Consumers urged to stop using Electrolux built-in refrigerator after fire incidents at Riversails Condominium
Consumers have been urged to stop using one model of an Electrolux built-in refrigerator after a series of fridge fires at Riversails Condominium, located at Upper Serangoon Crescent.
Preliminary findings by trade agency Enterprise Singapore, which oversees quality standards of equipment, revealed that four fires at the condominium were caused by the failure of the motor capacitator, a device that holds charges of electricity in refrigerators.
The fires broke out in March and April, said Enterprise Singapore in a media release on Friday (Apr 23).
The refrigerators have the model number ENN2754AOW with the first three digits of the serial numbers 512 and below.
The agency said it has been working with the condominium’s management committee and Electrolux to “expedite” the removal of the built-in refrigerators from residents’ homes.
As of Apr 20, about 80 per cent of the residents have reached out to Electrolux and the majority of them have had the refrigerator removed from their homes.
It added that a total of 1,807 refrigerators of this model were supplied to condominium developers from 2013 and 2018. They were also not sold in retail stores in Singapore.
Besides the 1,377 units installed in Riversails, 398 units have been installed in four other condominiums – Katong Regency, Skygreen, Winsland Serviced Suites by Lanson Place and the Wisteria.
Another 32 units were supplied to other property developers and businesses, according to Enterprise Singapore. It added that the model was no longer supplied to developers after 2018.
In a media release on Friday, Electrolux said the incidents involving the affected model are treated with “high priority”.
“Although fire incidents have only been confined to Riversails, we will respond in consistency with Enterprise Singapore’s precautionary recommendation to remove the fridges, products starting with serial number 512 and below, from these condominiums,” said the company.
It named Katong Regency, Sky Green, The Wisteria and Winsland Serviced Suites by Lanson Place.
Electrolux will be contacting the management committees of the four condominiums and the other owners based on their records, said Enterprise Singapore.
Owners may also call Electrolux at 6727 3699 or email them at customer-care.sin@electrolux.com for assistance.
For compensation and redress issues, owners could seek their own independent legal advice or consider mediation through the Singapore Mediation Centre, Enterprise Singapore added.
TODAY reported last week that a total of seven incidents involving refrigerator fires have occurred at Riversails Condominium since 2018. The report also said Electrolux had offered residents a one-time “goodwill payment” of either S$600 or S$1,200 in exchange for the appliances in their homes.