Whirlpool should be ordered to recall millions of tumble dryers as they pose a serious risk of bursting into flames, a group of MPs has told the government.
Rachel Reeves, the Labour MP who chairs the business, energy and industrial strategy select committee, has written to ministers calling for them to take action over Whirlpool’s refusal to “take proper responsibility” for the defects.
Since 2004, more than 750 domestic fires are thought to have been started in homes by the affected tumble dryers. Fluff in contact with the heating element catches fire. The risk applies to older dryers sold under the Hotpoint, Creda, Indesit, ProLine and Swan brands.
The company has been replacing or repairing an estimated 3.8m dryers across the UK after identifying the fault in November 2015.
Whirlpool did not issue a product recall, initially telling customers they could continue to use their dryer while waiting for modification, provided it was not left unattended. That changed in February 2017 when it said customers should unplug and stop using the machines.
However, a number of the “upgraded” machines have also gone up in smoke, prompting the new demand for a formal recall.
“Whirlpool continue to refuse to take proper responsibility for defects in their tumble dryers, leaving many people still in the frightening situation where machines are acting as potential fire hazards in their own homes,” Reeves said.
“We need the government to step in and ensure consumers get the protection they deserve. Given the woeful paucity of Whirlpool’s actions to remedy this situation, the Office for Product Safety and Standards must now act and consider a full recall of defective machines to ensure this national product safety issue is resolved.”
Alex Neill, of the consumer group Which?, said Whirlpool has admitted that at least a million of their tumble dryers still in people’s homes could be a potential fire risk.
“Their approach to handling the issue for customers has been an absolute shambles. There are still serious concerns about whether Whirlpool’s modification programme is actually effective. It’s time for a full recall,” he said.
Whirlpool said: “We proactively raised this product safety issue in 2015 and have worked diligently and responsibly to resolve it.
“The scale of this campaign has been unprecedented as we have achieved a resolution rate more than three times the industry average for a product recall. We have provided resolutions to all consumers who have registered, and resolved over 1.7m affected tumble dryers.
“We have total confidence in the modification, it was extensively tested before and after being implemented, and there have been no incidents where it has shown to be ineffective.
“An external review with the input from three independent experts in fire safety, product safety, and engineering, concluded that the modification remains the most effective way of rectifying this issue for consumers.
“Recent criticisms of the effectiveness of the modification are based on fundamental technical misunderstandings of what it addresses.
“We have cooperated with Trading Standards and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy at every stage of the campaign. Trading Standards confirmed, following an internal review by independent experts, that the modification programme remains the most effective way of resolving this issue.
“We continue to urge consumers to contact us immediately if they believe they still own an affected appliance. We can assure consumers that if they contact us now, they can receive a resolution within one week.”
