Electrolux Dryer Fires Being Reported

Electrolux dryers are dangerously vulnerable to catching fire, according to complaints, consumer reports, and recent lawsuits. Allegedly, some electric and gas models of Electrolux dryers contain a defect that allows lint to build up in areas unserviceable to owners and close to a heat source, posing a heightened risk of fire. At least one previous lawsuit also points to a possible bearing failure that causes the drum to move and make contact with the rear heating element, creating sparks which may light lint and other flammable objects. If you or someone you know has experienced fire or other negative complications from an Electrolux dryer, you may be able to participate in a class action lawsuit seeking compensation for money spent on the defective product, property damage, injuries, and other losses.

Famous, fashion designer Oleg Cassini bought a faulty Electrolux dryer that almost burned down his Long Island mansion.

In one lawsuit from 2010, Electrolux claims that “[f]or the U.S., using any model of clothes dryer from any manufacturer, the estimated annual risk of a clothes dryer fire is 1.76 fires per 10,000 dryers.” They claim that for Electrolux dryers, “the estimated annual risk is 0.26 fires reported per 10,000 Electrolux dryers.” Electrolux uses this claim to try to prove that their products cannot be considered to be “unreasonably dangerous.” The reliability and legitimacy of this internal statistical analysis is being challenged in the lawsuit.

The Swedish manufacturer Electrolux is the second largest home appliance manufacturer in the country, after Whirlpool. As shown in the New York Post, at least one high-profile incident was captured in the news when famous, now-deceased fashion designer Oleg Cassini bought a faulty Electrolux dryer that almost burned down his Long Island mansion. Electrolux paid for the damages and was told that the problem had been fixed so he bought the same model again. After his death, the new dryer also ignited, burning down multiple rooms in his house. Parts of this story are similar to other user complaints about the dryers, which claim that they ignited and destroyed parts of their home without warning.

State Farm is also leading the charge against Electrolux, filing their own lawsuit asking the company to pay the $12 million in claims that State Farm has been forced to pay out for Electrolux fires. The complaint says, "the clothes dryers were designed and manufactured with a heater pan directly behind the drum and in direct proximity to the heat source, either a gas burner flame or electric heating element, so that lint released by the laundry tumbling in the drum could migrate to and accumulate behind the drum and in the heater pan where it could be ignited by the heat source of the clothes dryer." State Farm alleges that Electrolux "carelessly and negligently designed and manufactured the clothes dryer without conducting any fire risk studies on the design of the product."

The heightened risk of fire may cause Electrolux dryers to be considered “unreasonably dangerous” under the law. While there is unquestioned utility in these dryers, the negative effects and possible disastrous consequences of a house fire are substantial. House fires can destroy physical property, peace of mind, and can lead to debilitating injuries or death for the residents of the house.