LG Recalls Top-Loading Washing Machines Due to Risk of Injury

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #13073) was formally reported on December 18, 2012. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. LG Electronics Inc., of South Korea is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 457,000 units are affected, a scale large enough to require multi-state distribution tracking.

The documented reason for this recall is: An unbalanced load can cause the washing machine to shake excessively and the drum to come loose during use, posing a risk of injury to consumers and property damage to the surrounding area. 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 should immediately contact LG or Sears for a free in-home repair of the machine. Consumers will also receive supplemental information to be inserted into their owner's manual and a new caut… — 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 14 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.