94-year-old Delores Satler had just walked in the door when her oven door exploded. The Sun City Center resident found what she estimates were thousands of bits of broken glass covering her kitchen floor. Some pieces even landed in another room about 20 feet away.
When the mishap occurred in December, the oven was only two-and-a-half years old, Sattler explained. She said she would like GE to say what caused the problem and why the manufacturer won't cover all the repair costs, including the service call, instead of just the cost of the glass.
Consumers all over the U.S. have reported similar stories.
Tonya Lowery, who lives in Indiana, says she turned the oven to 425 and started making dinner when her oven door shattered. “Boom, and it just sounded like a gunshot," she said.
ABC Action News contacted the Consumer Product Safety Commission and found that since 2018, more than 900 reports have been filed of glass oven doors shattering or exploding. Those complaints involve many different brands and models of ovens.
The government hasn't issued any recalls for the problem.
Consumer product safety expert Sean Kane with Safety Research and Strategies says getting a recall isn't easy. “What it really comes down to is risk and potential injury for consumers," he said.
CPSC said there have been no serious injuries and told us in an email, ”There are standards in place for consumer products that use glass which should lead to the glass breaking into nuggets and not shards..."
Delores Satler wrote to ABC Action News after GE denied her claim. We emailed GE’s corporate office, and they have since notified Satler that they will replace the oven door free of charge.
You can protect yourself by making sure to never bump or scratch your oven glass, and always push the metal racks to the back. Experts say if you spot damage on an appliance, stop using it. You can report safety issues to CPSC at www.saferproducts.gov.
