CPSC, Whirlpool Corporation Announce Recall of Dishwashers

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #05123) was formally reported on February 25, 2005. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Whirlpool Corporation, of Benton Harbor, Mich. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 162,000 units are affected, a scale large enough to require multi-state distribution tracking.

The documented reason for this recall is: An electrical defect within the dishwashers' wash motor wiring poses a risk of the motor overheating and possibly catching fire. Distribution information was not included in the agency filing, so consumers should assume broad potential exposure until the firm publishes point-of-sale details. The remedy documented by the agency is: Consumers with one of these dishwashers should immediately stop using it, disconnect the electric supply by shutting off the fuse or circuit breaker controlling it, and inform all users of the dishwa… — consumers holding this product should act on that instruction rather than relying on general guidance.

To put this record in context, PlainRecalls indexes 83,949 recalls across the FDA, CPSC, NHTSA and USDA FSIS going back to 1995. Within the same product category, the database holds 6 closely related recalls, of which 6 were also issued by CPSC. That clustering is a signal — repeated actions in a narrow category often indicate a systemic quality-control issue, a supplier-wide contamination, or a design defect that has propagated across product lines. This recall is roughly 21 years old; older recalls can remain relevant because many units enter resale, rental, and secondary-market channels where the original warning never reaches the end user. Always cross-check the recall number against the official agency page before relying on any summary.