Electronic appliances have been very common since the later part of the 20th century, with most physical household labour being aided by these appliances. Every household contains a slew of different household electronic products and it keeps growing in numbers as does the features in them. Hence, its only to be expected for these products to have issues and invoke recalls. There have been dozens of such major recalls, most of which are listed below.
1. Maytag – Dish Washer Recall, 2007
Maytag, a unit of Whirlpool (bought in 2006), is one of the leading appliance manufacturers in the US. In 2006, the Dishwasher units of Maytag were reported to cause fire hazards due to a chemical (rinse-aid) leakage resulting in short circuit and fire. After 4 incidents of injuries and reports of up to 135 fire incidents related to the appliance, the company issued recall of 2.3mn dishwasher units, primarily in the US, which were sold between 1997 and 2001. The company allocated $75mn for the recall. Maytag provided the option of in-home repairs for the products
This is another case of design flaw, resulting in hazards and recalls. Product tests are also under question as the flaw was not identified before marketing. It was not a smooth recall either, as the company was not prepared for an actual recall and decided to opt for in-home repairs instead.
Courtesy: Recall Owl | Insurance Journal
2. Samsung Recall – Top Loading Washing Machines, 2016-18.
Samsung, easily one of the biggest Electronics companies in the world, does not surprise many by finding itself in the list of top recalls. A mammoth 2.8mn washing machines recalled, primarily in North America and Australia, makes it one of the largest. The top Loader machines, sold between 2011 and 2016, were vulnerable to vibrations and the top detaching at high speeds, creating a risk of injury. A total of 733 incidents including 9 injuries were recorded before Samsung opted the recall option
However, the recall was not very smooth with many unhappy customers over rebates and, in certain cases, very low recall rates. Uncertainty prevailed over options between recalls and repairs as well, not something you would expect from a company like Samsung. The cost incurred to Samsung will be close to $1bn, the second big such recall for the tech giant in the past 3 years. Although Samsung has denied any major technical issues, and has since corrected them, design issues certainly played a part in this issue.
Courtesy: Consumer Reports | Sharper Service Solutions
