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Whirlpool recalls 500k appliances over sudden fire danger

HALF a million families were yesterday warned not to use their washing machines for weeks because of a safety flaw.

With only days to go until Christmas, they were told to unplug all Hotpoint and Indesit appliances found responsible for 79 household fires and ten injuries.

Manufacturer Whirlpool is offering free repairs and replacements – but not until after Christmas. This means affected families may not be able to wash their clothes over the festive period. Some might even have to wait until February for the necessary repairs.

The alert is another serious blow to Whirlpool following the recall of five million of its tumble dryers, again over fire risks.

One of its Hotpoint fridge freezers was also implicated in the Grenfell Tower tragedy – a claim contested by the manufacturer.

Sue Davies of the consumer group Which? said: ‘This safety alert will cause huge disruption for millions of people who will have

no washing machine over Christmas. Following the tumble dryer scandal this leaves Whirlpool’s reputation as a company that can be trusted on product safety in tatters.

‘People will rightly be asking what Whirlpool knew about these fire-risk machines and when, so there must now be a thorough investigation into this public safety issue.

‘We know the company has a track record for appearing to put corporate reputation ahead of public safety in its disgraceful handling of the unsafe tumble dryer crisis.

‘Customers will be hugely frustrated that this recall is not set to start for weeks and that they are not being offered refunds for machines from a brand they may no longer want to have in their homes.’

Whirlpool insisted safety was its priority but warned it would not have the capacity to mount an official recall – with the offer of replacements or repairs – until early January.

Given the scale of the undertaking it is possible that tens of thousands of households will be without a fully functioning and safe machine for months. Whirlpool said those who continue to use their washer should use only cold water cycles of 20C or lower because this ‘significantly reduces the risk’.

It is doubling its call centre team to 800 customer service agents and sharply increasing production at its five washing machine factories in Europe to provide replacement models.

An extra 100 engineers will be taken on, along with fleets of vans to collect machines and deliver replacements.

A website will allow customers to check whether their machine is affected and schedule remedial action, including the repairs and replacements.

Jeff Noel, who is vice-president of US-based Whirlpool, said: ‘We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and concern this may cause to our customers, particularly over the Christmas period, but we hope people will understand that we are taking action because people’s safety is our top priority.

‘Preparing for a recall of this scale is a complex operation and we are working tirelessly to ensure we are ready to start offering replacements or repairs to our customers from early January.’

The safety issue concerns the door lock system, which can – in rare instances – overheat when the heating element in the machine is activated. Only Hotpoint and Indesit brands are affected by the fault and none under the Whirlpool label.

Mr Noel added: ‘This is an issue we inherited from buying Indesit but, as the new owner, it is our responsibility to keep our customers safe.

‘We are recalling these products because it is the right thing to do for people’s safety and we will do whatever it takes to put the situation right for our customers.

‘By taking actions like this, we are bringing the company we acquired in line with Whirlpool’s industry-leading global safety and quality standards.’

The company has notified the Office for Product Safety and Standards – the UK product safety regulator – and has committed to set aside the necessary financial resources to conduct a full product recall.

Which? argues that the OPSS should be replaced with a new independent product safety regulator with real powers to hold companies to account.

It said: ‘This ongoing saga with Whirlpool demonstrates once again that our product safety system is not fit for purpose.’

Consumer champion Lynn Faulds Wood, who carried a review of the product recall system for the Government four years ago, said Whirlpool was moving too slowly.

‘An awful lot of people out there are complaining they cannot get through to find out if their machines are safe or not. This is very poor,’ she said.

‘It is appalling to say to people, many with children, that they should not be using their washing machine for what could be weeks.’

Whirlpool forced to recall 500,000 tumble dryers

From the Mail, June 12