South Korea’s tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. whose global reputation has been tainted after the recall of its Galaxy Note7 premium smartphones has faced a new challenge of dealing with safety concerns raised over its washing machines sold in the United States.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said in a statement on Wednesday (local time) that it is “actively and cooperatively working with Samsung to address safety issues related to certain top-load washing machines made between March 2011 and April 2016.”

The statement comes after U.S. news reports that certain models of Samsung Electronics’ washing machines manufactured in the last five years exploded when spinning at high speed. The explosions reportedly happened when consumers who have officially raised safety complaints washed bedding, water-resistant, and bulky items, and presumably the water discharging holes were blocked and spinning speed turned uncontrollably high before overheating.

CPSC did not go into further details in the statement as to what caused the explosion and the name of models affected. Samsung Electronics is also keeping mum about the exact problem, except posting a statement on its U.S. website notifying consumers that “in rare cases, affected units may experience abnormal vibrations that could pose a risk of personal injury or property damage when washing bedding, bulky or water-resistant items.” Along with it, the company advises consumers to visit its U.S. website to check if their washers could face a similar problem.

Industry experts note that there could have been a problem in algorithm that controls spinning of a washer if the speed turns too high.

Amid safety concerns, CPSC has advised consumers “to only use the delicate cycle when washing bedding, water-resistant and bulky items.”

Samsung Electronics’ share in the U.S. washing machine market is between 10 and 11 percent. Considering that the annual market volume of washers in the U.S. is about 5 million units, the number of Samsung washing machines that could be affected by the latest safety issues could reach 2.5 million units including the highly-sought Activewash washer that has a small washboard on top and has been developed by its unit in India.

Samsung earlier this month announced a worldwide recall program for its newly released premium smartphone Galaxy Note 7 that could catch fire while charging due to a battery defect. Over $1 billion worth global recall and refund policy on the Galaxy Note 7 has already taken a heavy toll on the world’s largest mobile phone maker, leading analysts to downgrade profit guidance for Samsung Electronics.

By Lee Seung-hoon

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