Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) have renewed a decade-old call to washing machine owners after a recalled model caused a fire in Auckland last month.
On September 25 a family of five had to vacate their home after their washing machine caught fire. The fire was extinguished without causing significant damage.
FENZ community risk manager for Counties Manukau Thomas Harre said the family had working smoke alarms and was lucky to have been awake.
"They all evacuated to safety with minimal property damage, however the outcome could indeed have been very different," he said.
The machine's model was one of four top loader Samsung washing machines subject to a voluntary recall in 2013, MBIE and Samsung at the time issuing "direct mail flyers, text alerts, calls and paid advertising".
National Manager, Consumer Services at MBIE Simon Gallagher said 96% of impacted washing machines had been repaired, replaced or refunded in the first four years of the recall.
"While this remedy rate is considered high for electronics recalls, I’d encourage anyone who has a Samsung top loader washing machine model built between 2010 and 2013 to check their model number to confirm it isn’t one of the models affected," he said in a statement. "If it is, they should get in touch with Samsung."
Following the blaze in September, FENZ and MBIE have asked Samsung washing machine owners to double-check the model numbers of their appliances, and to contact Samsung if they own a recalled washer.
"Anyone with one of the recalled units that has not been repaired is encouraged to contact Samsung on 0800 SAMSUNG to request a repair, replacement or refund," a joint statement read.
The affected model numbers are: SW75V9WIP, SW65V9WIP, SW80SPWIP and SW70SPWIP.
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