Thousands of dishwashers are being recalled in Australia as it emerged that some models pose a serious threat of fire. The three major brands involved are Dishlex, Electrolux and Westinghouse. While these may not been major players in the dishwasher market in the UK, they are heavily involved down under. The faulty models are those sold since April last year, with one of the manufacturers, Electrolux, issuing a product recall.

Not all models have been affected however, just models with serial numbers between 70700000 and 72400000. So check now if you think your dishwasher could be at risk. The serial numbers can usually be found printed on the back of your model.

The problem occurs when one of the wires overheats, causing some of the adjacent plastic parts to melt. Following some initial reports, Electrolux has investigated and the problem has been shown can lead to an outbreak of fire. Not the most comforting prospect for all the dishwasher owners out there.

While this may be bad news for customers, it's good news for the dishwasher repair men, who have already been hard at work rectifying the problem, but it is still believed thousands of faulty dishwashers are still out there. It was originally thought nearly 30,000 dishwashers were affected, and estimates show less than a third of these have been fixed.

If you have any doubts whether your model is affected, stop using your dishwasher straight away - it's always better to be safe than sorry. You can follow up any concerns you have over your dishwasher - do not hesitate to call your manufacturer to address the problem. They should offer to fix the fault free of charge.

These dangerous washers appear to be widespread, but the truth is, the number affected is relatively minor comparative to the total amount sold, with only a few brands involved.