Imagine being asleep in bed when you hear a loud crash from the kitchen, followed by the sound of something shattering. In the kitchen, you find the floor covered in shards of glass and a hole in your oven door where a window used to be. Hundreds of consumers have shared similar stories with federal safety regulators. Consumer Reports uncovered the complaints and is now calling on regulators to take action.
These are just some of the ways consumers describe the moment the glass in their oven door shattered.
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“No one thinks that they’re going to have a ticking time bomb in their kitchen in which glass will fly all over the place,” said Gabe Knight with Consumer Reports.
Consumer Reports’ investigation focused on complaints filed with the Consumer Product Safety Commission over a 15-month period.
They found nearly 400 incidents and more than 40 injuries. In many of those reports, people say the oven wasn’t even on.
“Some were asleep in bed,” Knight said. “They went downstairs. They touched the oven. It was cold to the touch, but there was glass all over the floor.”
Consumer Reports found similar complaints dating back more than a decade in the CPSC’s public database.
And they’re not limited to a single manufacturer.
“Although Frigidaire is cited more than any other company, we’re seeing this issue across brands,” Knight said.
Consumer Reports contacted the five manufacturers with the most complaints.
LG said it’s aware of the complaints, but “has not identified a basis at this time for additional action.” The other four companies said their products meet third-party safety standards.
CR says Samsung is the only company to say it offers free repairs regardless of warranty status.
“We’re calling on these companies to work with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, dig into the incidents, and offer free repairs to consumers.”
Consumer Reports says there may not be obvious warning signs before the glass fails.
“There’s nothing clear besides possibly if there’s a chip, or a crack, or damage in the glass,” Kenneth Sutton with Consumer Reports explained. “And if that was to happen, I would contact the manufacturer immediately.”
And if your oven glass does shatter, Consumer Reports says -- take photos, keep any repair records, contact the manufacturer, and file a report with the CPSC.
Consumer Reports says sharing these incidents with the CPSC at saferproducts.gov can help regulators determine whether additional action is needed.