Photo: Hendrickson Photography (Shutterstock)
When it comes to kitchen appliances, we typically don’t think of refrigerators posing the biggest threat to our safety. (We’re looking at you, stove.) But recently, owners of six GE refrigerator models have had a different experience, thanks to a faulty freezer handle that detaches when used.
As you might imagine, Haier—the company that owns GE Appliances—has issued a recall for those refrigerators, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports. Here’s what to know.
Why are the GE refrigerators being recalled?
Various models of GE’s Free-Standing French Door Refrigerators are being recalled because their freezer handle can detach when someone tries to open the freezer drawer, putting them at risk of falling, according to the CPSC. As of April 14, Haier has received 71 reports of the freezer drawer handle detaching, resulting in 37 reported injuries—three of which were serious.
The recalled refrigerators were sold from February 2020 through January 2022 at retailers including The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Best Buy, and other home improvement and home appliance stores nationwide, and online at Lowes.com and BestBuy.com. The refrigerators cost between $1,900 and $2,500, depending on the model.
Which refrigerators are part of the recall?
The recall includes approximately 155,000 GE refrigerators sold in the United States, along with an additional 2,300 sold in Canada.
G/O Media may get a commission
All six of the recalled models of GE-brand French Door Refrigerators have bottom freezers, come in fingerprint-resistant stainless steel, are 36-inches-wide, and were manufactured from February 2020 through August 2021.
You can locate the brand name, model, and serial number for each unit on a label located on the top of the left side of the interior of the refrigerator compartment.
The model numbers of the recalled refrigerators are:
GNE27EYMKFFSGNE27EYMNFFSGNE27JYMKFFSGNE27JYMNFFSGFE26JYMKFFS GFE26JYMNFFSEach of their serial numbers begin with one of the following two letter combinations: DR, FR, GR, HR, LR, MR, RR, SR, TR, VR, ZR, AS, DS, FS, GS, HS, LS, MS.
What to do if you own a recalled GE refrigerator
If you own one of the GE refrigerators that is currently being recalled (or aren’t sure whether yours is included), you should contact GE Appliances at 1-888-345-4671 (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET) or visit their recall website. Either way, be sure to have the model and serial numbers of your refrigerator on hand.
GE is contacting all known purchasers directly, but didn’t provide a timeframe for that taking place, so it may be faster to get in touch with them yourself. Once they’ve confirmed that you have a refrigerator that is part of the recall, GE will then schedule a free in-home service call to have the freezer’s handle mounting fasteners replaced and the handle re-installed.
