GE Refrigerator recall 2022: Appliance sold at Home Depot, Lowe's and Best Buy withdrawn after 37 reported injuries 

GE Appliances, owned by Chinese company Haier, is recalling six of its GE Refrigerator models. The reason for this recall is a manufacturing defect that affects the handle on the freezer doors, posing an injury threat to the consumers.

The company has sold close to 155,000 refrigerators sold in the U.S. and an additional 2,300 units in Canada. They made the announcement on Thursday, April 14, asking customers with defective models to contact them for a free at-home repair service.

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What defects do GE Refrigerators have?

A few models of GE Refrigerators are reported to have loose handles. The handles on the freezers have been reported to detach upon pulling, posing a fall risk, which means the consumer can fall on their back incurring some serious injuries. The company announced the recall in a notice it posted on its website:

"GE Appliances, a Haier company (GEA), in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), has announced a voluntary recall of certain freestanding bottom freezer refrigerators with fingerprint-resistant stainless-steel coating."

It continued:

"As part of our commitment to product safety and loyalty to our consumers, we are voluntarily recalling affected units to provide a free in-home repair. The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission."

Kentucky-based GE has received 71 reports of freezer drawer handles detaching, resulting in 37 injuries, including three serious falls. To reduce the risk of injury, the company advised customers to pull the freezer door directly instead of pulling on the door handle. The notice said:

"Consumers can continue using their refrigerators. If the handle is loose, a consumer can open the freezer by gripping the edge of the freezer door where the flexible rubber sealing gasket meets the metal freezer door."

The problem seems to be connected to the units sold from February 2020 through January 2022. The appliance was manufactured from February 2020 through August 2021 in Mexico and cost between $1,900 and $2,500. It was sold at Home Depot, Lowe's, Best Buy and other home stores as well as online at Lowes.com and BestBuy.com.

GE Appliances has requested customers to check the model and the serial number of their 36 inch wide refrigerators. Information related to manufacturing can be found on the label on the top left side of the interior of the machine.

The affected GE Refrigerator models are:

• GFE26JYMKFFS
• GFE26JYMNFFS
• GNE27EYMKFFS
• GNE27EYMNFFS
• GNE27JYMKFFS
• GNE27JYMNFFS

The serial numbers for the affected models begin with these two-letter combinations: DR, FR, GR, HR, LR, MR, RR, SR, TR, VR, ZR, AS, DS, FS, GS, HS, LS, MS.

The company has provided a customer service number on their website, where consumers can call from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday to register their units and other information. Customers can also reach out to the company online via their website.