OSAKA Daikin Industries Ltd. said it is recalling 840,000 of its air conditioners and air purifiers to fix defects that may cause them to emit smoke and catch fire.
Fifteen such incidents have been reported, including several in which walls and ceilings were burned. No injuries were reported, Daikin officials said.
The fires were caused by short circuits in electronic parts of the products fan motors. A design flaw by a company that supplies the motors to Daikin means the electronic parts are prone to crack, the officials said Friday.
Subject to the measure are 138 air conditioner models manufactured between September 2006 and August 2010, and 42 air purifier models made between September 2006 and April 2011.
Daikin said it will collect and repair the products free of charge, which is projected to cost the Osaka-based company about ¥2 billion. Daikin will book the entire amount as an operating expense for the fiscal first half that ended in September, according to the officials.
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