As we reported late last week Samsung has announced a “home visit repair programme” on two ranges of fridge freezers in Korea and Europe following the case of a domestic fridge explosion in West Bromwich in May and a recent case in Korea.
The repair programme involves the now-discontinued RS21 and RS60 range of domestic fridge freezers, manufactured between March 2005 and June 2006. However, sources say that other models could also be affected.
A press statement from Samsung said: “Samsung Electronics has decided to take this action after concluding that in a minority of cases the models’ defrost system may require repair to put right a defect in its assembly. In very rare cases, there is the potential for internal sparking to occur and in consequence, damage to the appliance.”
The company has also revealed: “In very rare cases, the rubber seal that provides insulation may carbonise when subjected to excessive temperatures, caused by the assembly issue. This can result in a partial short circuit within the defrost heater. In some cases this may lead to possible internal sparking. The sparking can rupture the external surface of the heater allowing the sparking to concentrate on the surrounding surfaces or adjacent internal components – which depending on the location of the sparking could, in very rare occasions lead to leaking of the coolant.”
While the number of fridges affected in the UK is unclear but has been reported as being possibly as many as one million units as Samsung have a 45% market share of American style side by side fridge freezers. In Germany, 38,000 units are thought to be involved. In Korea, it is reported to affect 210,000 units in that country.
According to the Korean JoongAng Daily, the recall came after a refrigerator exploded on October 10 at an apartment in Yongin, Gyeonggi.
A Samsung UK spokesman said: “Whilst, as I’m sure you appreciate the chances of similar incidents occurring are extremely remote, Samsung is committed to providing the highest standards of customer care, and has decided to run a home visit repair programme, starting November 2nd.”
Essentially, if you own a Samsung American style fridge freezer we would urge you strongly to get in touch with Samsung 0845 6726 7864 to see if your model is affected.
