Samsung RS21 and RS60 fridge freezers safety notice
Samsung has issued a fire risk safety notice covering RS21 and RS60 range fridge freezers, later extended to all models in this range regardless of purchase date, plus additional related models listed below. The Electrical Safety Council advised anyone with an unmodified affected appliance to stop using it immediately and contact Samsung. A free home-visit repair programme is available.
As of March 2014 Samsung extended this notice to cover ALL RS21 and RS60 fridge freezers regardless of manufacture date, plus additional models using a similar defrost system. If you have one of the affected models that has not already been modified by Samsung, stop using it and call Samsung on 0800 988 0123 to arrange the free repair. Check the model number on the label inside the fridge compartment – see our guide on where to find the model number on a fridge or freezer.
Affected Models
Samsung’s notice covers all appliances in the following ranges, plus units using a similar defrost system:
RS60 (all models)
RSE8
RSH1
RSJ1
SN62
As of March 2014 the scope was extended to include all RS21 and RS60 models regardless of when the appliance was manufactured or purchased. If you have an RS21 or RS60 that has not already been modified by Samsung, it is covered by this notice.
Registering an appliance is supposed to ensure owners are contacted directly when a safety notice is issued. In practice, some registered owners of these Samsung fridge freezers were not notified. If you have a registered RS21 or RS60 and have not received confirmation that the modification has been carried out, contact Samsung directly – do not assume the modification has happened because you registered the appliance.
What to Do
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Check your model number. The model number is on a label inside the fridge compartment. Confirm whether your appliance is one of the models listed above. See our guide on how to find the model or serial number on a fridge freezer.
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If your model is affected and has not been modified, stop using it immediately. This is the specific advice from the Electrical Safety Council. Do not continue using the appliance until Samsung has confirmed the modification has been carried out.
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Contact Samsung. Call 0800 988 0123 to arrange the free home-visit repair. Samsung’s dedicated safety notice pages for this recall have been removed – if this number is no longer active, contact Samsung customer services through their current website and reference the RS21/RS60 safety notice.
Fridge freezers cannot simply be switched off while awaiting repair without spoiling the contents. If you cannot immediately get confirmation of when the repair will be carried out, consider whether contents can be temporarily transferred to other cold storage. The internal sparking fault is described as rare – Samsung’s own language at the time was “in very rare cases, there is the potential for internal sparking to occur.” However, the Electrical Safety Council’s advice to stop using unmodified appliances immediately should be given significant weight.
Related Safety Notices
Beko Fridge Freezer Safety Notice
Serious fire risk for Beko frost-free fridge freezers from 2000 to 2006 – 20 fires and one death reported.
Hotpoint Fridge Freezer Safety Notice
A separate safety notice affecting certain Hotpoint fridge freezer models.
Hoover Frost-Free Fridge Freezer Safety Notice
Defrost heater fault affecting Hoover frost-free fridge freezers from a specific production period.
LEC TF2304W Fridge Freezer Safety Notice
Defrost timer fire risk for LEC TF2304W frost-free fridge freezers from 2004 to 2006.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are all Samsung RS21 and RS60 fridge freezers affected?
Yes – as of March 2014 Samsung extended the safety notice to cover all RS21 and RS60 models regardless of manufacture date or purchase date. The notice was initially limited to a specific production date range but was subsequently expanded. If you have an RS21 or RS60 that has not had the Samsung modification carried out, it is covered by this notice.
I registered my Samsung fridge freezer but was never contacted – what should I do?
Contact Samsung directly. Some registered owners were not notified despite the appliance being registered. Do not assume the modification has been carried out simply because you registered the appliance. Call 0800 988 0123 or contact Samsung through their current customer service channels and specifically reference the RS21/RS60 safety notice.
Should I stop using the fridge freezer immediately?
If your appliance is an affected model and has not been modified, the Electrical Safety Council’s advice was to stop using it immediately and contact Samsung. Given that fridge freezers cannot be switched off without spoiling contents, contact Samsung as a matter of urgency to arrange the free repair visit. If you cannot reach Samsung quickly, consider whether the most perishable contents can be temporarily moved to other cold storage while the repair is arranged.
well contact today from samsung,and they say there will be compo and i should recieve it in writing within 10 days(would`nt say on phone or didnt know) just wish they would would replace with one with same/equal spec or give us the option of adding to a better spec modal,so far so good,lets hope its a fair amount ????
Hello smythe: If you are lucky, Samsung may try to salvage you as a customer by offering to compensate you. If they won’t, then presumably you’d never buy another product from them and would advise all you know to do the same.
In law, only the retailer you bought it from has any legal responsibility so if Samsung aren’t interested you will be wasting your time with them. It’s the place you bought it from you would need to fight with for compensation. I would say you have a very good case that at a cost of £800 it has not lasted a reasonable time, and it may even have been sold with an “inherent fault”.
RSH1DBRS just started the fridge scrapping noise (stops when fridge door is opened) Samsung sent engineer out condemnd it to the grave yard as unrepairable, both sides have no cooling, not 4 yrs old yet, bought from comet (not there fault) .this car`nt be right can it? £800 and lasts under 4 yrs and then unrepairable. Comet or Samsung must replace surely? and after reading everyone is having the same problems is this not a design fault ,i`m now waiting for Samsungs responce.
jo mann: If you have an affected appliance you need to get Samsung to fix it free of charge. I wouldn’t recommend diy on a specific safety issue with a potential fire risk.
have all the same problems as those above, has anyone fitted a repair kit brought from ebay?
if so who was the seller and was there any problems or did it cure the symtoms
how easy is it to fit ?
I’ve a RSH1DBRS which according to the Samsung web site is not affected however its recently started showing the same issues as described on here, i.e. fan scraping something noise, not cooling properly etc, etc. Think I’m going to insist on them repairing it FOC even if it has only just turned 3 years old.
Sarah, you can’t replace the motor (I presume you mean compressor?) on a fridge without specialist equipment. You need to send it back for a refund under the 7 day cooling off period if you bought it on line new.
You also need to check the serial number and model number on the fridge as described in this article to see if it’s affected or not and contact Samsung if it is.
Oh my god i have found my way to this site after looking for a way to put a new motor (that i recently bought from ebay) in my Samsung fridge freezer i can’t believe what i have been reading and am now scared to death that my fridge freezer is a potential sure risk, i have also discovered that the motor can’t be replaced due to toxic cfc gases is this true?? Please please can someone help me or give me as i don’t have a clue if my kids and my home is safe
Hi,
Phone them, don’t wait.
See my previous post from April – I know the web page tells you *not* to phone them, but I don’t think anybody at Samsung actually monitors the page anymore. I originally booked a callout through the web page last year, but when I didn’t hear anything after a few days I rang them. They didn’t have any record of my contact, but sorted a call-out with me over the phone and engineer was round within a couple of days.
Neil
i have the affected model and contacted samsung through the web but heard nothing yet 3 weeks ago!