Samsung washing machines in Singapore not affected by safety problems

SEOUL/SINGAPORE — Samsung Electronics, which is already reeling from a global recall of its Note 7 smartphones, said on Thursday (Sept 29) that Singapore is not affected by potential safety problems related to some of its washing machines, following media reports that they had exploded.

“Models sold outside of North America are not influenced by this issue,” a Samsung spokesperson told TODAY.

The comments came as the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warned of problems with some of Samsung’s top-load washing machines.

Samsung is also facing a lawsuit from US customers who, according to a filing in a New Jersey court on Aug 12, said their machines “explode during normal use”.

Certain top-load washing machines made between March 2011 and April 2016 were affected, both the company and the CPSC said.

“In rare cases, affected units may experience abnormal vibrations that could pose a risk of personal injury or property damage when washing bedding, bulky or water-resistant items,” Samsung said on its website.

The company said consumers with affected models should use the lower speed delicate cycle when washing those materials.

Samsung did not mention the models impacted but asked customers to enter their washing machine’s serial number to determine if their machine is affected.

It was not immediately known how many units were affected and whether the problem is limited to the United States.

Best Denki, Audio House and Courts said they have not received any calls from concerned customers here.

Samsung, the world’s top smartphone maker, announced on Sept 2 a global recall of at least 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in 10 markets due to faulty batteries causing some phones to catch fire.

The company said on Thursday that more than one million people globally are now using Galaxy Note 7 smartphones with batteries that are not vulnerable to overheating and catching fire.

Samsung had said the Note 7 phones that were sold starting on the official Sept. 1 launch date use a different battery than the recalled devices. But a string of reports by users in China, the world’s top smartphone market, that their Note 7s caught fire have dogged Samsung in a country where they have already fallen out of the top five in terms of market share.

Samsung, in a statement issued on its China website, apologised to its consumers for failing to providing a detailed explanation why the smartphones on sale in China were safe, as they used batteries that came from a different supplier to those that could overheat.

“Currently, the brand new Note 7 products that have been swapped in overseas markets are using identical batteries to those that were supplied and used for the Chinese version,” Samsung said.

Samsung said it takes reports of Note 7 fires in China very seriously and has conducted inspections on such devices. Batteries for the burnt phones were not at fault, Samsung said, adding its conclusion was also backed up by independent third-party testing. AGENCIES WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CHRISTOPHER TOH