Fires prompt Goldstar, Comfort-Aire dehumidifier recall alert

The poor performance of a recall of Goldstar and Comfort-Aire brand dehumidifiers has prompted an alert to be issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission after they were implicated in four more fires since the December recall. A total of 15 fires have been linked to the dehumidifiers, which were sold at Home Depot and Walmart stores in 2007 and 2008.

The CPSC on occasion will re-announce a recall, typically if consumers don't respond to the initial announcement (and a serious danger exists) and if incidents continue to be reported post recall.

Consumers are urged to stop using the dehumidifiers made by LG Electronics Tianjin Appliance Co., of China. Short circuits in the power connector for the dehumidifier's compressor appear to be the culprit, the CPSC said.

The recalled models are 30-pint portable dehumidifiers. A list of all the model numbers can be found here. In addition to Home Depot and Walmart, one model was sold by Heat Controller Inc. They sold for $140-$150.

If you have one of the dehumidifiers, call LG to confirm yours is on the list and schedule a free repair at (877) 220-0479 weekdays between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern Time. and from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

To find an authorized repair center, visit LG's recall site.