Dec. 23 (UPI) — More than 650,000 washing machines that were sold at hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s have been recalled due to reports of fires.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday that 14 of Samsung’s top-load washing machines have been recalled.
The machines were sold at several big-name retailers including Home Depot, Lowe’s, Best Buy, Costco, and other appliance stores, and online at Samsung.com.
In its warning, the CPSC said that the Samsung washing machines “can short-circuit and overheat,” creating a fire risk.
Samsung has received 51 incident reports of smoking, melting, overheating, or fires where the machines were involved. In 10 instances, property was damaged, and three consumers reported injuries associated with smoke inhalation.
Samsung said in a statement that overheating occurs in the control panel of the affected washing machines. To rectify the issue, a software update is required.
Washers that are equipped with WiFi should automatically download the free software repair when they are plugged in and connected to the internet, Samsung said.
