Last updated on March 28th, 2017
Another potential fire risk safety notice been issued on white goods appliances. The biggest brands affected are Hotpoint, Creda and Indesit tumble dryers. Some other brands are affected too (see below). These are all part of the same manufacturing group (Whirlpool).
Remarkably it covers potentially millions of condenser and vented dryers sold over the last 11 years. It’s probably safe to say that most Hotpoint, Creda and Indesit dryers made before 2015 are affected unless made before 2004. The manufacturer has published the following statement –
A potential concern with two types of tumble dryers manufactured between April 2004 and September 2015. In some rare cases, excess fluff can come into contact with the heating element and present a risk of fire”. Basically it’s been found that a build up of fluff can in some cases come into contact with the heating elements and ignite. As an engineer I can confirm that tumble dryers can accumulate quite remarkable amounts of fluff inside – due to either poor design, damaged filters or if the filters aren’t carefully looked after and cleaned after every use.”
Which tumble dryers are affected?
Affected brands are: Hotpoint | Indesit | Creda | Proline | Swan tumble dryers, manufactured between April 2004 and September 2015
Over 100 different models are affected. It’s important to note that if you bought one of these tumble dryers after September 2015 it does not guarantee your model is not affected. This is because one could be in stock for some time after being manufactured before being sold. The affected tumble dryers were manufactured between the dates quoted above. You should check to see if your model is affected using the links below if you have any of these brands of dryer.
How to check if your dryer is subject to this safety notice
It’s very easy. Get your model and serial number from behind the door and enter the numbers into the manufacturer’s web sites below and then follow any instructions –
- Safety Notice – Hotpoint or Creda or Proline tumble Dryers
- Safety Notice – Indesit tumble dryers
- Safety notice – Swan tumble dryers
Green spot sticker?
Check to see if your tumble dryer has a small green spot sticker. Look behind the door, or near to the door seal, or anywhere on the machine including the back. A green spot sticker indicates that the fault has been fixed in the past. This is likely if you have had any engineer to repair it previously. It seems to show that prior to the announcement their engineers were already quietly making modifications. It’s up to you to decide if you trust it’s been done or not.
Is it safe to keep using an affected tumble dryer?
This safety notice specifically says, “consumers may continue to use their products, provided that appliances are not left unattended whilst operating”. However, clearly the notice has been issued because one could suddenly catch fire. So use your common sense. Personally I would say get it checked asap. If it’s an affected model have it modified before using again. If you must use it you need to not leave it running without anyone close by and accept that it could catch fire. If you are not going to be in a position to deal with any fire and have no suitable fire extinguisher etc then just do not take the risk.
Update: Whirlpool finally change their advice
Whirlpool have now (over 2 years later) changed their advice inline with my above paragraph. They are now advising people with affected dryers not to use them until they have been fixed – Owners told not to use dangerous tumble dryers after all (BBC news site). This is the only common sense and safe attitude to adopt unless someone is stood watching one with fire extinguisher to hand.
More advice on fire risks in appliances
I’ve always advised never to leave any washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher running whilst no one is around and these safety notices only confirm the wisdom of such advice. Tumble dryers – particularly condenser dryers – need to be properly looked after. If you have any brand of dryer you should make sure you are aware of all the filters inside and ensure they are always clean. Condenser dryers in particular can have several filters with some of them hidden behind panels or doors. Blocked filters can cause overheating!
hi i have a dryer and i was sent a letter home which gave me an access to a free repair visit at home but i have missed placed the letter can i please get the link
Use the link in my article under “What do do”. Put in your model number and if it is one that’s affected the manufacturer’s web site will tell you exactly how to get it fixed.
Mine did smoke luckily only a small piece of fluff was ignighted my daughter was home and was so frightened.when the eniginer came out in oct I ask if it would catch fire he laughed at me and told me not to be silly like I was stupid,it has now come to light that mine is one that is effected but yet hotpoint have still not been out,I don’t want to risk a modification I want a replacement or even my money back so I can go else were but I just get fobbed off
Hello Christine. Unless I’ve misunderstood something about this safety recall they’ve been modifying them when they visit for other reasons for some time. Yours should have been modified if an engineer came. They place a small green circular sticker on the dryer if they’ve modified it so have a look for one. They should place it behind the door but it could be put on the back somewhere. Most people are being offered new dryers at discounted prices because it appears they haven’t a cat in hells chance of dealing with the millions of dryers affected.
Hi, I have one of the affected hotpoint dryers. After many emails and tweets I finally received a call today and have been told an engineer will call out next week to modify it. I am just concerned as to whether this will definately make the dryer safer. Or should I demand a new one? Hotpoint said that 2 modifications would be done. Firstly they would fit a new bearing kit and a grill to allow airflow. And Secondly the engineer will fit a cover over the filter to stop the fluff getting into the machine. Does this sound like a resonable adjustment to the dryer or do you think i am being fobbed off?
They are struggling to cope with this as millions of dryers are affected. I think they are trying to modify as many as they can as long as they are fairly new but many people are being offered a new Hotpoint dryer for £99 or less depending on how old it is. I would expect the modification should do the trick but it may well be possible to demand a refund from the retailer under the sale of goods act as the dryer was clearly sold with an inherent fault. However, that route would be most likely to be met with resistance from the retailer who would be most likely to fob people off to the manufacturer.
My Creda model is T622CW ser. 28101049 is it ok to use
You have to follow the instructions under, “How to check if your dryer is subject to the safety notice” in the article Brenda. It only takes a minute.
Hi – we have an Indesit tumble dryer that needs the modification. The retailer is not willing to help us using their cover plan as quote ‘it is not FAULTY – just needs a modification.’ As such they say we also cannot claim under the Sale of Goods Act as ‘not fit for purpose’
Is this correct
Hello Liz. I’d have said it needs a modification because of a design fault? You could just as easily say that a fault in the design is making it potentially dangerous to use and therefore not fit for purpose. The sale of goods act specifically says that if you can prove an appliance has an inherent fault then they breached the act when they sold it to you because the fault was present when sold. We all know that it isn’t the retailer’s fault in any way, but unfortunately the sale of goods act makes them responsible.
A lot depends on how old it is, they may be within their rights to knock off half the cost of a new one for example if the dryer is already halfway through its expected average lifespan. Hotpoint are offering heavily discounted replacements themselves dependent on how old they are but are also trying to repair newish ones.
My Creda tumble drier Model T601CW serial number 87104946 cannot be entered on the site. Apparently because the Serial Number has only 8 digits rather than the 9 shown in the example. How can I proceed?
Hello Peter. Sadly the manufacturer’s page for checking is not very good, there’s no contact details for anyone with a problem. This is most likely deliberate as there are millions of affected dryers. It could be that all dryers affected have 9 numbers and if yours definitely only has 8 numbers in the serial number it might be unaffected. Can you send me a photo of your model and serial number label (use my contact page to get in touch). Also how old is it? (Affected dryers were manufactured between April 2004 and September 2015).
Hi my creda dryer t622cw serial 25102941 I cannot check either what can I do please
Hi Tim, You have the same issue as Peter so the same answer I gave applies for you. Also, when did you buy the dryer? Affected dryers were all supposed to have been manufactured between April 2004 and September 2015. Could your dryer be older or newer? It seems strange that you both have 1 number short in your serial numbers.
My Hotpoint Aquarius also has an 8 digit serial number. It is a TDL52S. Is it affected?
PS. TDL52S are not on the recall l;ist though it does caveat to say I should still check.
Hello Peter, you are the 3rd person with a serial number that can’t be checked because it’s a digit short. I keep asking questions like how old is it and requested photos of the label but no one comes back. I can only assume people can’t check their serial number because they have different models that aren’t affected but that’s why I asked when they were bought to try and get an idea.
Only Indesit will know for sure.
HELLO – I have a Creda Model number T622CW Serial Number 24102882. Similar to other correspondents. The website will not accept these details. The problem is clearly not due to the 8digit serial number. As the website reports a problem before the complete serial number is entered. The format of Model Number it is looking for is apparently different. But T622CW is the whole number on my machine. I believe the machine was purchased in 2004… but I have no idea when. Happy to email photos if this can help.
Hello Derek. I can only assume that people who are getting an error on the check if affected form aren’t entering the proper details. I have an article about finding model numbers which describes how the model number on the front of the control panel is often not the full model number (How to find the proper model number (and serial numbers) on a washing machine)
If you look at the example they show when the error comes up the model number they require is much longer than T622CW. The example they give is ABC 12343 ECO (UK).
Look at the serial number label carefully. See if you can see something more like ABC T622CW ECO (UK)
Thanks for your response. There are two labels on the machine. – front and back. I read the advice, the only serial number information is T622CW nothing else anywhere. Perhaps one day I’ll get through on the phone line… but the wait is hours at the moment. I suspect this machine predates the series’ with problems and their website hasn’t been set up to recognise this number.
I’ve also tried checking but won’t accept details. i have creda T622CW serial 23102480 no other model or serial number on machine. Sticker on back same as front.
Are your dryers definitely potentially affected? That is, “.. manufactured between April 2004 and September 2015”?
I can only advise that you try to contact Whirlpool to clarify this. There could be some issue with the tool. But I can only assume that the most likely explanation for why the model numbers aren’t accepted is because they are from tumble dryers that are not affected. I obviously can’t confirm this though. So please get back and update us if you find out the answer. It would be very helpful for others.
Update: Whirlpool finally change their advice
Whirlpool have now (over 2 years later) changed their advice inline with my above article. They are now advising people with affected dryers NOT to use them until they have been fixed!
This is the only common sense and safe attitude to adopt unless someone is stood watching one with fire extinguisher to hand.
Having the T622CW i contacted them by phone and after no wait at all was told that model was not affected. Good news for us.
Many thanks Jacqueline. That’s very helpful. It looks like it’s as I suspected, the tool doesn’t recognise models that are unaffected. Anyone concerned though should ring them to check if their dryer was made between April 2004 and September 2015.