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Indesit publish safety recall on gas cookers

We all like to think that the appliances we bring into our homes are safe, but unfortunately, when they use gas, the results of something going wrong can be dramatic. Following concerns about a serious fire risk, Indesit has set out to recall a number of gas cookers, publishing a safety notice and alerting the media to try to help it find affected customers.

Which gas cookers are affected?

According to the Indesit safety notice, all the affected cookers have serial numbers between 31002XXXX and 31016XXXX or 30924XXXX (where the X can stand for any other digit). They were all purchased in the UK in October or November 2013. Indesit says it has already managed to track down 90% of the faulty appliances, but there are still a few whose whereabouts are unknown. The company is working with retail outlets to try and work out where the missing machines were sold, which may enable it to narrow the focus of the safety alert through local media.

What owners should do

If you think your cooker could be affected, call Indesit on 01733 287 843 or email [email protected] and they will arrange for an engineer to visit your home. You should not use your cooker in the meantime. The engineer can quickly fix the problem and make your cooker safe, and you won't be charged for the visit. If at any time you notice the smell of gas in your kitchen, turn off your gas supply at the mains, open all your doors and windows and call 0800 111 999 for help. You may need to go to hospital if you have symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning such as nausea, reddening of the skin or a headache.

What's wrong with the cookers?

None of the cookers were at risk of going on fire when they were first sold, but Indesit has since discovered that one of their components is prone to failure. If it does fail, it could lead to a gas leak. The longer you have your cooker, the greater the risk of this happening could become. This means it's important to check the serial number and to take any necessary action straight away. You can find the serial number on the main door of the cooker, either on the upper right hand side or on the lower left. It's the number on the left hand side of the sticker, underneath the barcode.

Past problems

In the recent past, Indesit had a similar problem with faulty components in some of its dishwashers, for which it issued a recall last November. In that case, the concern was that they could overheat. Situations like this are embarrassing for big brands, but most take their duty to protect the public very seriously and seek to avoid placing anybody at risk. There are strict regulations that clarify when a safety notice should be issued, and doing this also protects the company from what could be very expensive lawsuits if its products set fire to people's homes.

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