A major Chinese manufacturer has recalled 4.25 million dehumidifiers sold under dozens of brand-names after 38 reports of fires and $4.8 million in property damage since 2003.
The following brand-names are included in the recall:
Airworks, Alen, Arctic King, Arcticaire, Beaumark, Comfort Star, ComfortAire, Continental Electric, Coolworks, Crosley, Daewoo, Danby, Danby Designer, Dayton, Degree, Diplomat, Edgestar, Excell, Fellini, Forest Air, Frigidaire, GE, Grunaire, Hanover, Homestyles, Honeywell, Hyundai, Ideal Air, Kenmore, Keystone, Kul, Midea, Nantucket, Ocean Breeze, Pelonis, Perfect Aire, Perfect Home, Polar Wind, Premiere, Professional Series, Royal Sovereign, Simplicity, SPT, Sunbeam, Sylvania, TGM, Touch Point, Trutemp, Uberhaus, Westpointe, Winix, and Winixl.
To check if your dehumidifier was recalled, enter the product brand, model, and serial number into the “Verification Tool” at https://www.recallrtr.com/dehumidifier.
In August 2012, about 785,000 Sears Kenmore® dehumidifiers were recalled after 107 incidents and $7 million in property damage.
In September 2013, Gree Electric Appliances of China recalled 2.5 million dehumidifiers after 71 fires and $2.7 million in damage since 2005. The recall included the following brand-names:
Danby, De’Longhi, Fedders, Fellini, Frigidaire, GE, Gree, Kenmore, Norpole, Premiere, Seabreeze, SoleusAir and SuperClima
House fires are still being reported consistently. On October 31, a dehumidifier caught on fire in Indiana. Two weeks earlier, another fire was reported in Illinois. In September, a fire nearly killed a girl who was trapped in a basement. There have also been recent fires in Chicago and several more in Wisconsin and New Jersey.
In the last four years, Chinese manufacturers recalled 6.8 million dehumidifiers that were sold in the U.S. since 2003. Warnings have been re-announced because so few people responded. In March, one company was fined $15 million for failing to report fires.