Sanyo Electric Co. will offer free repairs for more than 880,000 microwave ovens sold in Japan to fix a wiring flaw that might cause a fire.
The repairs cover 31 models of microwave and electric ovens made between June 2000 and September 2007, the Osaka-based electronics maker said in a filing at the trade ministry Friday.
The problem, which involves a faulty contact in the power cord, could lead to overheating, and in the worst case, fire, Sanyo said. The wiring flaw isn't present in export models, it said.
Sanyo got three reports of fires earlier this year involving ovens made in 2003, company spokesman Ryo Hagiwara said. In each case, the fire or smoke was contained inside the unit and did not cause injuries, he added.
The repairs could cost the company ¥1 billion to ¥2billion ($9.3 million to $18.5 million), Hagiwara said.