The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday said it is investigating whether certain medical device power cords are defective, after receiving more than 100 reports of power cord failures from Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Hospira Inc. (HSP).

The companies have sent the FDA 122 reports of "sparking, charring, and fires" from power cords used with their devices, according to a posting on the FDA's Web site.

The FDA said failures with power cords can lead to serious complications, including death.

The agency said the cords were all made by Electri-cord Manufacturing Co., based in Pennsylvania.

Hospira in August said it was recalling certain devices with the power cords. The company said the cords' prongs may crack and fail at or inside the plug. Electri-cord Manufacturing said at the time that it puts all its products through extensive testing.

-By Jared A. Favole, Dow Jones Newswires; 202.862.9207; jared.favole@dowjones.com