The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says it has received 34 fire reports tied to the fridges, which were sold at Home Depot and on Amazon
Credit: Galanz Retro Refrigerator / CPSC.gov
Galanz Americas is recalling about 121,680 retro-style refrigerators after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission received 34 reports of fires linked to the appliances, including one that resulted in a fatality, according to a local fire department report.
The CPSC and Galanz Americas announced the recall on July 30. According to the agency, a fault in the fridges' internal electrical components can lead to a short circuit and fire, creating potentially deadly burn and fire hazards.
The five affected models — BCD-215V-62H, GLR76TRDER, GLR76TBKER, GLR76TBEER, and GLR76TWEER — are top-freezer units sold in black, blue, red, and white. Only units with date codes ranging from December 2018 through December 2020 are covered by the recall. Each unit carries a white label on its back, upper-left corner showing the model number and date code; the date code is formatted as YYYYMM.
Each unit stands roughly 58 inches in height and measures approximately 24 inches deep by 21 inches wide, with a 7.6 cubic foot interior capacity. The units feature a door that swings either left or right, three glass shelves that can be repositioned, a drawer, and a top freezer with its own separate door. The units were manufactured by Zhongshan Galanz in China and imported by Home Depot $HD and Galanz Americas.
Retailers carried the fridges at Home Depot locations nationwide and through Amazon $AMZN.com from January 2019 through September 2022, with prices ranging from $330 to $520.
Anyone with one of the recalled fridges in their home is urged to disconnect it from power and take it out of service right away. Galanz Americas is offering free in-home repairs by a qualified technician. Owners can schedule a repair by calling 888-462-0579 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, emailing [email protected], or visiting the recall website at GalanzRetroFridgeRecall.expertinquiry.com.
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