600,000+ Washing Machines Recalled Due to Reports of “smoking, melting, overheating or fire”; Software Update Required

Check their model number: The serial number and model number can be found either on the label on the inside of the top lid or the label on its rear, per USA Today . The series affected are WA49B, WA50B, WA51A, WA52A, WA54A, and WA55A.
Check on software updates: The manufacturer has posted instructions here to see whether a machine already has received an update from Samsung, as well as more information on the washers.
Update the software: If it hasn&#8217;t happened yet, consumers can install an app and start the process, which can take as long as 50 minutes.

By B.N. Frank

In the not-so-distant past, manufacturers did not install software in any washing machines and/or other common household appliances. But software-equipped and “smart appliances” have become popular – despite their cybersecurity risks, privacy invasiveness, and other issues associated with them, including fires.

From Newser:

Samsung Issues Recall of 664K Washing Machines

Software update can eliminate fire hazard, manufacturer says

By Bob Cronin, Newser Staff

A Samsung washer is displayed at a Home Depot in Londonderry, New Hampshire, in 2019. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Saying it has received 51 reports from consumers of “smoking, melting, overheating or fire” involving several models of top-loading washers, Samsung has announced a recall of almost 664,000 of the machines. Owners of the 14 recalled models should stop using them immediately, according to the notice by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. A software update solves the problem, USA Today reports. The machines affected were sold at retail chains including Costco, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Lowe’s from June 2021 to this month.

The agency urges owners of Samsung washers to:

Check their model number: The serial number and model number can be found either on the label on the inside of the top lid or the label on its rear, per USA Today. The series affected are WA49B, WA50B, WA51A, WA52A, WA54A, and WA55A.

Check on software updates: The manufacturer has posted instructions here to see whether a machine already has received an update from Samsung, as well as more information on the washers.

Update the software: If it hasn’t happened yet, consumers can install an app and start the process, which can take as long as 50 minutes.

(Read more Samsung stories.)