The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 2023
Gree's dehumidifier: 1.56 million units that caught fire
About 1.56 million dehumidifiers sold under five brands were recalled after Gree-built units overheated, with at least 23 fires and 688 overheating reports.
Gree Electric Appliances · 2023-08-16
What happened
Chinese appliance maker Gree built dehumidifiers that were sold in the US under the Kenmore, GE, SoleusAir, Norpole and Seabreeze brands between 2011 and 2014. The units could overheat, smoke and catch fire.
Gree received reports of at least 23 fires, 688 incidents of overheating and $168,000 in property damage before the recall. The 42 affected models had been sold at Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, Sam's Club, Sears and Walmart for between $110 and $400.
The recall refunded about 1.56 million units. The hazard sat in the product's design itself, and it took a decade of overheating reports before the whole bad generation was pulled from American homes.
Why it happened
- The dehumidifiers could overheat, smoke and catch fire
- At least 23 fires, 688 overheating incidents and $168,000 in property damage
- About 1.56 million units refunded across five brand names
The lesson
A brand label is not a safety review. Kenmore, GE and SoleusAir put their names on a Gree-built product, and none of them caught the fire hazard before it reached 1.56 million homes.
Sources
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