The Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI) yesterday announced that 46 models of dehumidifiers from 12 brands were flawed and likely to spontaneously combust after long-term use. At least 316,000 products already sold are being recalled.
As the humid winter season approaches, many people turn on dehumidifiers. However, in an effort to prevent consumers from using problematic products, the bureau yesterday re-announced the recall of 46 types of flawed dehumidifiers and urged consumers to check the model type of their humidifiers.
The 46 products included products from 12 different brands; Tatung, Sanyo, Teco, Sampo, Westinghouse, Gibson, Frigidaire, Kolin, Whirlpool, Widetech, B&Q (Airforce) and Fujimaru. The bureau has listed the model types being recalled on its Web page (http://safety.bsmi.gov.tw).
Bureau Deputy Director-General Huang Lai-ho (黃來和) said the bureau had announced a recall of the dehumidifiers five times between 2007 and last year, achieving recall rates of 67.6 and 72.2 percents the first two times in 2007 and 2008 respectively.
The recall rates of the following three times ranged between 17.6 percent and 34.6 percent.
The bureau said the decrease in recall rates might be because some of the products had already been thrown away due to malfunctions or because consumers did not register their products with the manufacturers, making it difficult for the companies to inform customers about the recall.
Consumers are advised to stop using the listed products and contact customer services to have the machines repaired, the bureau said, adding that dehumidifiers should not be kept in closets or covered up with clothes, and should be turned off when people leave the room for an extended period of time.
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