A retro refrigerator sold nationwide is being recalled after one fire death

A retro-styled compact refrigerator that spent years on shelves at Home Depot and on Amazon is under an active federal recall after regulators tied the appliance to dozens of house fires and one death. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says the danger sits inside the cabinet itself, where an internal electrical fault can spark a fire without any obvious warning to the person using it.

Roughly 121,680 units are covered, sold under the Galanz brand in the colorful, rounded styling that has made retro-look refrigerators popular for dorm rooms, garages, home bars and offices over the past several years.

Which Retro Refrigerators Are Covered

The recall notice from the Consumer Product Safety Commission names five model numbers: BCD-215V-62H, GLR76TRDER, GLR76TBKER, GLR76TBEER and GLR76TWEER. Only units carrying a date code between December 2018 and December 2020 fall under the recall, a window the agency ties to a specific run of internal components rather than the full production history of the line. The refrigerators were manufactured by Zhongshan Galanz in China and imported into the United States by Galanz Americas Limited Company, then sold at Home Depot stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com from January 2019 through September 2022, priced between $330 and $520.

Thirty-Four Fires and One Death

The agency says it is aware of 34 reports of fires involving the recalled refrigerators. One of those fires resulted in a fatality, according to a local fire department report cited in the recall notice, though the CPSC has not released further details about the victim, the location or the date of that fire. Thirty-four fires from roughly 121,680 units sold is a markedly higher incident rate than most appliance recalls, which more commonly involve a handful of reports or, in many cases, no confirmed fires at all before a defect is caught and addressed.

Where the Failure Happens Inside the Cabinet

Unlike the hand warmer and power bank recalls tied to lithium-ion battery cells, the hazard in the Galanz refrigerators involves the appliance’s internal electrical components, which can short-circuit and ignite under normal use. A refrigerator runs continuously, drawing power around the clock for years at a stretch, which means a latent wiring or component flaw can sit undetected for a long time before a short finally occurs, often while no one is nearby to notice a wire warming or a compressor cycling wrong. Because the fault originates inside a sealed compartment rather than in a battery pack a user can remove, the recommended fix is professional repair rather than simply unplugging or replacing a part.

A Free Repair, Not a Refund or a Return

Consumers are told to unplug the recalled refrigerator and stop using it immediately, then contact Galanz Americas to schedule a free in-home repair carried out by a qualified technician rather than attempting any fix themselves. The company can be reached at 888-462-0579 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday, by email, or through the recall information posted on Galanz’s own website. Unlike some recalls that offer a straightforward refund, this one centers on repairing units in place, which keeps a larger number of affected refrigerators in active service for longer while the repair program works through a backlog of roughly 121,680 units nationwide.

Not the Only Compact Refrigerator on the List

The Galanz recall is one of several compact and mini refrigerator recalls the Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued in 2026 covering fire and burn hazards, a pattern that spans multiple brands and manufacturers rather than a single company’s design flaw. Small refrigeration units built for dorm rooms, offices, garages and home bars share some common engineering pressures: compact housings that leave less room for heat to dissipate around internal wiring, price points that push toward lower-cost components, and long, unattended duty cycles running around the clock in spaces that are not always well ventilated. None of that proves a single shared cause across the different recalls, but it has kept regulators paying close attention to compact refrigeration as a category rather than treating each recall as an isolated incident.

Finding the Date Code on the Back Panel

The model number and date code that determine whether a specific unit is covered are printed together on a label affixed to the back panel of the refrigerator, with the date formatted as a six-digit year-and-month code. Because the recalled window spans exactly two years of production, roughly December 2018 through December 2020, a refrigerator purchased in the same style but manufactured slightly earlier or later would fall outside the recall entirely, which is why the agency directs owners to check the printed code rather than relying on the visible model name or color alone. Reports from outlets covering the recall have noted that the appliance’s popularity as a budget-friendly, space-saving option makes it likely that many units are now in secondary locations such as garages, offices or guest rooms, where a fire risk might go unnoticed longer than it would in a kitchen.

This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by an editor.

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