Recall Expanded for Gree Dehumidifiers

Online, February 2, 2014 (Newswire.com) - In September 2013, a recall was issued over 2 million dehumidifiers manufactured by Gree Electric Appliances of China due to threat of overheating. The recall was recently expanded to include over 350,000 units sold in the United States and Canada which carry the GE (General Electric) brand name.

This particular recall involves the following 30, 40, 50 and 65-pint dehumidifiers (the brand, model, capacity and date of manufacture are listed on a stick affixed to the back of the unit):
30 Pint Units: ADER30LN, ADEW30LN, AHR30LL, AHR30LM, AHW30LM
40 Pint Units: ADER40LN, AHH40LL, AHR40LL, AHR40LM, ADEH50LN
50 Pint Units: ADER50LN, ADEW50LN, AHH50LM, AHR50LL, AHR50LM, AHW50LM
65 Pint Units: ADER65LN, ADEW65LN, AHR65LL, AHR65LM, AHW65LM

The dehumidifiers are made of a light gray plastic. The measurements vary by unit capacity. They were manufactured between January 2008 and December 2010.

So far, the company has received 16 reports of problems with the GE-branded models. There have been 11 reports of overheating without property damage outside the units themselves, and five reports of fires started by the defective units. An estimated $430,000 in property damage has been associated associated with the affected GE units. The previous recall resulted in more than 71 fires and nearly $3 million in property damage. No injuries have been reported.

Consumers are advised to turn off and unplug affected dehumidifiers and contact Gree at 866-853-2802 for a full refund. These units were sold predominantly at Wal Mart and Sam's Club stores along with other retailers.

"Anyone who has purchased a dehumidifier from Wal Mart or Sam's within the last two years should check to see if they have one of the affected units," said Drazen Alcocer, founder and CEO of iFederated, parent company of iRecalls.com. "This recall is of particular concern considering that people regularly run appliances like that when they aren't home. That makes the risk associated with this recall even greater."

"These units have been responsible for nearly half a million dollars in property damage so far," commented Artin Afsharjavan, iFederated Chairman. "This is why the word needs to get out and that is why I believe iRecalls.com is such an important resource. Our site is positioned well to spread news of recalls like this one quickly and we owe our ability to do that to our growing community of responsible consumers. They keep the information circulating and keep people safe."

iRecalls.com is a growing social network designed to keep the public informed of consumer product recalls from automobiles to food to electronics. To become part of the community, the public is encouraged to visit http://www.irecalls.com and establish a free account.