Laundry is necessary but often dreaded weekly chore than many in the Pittsburgh area would be happy with passing along to another person to do. Owners of a certain type of washing machine may want to hold off on throwing that load of whites into the washing machine as it could be hazardous to one's health.
The message is of course not for everyone-only those who use GE ProfileTM Front Load Washers to complete the task. Approximately 62,000 of the appliances have been voluntarily recalled due to a defect which has caused at least 19 washer baskets to separate. In 10 of those situations the top panel of the washer has then broken which could injure users.
The clothes washers were sold throughout the nation between July 2008 and 2011. Stores at which they were carried include Sears, Lowe's, The Home Depot and Best Buy. Model numbers affected include those beginning with: WPDH8800, WPDH8900 and WPDH8910.
Owners of the appliances have been directed to contact the manufacturer so that a repair can be made free of charge. In the meantime, it is suggested that the washers not be used.
Fortunately, at this point it does not appear that anyone has been injured due to the defect. Hopefully the recall will prevent any from occurring. Should this not be the case however, there is legal recourse for injured parties. It may be possible to recover damages from the manufacturer via a products liability lawsuit.
For those who must do laundry, while waiting for the repair, a Laundromat is likely in order.
Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, "GE Recalls Front Load Washers Due to Injury Hazard," Oct. 3, 2012
- Our firm handles similar situations to the one discussed in this post. If you would like to learn more about our practice, please visit our Pennsylvania defective products page.