Nationwide, there are numerous reports of exploding ovens, including in the Miami Valley.
The dangerous explosions are real and leave homeowners not happy. News Center 7′s John Bedell explains what, if anything, companies are doing to stand behind the dangerous appliances.
Eliu Lopez said glass went flying toward his wife when his Samsung stove exploded. She was wiping down the door when the explosion happened.
“I heard this sound. Oh, then I heard my wife go ‘Oh, my God.’ Then, I ran in, and there she is, sitting on the floor with all this glass around her,” Lopez said,
Lopez said his wife hangs a towel in front of the oven door. And he is so thankful that she does, because if not, all that glass would’ve been much closer to her face.
“My wife could’ve lost her eyesight with all that glass going in there, you know, you just never know. So, they must do something about it,” Lopez said.
According to Lopez, Samsung initially told him there was nothing they could do because his warranty had expired. Then, it offered to fix the stove. However, he said that was not good enough.
“I don’t want you to replace this door. I want this unit out of my house. I’m scared of it. It’s dangerous,” he said.
Lopez is not alone, we analyzed data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission from 2011-2022 and there have been more than 1,5000 cases of glass exploding or shattering on stoves from different manufacturers, and nearly 50 of them in Ohio.
One consumer wrote, “Shards embedded in my leg as I was standing a few feet away,” when their Frigidaire suddenly exploded. And, another consumer said, “My 10-year-old daughter was making sugar cookies,” when their Kenmore sent glass flying across the kitchen.
Appliance repair expert Mike Mannino said, “Nothing is made to last too long anymore, which is sad. And, in this case, incredibly dangerous.”
Mannino said, sometimes hairline fractures combined with extremely high heat, like the kind used in an oven’s self-cleaning mode can be bad news.
“That oven can get up to 800, maybe 1,000, or even 1,200 degrees in some cases. And that can cause the glass to spontaneously just crack and shatter,” Mannino said.
News Center 7 asked Samsung about Lopez’s and the other 28 cases nationwide involving their stoves. A spokesperson said product quality and consumer safety are a top priority. This is a rare occurrence and they have worked closely with Lopez and encourage customers to contact the company with any questions,
“It’s possessed. The stove is possessed. I don’t know. You know what I’m saying, it was just the oddest thing I’ve ever seen,” Lopez said.
Samsung picked up Lopez’s stove and gave him a full refund. If you need to report any unsafe product, including appliances, contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission at saferproducts.gov.