Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Monday that some of its air conditioners produced from 1988 to 1996 could malfunction and catch fire.
The company said it will try its best to publicize the problem, implement inspections and replace parts free of charge, if necessary.
The products in question are 12 models of air conditioners, of which 180,738 units have been sold, it said.
According to Matsushita Electric, there was a complaint in Hokkaido in late August that one of its air conditioners had caught fire. A possible cause of the fire was rainwater or condensation that might have leaked into the interior unit and affected some of its electrical parts, company officials said.
Matsushita Electric has also provided 53,996 air conditioners to Hitachi Ltd. that may have a similar problem, they said.