since no one has ever accused me of being a PERFECT a$$hole… so I suppose I can afford to take my chances 🙂
    
    Just not a fan of them on my carry… just sayin’.
    - Mikeb203000 October 5, 2012 At 20:51
      
      Wow! Even I think you some like an a$$hole!
jwm October 5, 2012 At 15:58

Any company, no matter their past reputation, can produce a screw up. How they deal with the screw up seperates the wheat from the chaff.
Steven October 5, 2012 At 16:07

Any good shooter should know that a mechanical safety can fail and they should not trust it to stop a gun from going off.
- Not Your Mother October 5, 2012 At 17:36
  
  +1000.
Kendahl October 5, 2012 At 16:25

Notice that Walther didn’t say it would fire by itself. Therefore, it’s still as safe as a striker fired pistol with no manual or grip safety.
Ralph October 5, 2012 At 16:26

Never trust a safety or a politician. Either one will fail you at the worst possible time.
- kb October 6, 2012 At 03:51
  
  …or a condom.
MatthewD October 5, 2012 At 16:32

Walther has made many nice guns. This isn’t one of them.

My wife has this thing and loves how it shoots, but the design and build quality have already caused us several problems with only a limited amount of light use.

Too bad, because she shoots it really well.
Mark October 5, 2012 At 16:40

Even those who carry 1911s “cocked and locked” don’t press the trigger with the safety engaged as if it’s not capable of firing…
ZM 1306 October 6, 2012 At 03:42

I dont care for safeties. They are really only a sales pitch, I mean who wouldn’t want to buy a “safe” gun.

If I owned this pistol I would not send it in because I would have never actually used the safety.

I would rather rack a round than disengage the safety.

Obey the rules and nothing will happen.
- dan January 13, 2013 At 21:46
  
  except to release the hammer after racking a round requires you to engage the safety and then pull the trigger…
Keith Pace August 30, 2013 At 12:12

This may be a scam. Don’t send your gun to these folks. I did. It clearly did not have a “Z” stamped inside the slide where they said it should be, indicating the gun had already been repaired. Now they want the $70 before sending the gun back. I’ve already called the ATF and other Feds. I’ve had many products from this company but I’m never buying another.
john platt July 22, 2014 At 14:16

I just got a call saying my gun also had the x mark on it which I could not see at all myself. plus the site I went on to did not state anything about the x mark just send the gun in to be repaired. now I had to pay $70 to get the gun back maybe a scam I sure hope they get caught……
Linda January 26, 2016 At 02:46

My Walther pk380 will fire on safey. I just bought it January 2015. Took it back to store owner checked it out said it was fine. Now I realize it was fire when s for safety shows or when f for fire shows.
- johnny November 25, 2016 At 19:07
  
  thats because you are using DA versus SA. this gun has both.
peter tgarcia September 6, 2018 At 09:47

We have a PK380 and during dismantlement we lost one of the bb’s on one of the safety levers. Where would we be able to obtain one?
Paul Ragland November 5, 2018 At 13:03

I have a PK380. I put the safety on, Installed a loaded mag, racked in a round and pulled the trigger with the safety on to see if it would fire a round. It didn’t. The hammer dropped, but stopped slightly away from the firing pin. I tested this because, if my wife’s thumb slipped manually lowering the hammer, I wanted to see if it would fire. It didn’t.