Recall of Frigidaire minifridges sold at major retailers grows to nearly 1 million
Nearly 1 million Frigidaire-branded minifridges are now being recalled over potential fire hazard risk, as part of an expanded recall issued by a Canadian company last year.
Curtis International, which manufactures and distributes electronic and appliances, is recalling 330,000 minifridges, adding to the 634,000 minifridges it recalled in July 2024, according to a notice published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on Thursday.
The government agency stated that internal electrical components in the appliance can short-circuit, causing the surrounding plastic to ignite and posing fire and burn hazards.
The recall involves Curtis International 6-can minifridge model EFMIS121, sold exclusively at Target stores and on Target.com from January 2020 through October 2023. The affected minifridges are red and have the word "Frigidaire" printed on the front. Curtis International has received "at least" six reports of this specific model catching fire, according to the recall notice.
The initial recall notice, which involved different Frigidaire minifridge models, documented 26 reports of minifridges smoking, sparking, burning, melting, overheating and catching fire. CPSC said property damages for those incidents totaled more than $700,000.
The units in the earlier recall were sold at Walmart and Amazon.com.
CPSC advises consumers who purchased the model EFMIS121 minifridge to stop using it immediately. They should also unplug it, cut the power cord and write "Recall" on the front of the fridge in permanent marker. When disposing of the minifridge, consumers should abide by local and state regulations, the recall notice says.
Affected customers can visit www.recallrtr.com/minifridge for a refund. The recall number for the product is 26-199.