Samsung washing machines have been exploding in the USA. Samsung is finding that troubles never come in ones but in twos and (hopefully not for Samsung) threes. A class action lawsuit has been brought out against the South Korean firm in the U.S. and it is currently in talks with American consumer watchdogs.
An announcement by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) stated that it was “actively and cooperatively working with Samsung to address safety issues.” These issues related to certain top-loading Samsung washing machines that were made between March 2011 and April 2016. The CPSC stated that the issue could be widespread.
This must have come as a blow to the company who has yet to recover from the Galaxy Note 7 Smartphone issue with exploding and burning batteries. The lawsuit claims that the fault “can lead to injury or damage.” According to a spokesperson, only Samsung washing machine models sold in North America, and manufactured between March 2011 and April 2016, are affected.
There are appears to be two issues with the washing machines. One relates to abnormal vibrations when washing bulky items. According to Samsung, these are claimed to be capable of cause personal or property damage. The vibrations occur when washing bulky items or bedding, and also water-resistant items.
Samsung is advising customers with models exhibiting this fault to use lower speed and ‘delicate’ settings when washing items such as these. The company does not state the models involved, although Samsung’s website enables owners to enter their serial number to check if they could be affected.
The second issue involves exploding washing machines. Such explosions have been experienced on the day of installation or a year after, so there is not specific time period. No recall has yet been ordered. As yet, no information as to the cause of this issue has been published.
The recall of the faulty Galaxy Note 7 Smartphones is estimate to have cost Samsung over $1 billion so far, though there are reports of the revised versions exploding in China. Samsung claim that this is not related to the previous issue. The reason for that is that the batteries used in the models for China are made by a local Hong Kong company, and are not Samsung’s batteries.
The issue with exploding top-loading Samsung washing machines might prove to be just as costly with a class action lawsuit involved. It is possible that the vibrations mentioned above have disturbed the machines to the extent that they blow apart.
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