Officials are urging people to stop using certain dehumidifiers that have been recalled after reports of many fires, and even some deaths, in recent years.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a new recall Wednesday for 1.56 million dehumidifiers manufactured by Gree Electric Appliances and sold under several brand names, including GE, Kenmore, Norpole, Seabreeze and SoleusAir. The affected products can overheat, smoke, catch fire, and burn users.
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The products recalled Wednesday have been linked to 23 reports involving fires, 688 overheating incidents, and have caused $168,000 in property damage, officials said. Consumers might have purchased these dehumidifiers between 2011 and 2014 at stores like Home Depot, Lowe’s, Sam’s Club, Walmart and Menards.
Click here to see the full list of model numbers affected by Wednesday’s recall.
The recall announced Wednesday is separate from, but related to, the recall of 2.5 million other dehumidifiers also manufactured by Gree Electric Appliances. That recall was first announced in 2013, and was expanded even after that.
Dozens of models of Gree dehumidifiers were included in that recall and sold under many brands, including those mentioned above and others like Frigidaire, Premiere, Danby, Fedders, Gree and more. These products, sold in the U.S. and Canada, have been linked to 450 fires, $19 million in property damage, and, possibly, four deaths.
“There have been reports of four deaths potentially associated with Gree dehumidifiers, all involving adults who died from house fires that may have been caused by recalled dehumidifiers,” a CPSC report reads. “One death occurred in 2016 in Ohio. Another death occurred in 2022 in Iowa. Two more deaths occurred in 2022 in Missouri.”
Products affected by the first recall were sold between 2005-2013 online on Amazon and Ebay, and at stores like Home Depot, Kmart, Lowe’s, Menards, Sam’s Club, Sears and Walmart.
Click here to see the full list of dehumidifiers affected by the first recall.
Anyone who purchased any of the recalled products are urged to stop using them and unplug them immediately. The products can contact Gree to request a refund online right here, or by calling Gree at 866-853-2802 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday-Friday.