The units were sold under nearly every major brand name by major retailers
Humidity is annoying but dehumidifiers are downright life-threatening in many cases, especially the Gree models manufactured in China and sold under a wide variety of brand names including De’Longhi, Fedders, Frigidaire, GE and Kenmore.
They have been blamed for four deaths resulting from fires and for more than 400 house fires that caused more than $19 million in property damage.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging consumers to immediately check to see if their dehumidifier is part of any dehumidifier recall, including the most recent recall of Gree dehumidifiers announced on August 16, 2023.
Consumers should stop using the recalled dehumidifiers and contact Gree for a full refund.
CPSC urges consumers to immediately turn off and unplug the recalled dehumidifiers and contact Gree at (866) 853-2802 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or online at greedehumidifierrecall.com and click on Recall for to receive a refund. Report incidents with recalled dehumidifiers and any dangerous product or a product-related injury to CPSC at www.SaferProducts.gov.
A lengthy series of recalls
The recall of the affected dehumidifiers was first announced in September 2013, updated in October 2013, expanded in January 2014, re-announced in May 2014, and re-announced again in November 2016.
CPSC evaluated the recalled dehumidifiers and found that they can overheat, smoke, and catch fire, which can lead to serious injury or death. The four deaths occurred in house fires that may have been caused by recalled dehumidifiers. One death occurred in 2016 in Ohio. Another death occurred in 2022 in Iowa. Two more deaths occurred in 2022 in Missouri.
These dehumidifiers are separate from the 1.56 million Gree dehumidifiers recalled on on August 16, 2023.
Where they were sold
The recalled dehumidifiers have been sold at: AAFES, HH Gregg, Home Depot, Kmart, Lowe’s, Menards, Mills Fleet Farm, Sam’s Club, Sears, Walmart and other stores nationwide and in Canada, and online at Amazon.com and Ebay.com, from January 2005 through January 2014 for between $110 and $400.
As stated in the November 2016 recall reannouncement, the recalled dehumidifiers are 20, 25, 30, 40, 45, 50, 65 and 70-pint dehumidifiers manufactured by Gree Electric Appliances, of China with brand names Danby, De’Longhi, Fedders, Fellini, Frigidaire, GE, Gree, Kenmore, Norpole, Premiere, Seabreeze, SoleusAir and SuperClima.
Recalled model numbers are listed here. The brand name and the pint capacity are printed on the front of the dehumidifier. The model number and date code are printed on a sticker on the back, front or side of the unit. The dehumidifiers are white, beige, gray or black plastic and measure between 19 and 24 inches tall, 13 and 15 inches wide, and 9 and 11 inches deep.
What to do
CPSC urges consumers to immediately turn off and unplug the recalled dehumidifiers and contact Gree at (866) 853-2802 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or online at greedehumidifierrecall.com and click on Recall for to receive a refund. Report incidents with recalled dehumidifiers and any dangerous product or a product-related injury to CPSC at www.SaferProducts.gov.