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GE recalls dishwashers over wiring erosion

General Electric recalled 2.5 million fire-prone dishwashers Wednesday, the latest in a string of electrical problems with dishwashers and one that could lead to new industry standards.

As in the February recall of 2.3 million Maytag and Jenn-Air dishwashers — made by parent company Whirlpool — the GE recall is due to short circuits or fires that can occur when liquid rinse aid leaks onto internal wiring.

The GE recall comes after 12 reports of fires and nearly 200 reports of overheated wiring. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says it is investigating other electrical-related issues with dishwashers that could pose a fire hazard to consumers.

The GE dishwashers were made from 1997 to 2001. It took years for the problem to come to light in part because the leaks slowly eroded wiring insulation, says GE spokeswoman Kim Freeman. In 2001, before GE knew of the leaks, it redesigned dishwasher doors in a way that eliminated the problem, she says.

Freeman says that rinse-aid dispensers have been in some dishwashers for as long as 20 years. But Richard Stern, CPSC’s associate compliance director, says they have been a relatively recent problem. He says rinse-aid dispensers likely were first put on only more expensive models before becoming a common feature.

Stern says the rinse-aid problem is a “safety issue that all of the industry is looking at.” He says it will be discussed by groups that help set voluntary safety rules that major manufacturers agree to meet.

Under law, CPSC must first try voluntary industry standards before setting federal rules. Product safety consultant Bill Kitzes, a former CPSC recall adviser, says CPSC could work closely with industry standard-setting group Underwriters Laboratories to develop voluntary rules related to rinse aid in dishwashers.

Attorney Michael Brown, a former CPSC executive director, says budget cuts have prompted CPSC to focus too much on recalls and not enough on rulemaking, which could have a bigger safety benefit.

GE says it will provide free repairs for recalled dishwashers or rebates for owners who want to buy a new GE dishwasher. The company also says original owners who have never used the rinse-aid dispenser can continue using the dishwashers. However, it will provide a cap to keep the dispensers from ever being used.

In 1999, GE recalled 3.1 million dishwashers that were prone to catch fire. In that recall, the company first offered only a rebate, forcing owners of dishwashers that had a faulty energy-saver switch to buy new ones. But under pressure from the government, GE offered to repair the switches 10 months later.