wrote:
I have a 200-amp capable "Federal pacific" breaker box in my 44 year
old home. I've been told by a home inspector that the box is
unreliable and the breakers "can occasionally no-trip and could
potentially cause a fire" This, obviously, scares me.
....

Should I consider replacing the service panel and breakers to a current
model like a Square D as part of this remodel? After all, it doesn't
make much sense remodel a house that's going to just burn to the ground
anyway.

You pretty much answered your own question, didn't you?

http://www.inspect-ny.com/fpe/fpepanel.htm

This guy is promoting himself, of course, as well, but it appears the
data referenced are real and FPE did go under after a set of legal
challenges and lawsuits. The CPSC began and closed an inconclusinve
investigation way back in '83 or so and while I've not found it
directly(but haven't looked extensively, either) there's at least an
implication that FPE may have actually falsified some data supplied
from tests supplied for UL testing and that UL "de-listed" the original
FPE breakers. The replacements from Federal Pioneer in Canada have, to
the best of my knowledge, a UL or equivalent rating, whether that is
somehow based on previous qualification or were/are newly qualified
I've also not been able to resolve unambiguously. (But, again, I've
not done extensive "research", only poked around at what I could find
on occasion as there are several FPE panels here in the house, barn,
other outbuildings dating to roughly same time frame.)

http://www.schneider-electric.ca/www...ok/html/cb.htm

Overall, it does appear is that there is at least a risk of a trip
failure from a mechanical "jam" of the handle preventing opening w/ the
older FPE breakers. Without substantiating data, there's no real way
to judge the frequency of this as compared to other breakers, which
I've not seen at any point.

My judgement would be, it's fairly inexpensive in comparison to an
overall sizable remodeling project budget, and that would also seem a
convenient time to update other things in an older home, so I'd
probably spring for it. That essentially is my plan. As in your case,
I've never had a failure to trip, and have seen no signs of any other
problems. I have replaced one breaker that showed some signs of
overheating at the connection, but that appeared to be related to a
contact condition at that point rather than anything to do with the
breaker itself. Such an incident is not particularly unuique to FPE --
a slightly loose connection can exhibit the same symptoms at any
connecting point, not just a breaker.