Samsung Has a New Exploding Product: CPSC

Top-loading washing machine could be a problem, per consumer safety group
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Suggested by ThingsChange
Posted Sep 28, 2016 10:34 AM CDT
Samsung Has a New Exploding Product: CPSC
Stick to the delicate cycle if you've got a top-loading Samsung washer.   (Best Buy)

Samsung isn't having a great year. First there was a worldwide recall for millions of its new smartphones after some caught fire; then the company was accused of messing up that recall. Now a warning has been issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission about some of its top-loading washing machines, which nearly two dozen consumers since last year say have exploded, ABC News reports. "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 says in a statement about possibly affected units made between March 2011 and April 2016.

The issue that's supposedly causing the problem, per an attorney for customers now suing Samsung in federal court: the machine's tub breaking free of its restraints during the spin cycle because of faulty support equipment. Georgia's Melissa Thaxton found that out firsthand when her machine blew apart in April while she was right next to it. "It was the loudest sound. It sounded like a bomb went off in my ear," she tells ABC. "There were wires, nuts, the cover actual was ... on the floor." Samsung says it's working with the CPSC to address the problem, but in the interim, the company suggests throwing those previously mentioned washable items in the delicate cycle, which so far hasn't been reported as causing any issues. (Not likely this LG exec had anything to do with it.)

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