Hundreds of thousands of Hotpoint, Indesit and Whirlpool washing machines are being recalled

Whirlpool is facing fresh problems following its major recall of potentially dangerous tumble dryers. This is everything you need to know about the latest major recall from the manufacturer. The new recall About 20 per cent of Hotpoint and Indesit washing machines since 2014 are affected by a fault that can cause the door locking system to overheat, creating the risk of a fire. Whirlpool explained, “When the heating element in the washing machine is activated, in very rare cases a component in the door lock system can overheat, which, depending on product features, can post a risk of fire.” According to Whirlpool (owner of the two brands) 79 fires are thought to be attributed to the fault, which develops over time. Full list of affected models This is the full list of models affected by the recall: FML 742P UK HotpointWMAOD 743G UK HotpointWMAOD 743P UK HotpointWMAQB 721P UK.M HotpointWMAQC 641P UK.M HotpointWMAQC 741G UK HotpointWMAQC 741P UK HotpointWMAQC 741P UK.M HotpointWMAQF 621G UK HotpointWMAQF 621P UK HotpointWMAQF 641 P UK.M HotpointWMAQF 721G UK HotpointWMAQF 721P UK.M HotpointWMAQL 621G UK HotpointWMBF 742G UK HotpointWMBF 742K UK HotpointWMBF 742P UK HotpointWMBF 742P UK.M HotpointWMBF 763P UK HotpointWMEF 722 BC UK HotpointWMEF 742 P UK HotpointWMEUF 722P UK HotpointWMEUF 743G UK HotpointWMEUF 743P UK HotpointWMFG 741P UK HotpointWMFG 741P UK.M HotpointWMFUG 742 P UK.M HotpointWMFUG 742G UK HotpointWMFUG 742P UK HotpointWMFUG 842P UK.M HotpointWMJLF 842P UK HotpointWMJLL 742P UK HotpointWMSAQG 621P UK HotpointWMXTF 742G UK HotpointWMXTF 742K UK HotpointWMXTF 742P UK HotpointWMXTF 742P UK.M HotpointWMXTF 842P UK.M HotpointWMYL 7151PS UK HotpointXWA 81252X K UK IndesitXWA 81252X W UK IndesitXWD 71452X K UK Indesit What to do if you think you own an affected washing machine Whirlpool has created a model checker website to allow customers to see if their appliance is affected, however at the time of publication ( Tue 17 Dec), this website is unavailable. Customers who bought a Hotpoint or Indesit washing machine after October 2014 would need to enter the model and serial number of their appliances to see if it was one of the recalled models. The model and serial number can be found inside the door or the back. Alternatively, there is a free Whirlpool helpline that you can reach on 0800 316 1442. If it turns out you do have an affected appliance, Whirlpool says that it should be unplugged and should not be used until it has been repaired by a trained engineer. As an alternative, those affected will also be offered a safe replacement. When will machines be fixed or replaced? The repair or replacement process won’t begin until early January of next year at the earliest. This could leave households without the use of their washing machine for an unknown period of time. Whirlpool is refusing to offer refunds to customers. Whirlpool stated that owners could still use their machine, despite the potential danger, and instead use it on a cold wash cycle at 20C or less, which reduces the risk. A cold cycle means that the heating element would not be activated. Vice president of Whirlpool Jeff Noel said, “We know this will cause some concern. We especially understand that the washing machine is so important to family life, and in the Christmas holiday season it will be even more of an important matter and, for that, we apologise.” Tumble dryer recall Earlier this year, Whirlpool issued a recall of tumble dryers after admitting that as many as 800,000 faulty tumble dryers were sold in the UK. A group of MPs released a report criticising the company for its slow response in modifying or replacing faulty machines. They initially launched a full product recall involving 500,000 dryers after being ordered to by the Office for Product Safety and Standards. Owners who have not yet had their dryers modified or replaced are being urged to get in touch “as a matter of urgency”. You can see the full list of affected tumble dryer models here. This article originally appeared on our sister site Edinburgh Evening News