Huge Dehumidifier Recall Includes Popular Brand Names Like Haier, Honeywell, After Reports of Fires

Millions of dehumidifiers sold under brand names like Haier, Amana, Honeywell and others are being recalled following more than 100 reports of the dehumidifier overheating or catching fire, which has resulted in millions of dollars’ worth of property damage.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the dehumidifier recall on August 4, with more than a dozen brands impacted. Each of the products was manufactured by the same company, New Widetech, and the products contain a design defect that may cause the machines to overheat and ignite a fire.

The manufacturer is aware of at least 107 incidents of the dehumidifiers catching fire, which have caused an estimated $17 million in property damage. However no injuries have been reported to date.

The recall impacts 25-, 30-, 35-, 45-, 50-, 60-, 65-, 70-, and 74-pint dehumidifiers which includes brand names AeonAir, Amana, ArcticAire (Danby), Classic (Danby / Home Hardware Stores), Commercial Cool, Danby, Danby Designer, Danby Premiere, De’Longhi, Edgestar, Friedrich, Generations (Danby), Haier, Honeywell (JMATEK / AirTek), Idylis, Ivation, Perfect Aire, SuperClima, Whirlpool, and Whynter. Owners of the dehumidifiers can find the brand name, model number, and pint capacity on a printed nameplate sticker on the back of the machine. A complete list of affected devices, model numbers and capacities are listed in the recall notice, linked above.

More than 2 million of the impacted dehumidifiers have been recalled in the United States, 380,000 recalled in Canada, and 25,000 recalled in Mexico.

The dehumidifiers were sold at retailers nationwide including Costco, Lowe’s, Menards, Walmart, and others from February 2009 through August 2017. They sold for about $120 to $430 depending on the model. The recalled dehumidifiers were manufactured in China.

New Widetech is informing owners of the recalled dehumidifiers to stop using the devices and contact them for a refund. The refunded amount be pro-rated and will depend on the age of the dehumidifier.

Owners of the dehumidifiers can contact New Widetech for questions and information at 877-251-1512, or they can visit a website set up for the recall at www.recallrtr.com/nwtdehumidifier, or they can visit the company website at www.newwidetech.com/en/ and click on “Recall Information at the bottom of the webpage.