News from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
| Office of Information and Public Affairs | Washington, DC 20207 |
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 10, 2009 Release # 09-145 |
Firm�s Recall Hotline: (866) 533-9817 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908 |
Maytag Recalls Refrigerators Due to Fire Hazard
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product.
Name of product: Maytag®, Jenn-Air®, Amana®, Admiral®, Magic Chef®, Performa by Maytag® and Crosley® brand refrigerators
Units: About 1.6 million
Manufacturer: Maytag Corp., of Newton, Iowa
Hazard: An electrical failure in the relay, the component that turns on the refrigerator�s compressor, can cause overheating and pose a serious fire hazard.
Incidents/Injuries: Maytag has received 41 reports of refrigerator relay ignition, including 16 reports of property damage ranging from smoke damage to extensive kitchen damage.
Description: The recall includes certain Maytag®, Jenn-Air®, Amana®, Admiral®, Magic Chef®, Performa by Maytag® and Crosley® brand side by side and top freezer refrigerators. The affected refrigerators were manufactured in black, bisque, white and stainless steel. They have model and serial numbers printed on a label located on the top middle or left upper side of the refrigerator liner and have the following model and serial number combinations:
| Serial Numbers ENDING with | AND Model Numbers BEGINNING with | |
|---|---|---|
| Side by Side Refrigerators |
AA, AC, AE, AG, AJ, AL, AN, AP, AR, AT, AV, AX, CA, CC, CE, CG, CJ, CL, ZB, ZD, ZF, ZH, ZK, ZM, ZQ, ZS, ZU, ZW, ZY, ZZ |
ARS, CS, JC, JS, MS, MZ, PS |
| Top Freezer Refrigerators |
AA, AC, AE, AG, AJ, AL, AN, AP, AR, AT, AV, AX, ZK, ZM, ZQ, ZS, ZU, ZW, ZY, ZZ |
AT, CT, MT, PT |
Refrigerators with freezers on the bottom are not included in this recall.
Sold at: Department and appliance stores and by homebuilders nationwide from January 2001 through January 2004 for between about $350 and $1600.
Manufactured in: United States
Remedy: Consumers should immediately contact Maytag to determine if their refrigerator is included in the recall and to schedule a free in-home repair. Consumers should not return the refrigerator to the retailer where it was purchased.
Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Maytag toll-free at (866) 533-9817 anytime, or visit the firm�s Web site at www.repair.maytag.com
Representative Models:
Figure 1: Side by Side model
Figure 2: Top Freezer model
Figure 3: Model/Serial Label
CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx
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Send the link for this page to a friend! The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products – such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals – contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC’s Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC’s teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov.
We as home inspectors inspect many aspects of the home and if you attend the inspection we are happy to help you learn a lot about them. However we do not inspect every thing a person may have in the home and one large item we do not inspect is refrigerators. Like all products in the home it is a good idea for you to check for any known problems. We think checking with the manufacture and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are good places to start.
All the best out there.
