IT WAS RIGHT AS WE SAW SUNSET.
THANKS, JOHN.
DOING LAUNDRY ISN'T A CHORE
YOU THINK OF AS DANGEROUS.
TONIGHT "NEWS 4 JAX"
INVESTIGATES REPORTS OF WASHING
MACHINES EXPLODING, CAUSING
FIRES AND OTHER DAMAGE.
THIS JUST HAPPENED TO A
FAMILY ON THE WEST SIDE, AND
THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE IT
DOESN'T HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE.
NIKKI DISCOVERED THIS IS NOT AN
ISOLATED INCIDENT.
COMPLAINTS DATE BACK SEVERAL
YEARS AND NO RECALL HAS BEEN
ISSUED HERE IN THE U.S.
THE WATER ACTUALLY STARTED TO
SPRAY TO HERE.
Reporter: BECKY EDWARDS WAS
PLAYING OUTSIDE WITH HER KIDS
AND HER HUSBAND WAS ON THE ROOF
TAKING DOWN CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.
WE HEARD A BOOM.
IT SOUNDED LIKE A CANNON WENT
OFF.
LOUDER THAN A GUN SMOT.
THIS MOM OF FIVE SAYS WHILE
IN THE MIDDLE OF A LOAD OF BED
SHEETS, HER WASHING MACHINE DID
SOMETHING THAT SHE NEVER
IMAGINED.
I WOULD HAVE NEVER IN MY LIFE
EXPECTED A WASHING MACHINE TO
EXPLODE.
I'M PRETTY -- I HAVE THE CHILD
SAFETY LOCKS ON ALL DOORS AND
I'M DILIGENT ABOUT CHECKING MY
CAR SEAT, MY KIDS' TOYS AND
EVERYTHING.
THIS WAS NOT SOMETHING I WOULD
HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT LOOKING INTO.
SHE SHOWED US THE DAMAGE.
WHEN YOU WALKED IN, THE TOP WAS
BLOWN OFF?
YES, IT WAS HANGING OFF OF
THE BACK.
PRETTY MUCH THE CORDS AND THE
WATER WAS HOLDING THE WATER --
THE WATER HOSES WERE HOLDS IT
TOGETHER.
THE WATER HOSES SPRAYED THE
WATER EVERYWHERE.
IT WENT TOTALLY SIDEWAYS IN THE
WASHING ROOM.
WHAT'S MORE, BECKY SAYS THE
FORCE WHEN IT CAME APART SHOOK
THE WHOLE HOUSE.
THIS WAS HANGING UP HERE
STUDDED INTO THE WALL.
THAT'S WHAT I NOTICED FIRST.
THIS WAS ON THE GROUND.
PICTURES AND MORE KNOCKED OFF
OF THE WALLS AROUND AROUND THEIR
HOME.
WE HAVE LIKE FLOATING SHELVES
IN THE BATHROOM WITH A CONCH
SHELL ON IT.
IT KNOCKED THE CONCH SHELL OFF
THE SHELF AND LANDED IN THE BAT
TUB AND PUT A CHIP IN IT.
WHEN THE SHOCK WORE OFF,
BECKY STARTED TO MAKE CALLS TO
THE MANUFACTURER AND SHE DECIDED
THEY WOULD DO A QUICK GOOGLE
SEARCH TO SEE IF THIS HAD
HAPPENED TO ANYBODY ELSE.
I FINALLY GOT AHOLD OF
SAMSUNG AT 10:00 ON THE NIGHT IT
HAPPENED.
THEY DIDN'T REALLY -- THEY
WOULDN'T TELL ME IF THIS
HAPPENED.
I KNOW I READ THAT IT HAPPENED
BEFORE.
THEY DIDN'T ARGUE ABOUT THAT.
THAT'S BECAUSE THAT GOOGLE
SEARCH REVEALS OTHER STORIES
JUST LIKE HERE'S.
THIS IS ONE EXAMPLE FROM MIKA
MARTIN.
MADE A QUICK VIDEO OF WHAT
HAPPENED TO MY BRAND-NEW SAMSUNG
TOP-LOADING WASHING MACHINE.
HIS FAMILY WAS WASHING THE
EXACT SAME THING AS BECKY, TOP
AND BOTTOM SHEETS WITH
PILLOWCASES.
WE HEARD A BIG CRASH LIKE THE
ROOF WAS CAVING IN.
WE CAME UPSTAIRS TO THE FIND THE
TOP PART COMPLETELY ON A FLOOR
BLOWN OFF.
THE DAMAGE LOOKS EERLY
SIMILAR TO BECKY'S MODEL
PURCHASED AROUND THE SAME TIME.
WHEN WE STARTED TO DIG, WE FOUND
PAGE AFTER PAGE OF CUSTOMER
COMPLAINTS TO THE CONSUMER
PRODUCTS SAFETY COMMISSION.
DOZENS OF STORIES AND PICTURES
OF TOP-LOADING SAMSUNG MACHINES
THAT HAD SELF-DESTRUCTED.
YET, WE FOUND NO VOLUNTARY OR
MANDATORY RECALL FOR THESE
MACHINES HERE IN THE U.S.
BUT SAMSUNG IS RESPONDING TO THE
CONSUMERS.
BECKY IS GETTING THE SAME OFFER
THAT MIKA AND OTHERS SAY THEY
RECEIVED MONTHS AGO.
THEY OFFERED TO REFUND THE
WASHER AND DRYER, AND THEN THEY
SAID THEY WOULD FIX THE REPAIRS.
WE JUST HAD TO LET THEM KNOW HOW
MUCH.
LIKE MANY OTHERS, BECKY SAYS
THAT'S NOT ENOUGH.
SHE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT SAMSUNG
IS DOING TO PREVENT IT FROM
HAPPENING TO SOMEONE ELSE.
I ASKED THE EXECUTIVE
YESTERDAY, YOU KNOW IT'S A
PROBLEM, BUT YOU CHOOSE TO PUT
THIS BIT OUT THERE.
WHAT'S IT TAKE TO NOT MARKET
THIS PIECE OF EQUIPMENT?
SO FAR IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY'VE
BEEN LUCKY.
YOU HEARD NIKKI SAYS THERE'S
NOT A RECALL IN THE UNITED
STATES.
HOWEVER THERE'S ONE IN
AUSTRALIA.
IST FOR SIX DIFFERENT
TOP-LOADING SAMSUNG MODELS WITH
THE SAME INCIDENTS REPORTED AND
MORE THAN 30 LED TO FIRES WITH
SEVERE DAMAGE.
WE CONTACTED SAMSUNG AND WERE
GIVEN THE STATEMENT.
THE REPORTED INCIDENTS ARE
EXTREMELY RARE.
THAT SAID, SAMSUNG TAKES ANY
INSTANCE SERIOUSLY AND WORKS
CLOSELY TO INVESTIGATE THE
UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT LED TO
THE EXCEPTIONALLY RARE
OCCURRENCE.
IN EACH UNIQUE CASE WE PROVIDE
OUR CUSTOMERS WITH A NEW WASHER
OR REFUND AND COVER ANY EXPENSES
RELATED TO THE INCIDENT.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT
SAMSUNG CUSTOMERS COMPLETED
HUNDREDS OF MILLS OF LOADS
WITHOUT INCIDENT SINCE WE
ENTERED THE CATEGORY IN 2011.
IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH
YOUR WASHER OR WITH ANY OTHER
APPLIANCE, YOU CAN REPORT IT TO
THE CONSUMER PRODUCTS SAFETY
COMMISSION.
WE HAVE A LINK INSIDE THIS STORY