Gree USA and Gree Electric Appliances manufacture home appliances. Gree Electric Appliances and several notable appliance brands – De’Longhi, Frigidaire, Gree, Premiere, Danby, Fedders, Kenmore, SoleusAir, Seabreeze, Fellini, SuperClima, and Norpole – were part of a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission “CPSC” recall in September 2013. According to the recall, portable dehumidifiers under the above brands were found to smoke, overheat, and catch fire.

Between 2016 and 2022, Gree dehumidifiers were possibly linked to house fires that claimed the lives of four consumers in Ohio, Missouri, and Iowa. Property damage caused by around 450 fires was estimated at over $19 million.

On August 16, 2023, 1.56 million Gree dehumidifiers were recalled. Kmart, Sam’s Club, Walmart, Amazon.com, Sears, Home Depot, HH Gregg, AAFES, Menards, Ebay.com, and Mill Fleet Farm sold Gree dehumidifiers. The cost ranged between $110 and $400.

On November 16, 2023, 68-year-old Simon Chu, co-owner of Gree USA, of Chino Hills, California, and 65-year-old Harley Loh of Arcadia, California were convicted of conspiracy to defraud the CPSC. The press release states that consumers reported problems with Gree Zhuhai dehumidifiers that were ignored by Chu and Loh for about six months. During this time, the faulty dehumidifiers were still being sold to American consumers.

Gree USA was previously ordered to a criminal fine of $500,000 after entering a guilty plea. Gree USA, Hong Kong Gree Electric Appliances Sales, and Gree Zhuhai will be required to pay $91 million to resolve allegations of conspiracy and failure to report information related to defective dehumidifiers to the Consumer Product Safety Act “CPSA”.