GE to fix dishwashers.(Safety Alert)(Product Information)

In an expansion of a highly publicized and disputed product recall, General Electric is offering free repairs on millions of dishwashers with potentially faulty switches that could melt, ignite, and cause a fire.

The recall involves 3.1 million dishwashers sold under the General Electric and Hotpoint brands. Until repairs are made, consumers should stop using the dishwasher and unlatch the door to prevent the possibility of fire, GE says.

The defective dishwashers, made between April 1983 and January 1989, were first recalled in October 1999. At the time, GE only offered consumers rebates of $25 to $125 toward the purchase of a new dishwasher.

As part of the current recall, a GE-authorized technician will rewire the sliding switch that allows the user to choose between "heated dry" and "energy saver" functions.

There have been approximately 90 complaints of fire, smoking, and melted switches, 10 of which occurred after the recall was originally announced, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). No injuries have been reported.

GE is still offering rebates of $75 to $125 to consumers who prefer to replace rather than repair their aging dishwasher with another GE model, or $25 toward the purchase of any competing brand. Those who buy a non-GE dishwasher will also receive a free extended warranty backed by GE, the company says. Consumers who heeded the earlier recall will get no further compensation.

Only about 89,000 dishwashers were replaced under the original recall program, according to CPSC spokesman Russ Rader. The low response rate was a reason the CPSC sought to expand the original recall, Rader said. The agency has no way of knowing how many of the old appliances remain in use, he said, but there are "at least some out there," since the CPSC continues to receive reports of fires, smoking, and melting switches.