Sears' comments came three days after Kayley Ishii was found by her mother in the water-filled washer at their Mission Viejo home. Orange County sheriff's officials said the girl's 1-year-old brother managed to start the device after she climbed in, either by bumping the machine or hitting the start button.

Sears spokesman Larry Costello said the washer — model 40412 — has a two-step start process, and its controls are 30 inches from the floor. A person would have to set the dial to a cycle and press a button to start the machine.

Costello said he is not sure how a 1-year-old could start the washer but urged parents with young children to buy washers with "control lockout." The feature temporarily disables a machine if a parent hits two keys and holds them down for 10 seconds.

"We want to reassure the public that this is the first such incident we've heard of involving a Kenmore laundry product," Costello said in a statement.

In an interview with The Associated Press, he said, "We're still reeling from this. ... We just ask parents to be aware of their children."

Investigators ruled Kayley's death accidental.