If Your LG Range Turns on Too Easily, the Knobs Might Be Defective, Class Action Says [UPDATE]

If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen, the old saying goes. While you’re at it, you might also want to make sure the range in your kitchen wasn’t turned on accidentally, a new class action case suggests. 

A proposed class action filed in New Jersey this week alleges certain LG electric ranges suffer from a defect that allows their control knobs to depress and rotate upon inadvertent contact, turning the range on accidentally and without warning. 

According to the 39-page complaint, the defect stems from the “low detent force” and “tiny distance” the front-mounted burner control knobs need to travel in order for the range to be turned on. 

“In other words, “ the suit says, “the ease with which the knobs can be pushed in and rotated without resistance fails to prevent the Ranges from being activated inadvertently.”

The tendency for the “uniformly defective” LG ranges to be turned on a bit too easily poses a significant fire risk and renders the products unsafe for their normal and expected use, the case argues. The filing alleges New Jersey-based LG Electronics USA has known of the problem since at least 2021, namely through numerous consumer complaints in product reviews online, yet has kept quiet about the issue while continuing to sell the potentially dangerous ranges.

Overall, the LG ranges at issue are worth far less than what consumers paid for them, and LG has “profited and continues to profit” from the sale of the faulty products, the filing alleges. Per the case, LG has routinely denied warranty claims arising from the problem, leaving buyers at risk.

“Because the existence of the Defect was concealed by LG, Plaintiff and the Class were deceived and deprived of the benefit of their bargain,” the lawsuit alleges, contending that a range capable of turning on easily and without a consumer’s knowledge “has no value” since it cannot be used safely. 

Easily-turned-on LG ranges not fit for “safe cooking,” case claims

The suit contends that the process to activate a stove burner “should be and is intended to be the result of two separate and distinct purposeful actions,” specifically pushing the control knob in before then rotating the knob to the desired heating level. Indeed, the suit says, consumers do not anticipate that an electric range will turn on in the absence of any intentional and deliberate action to turn the range’s knobs.

All it takes, however, for a burner on one of the LG ranges at issue to be turned on is for the knob to be turned in “a single smooth motion—a push motion with a twist—requiring minimal force and distance,” a design that makes the ranges “susceptible” to unintentional activation, the filing says. 

“Indeed, inadvertent contact with burner controls by pets and children has caused burners to activate and create fires,” the complaint reads. 

As the case tells it, the design of the LG electric ranges “puts no space between the consumer and the hazard” as no guards are in place to reduce the risk of unintentional activation during cleaning or via contact by a bystander, pet or child. 

Although some LG Ranges may be equipped with an oven handle that could, in theory, guard against inadvertent knob contact, this design is “wholly insufficient” to be effective, the case adds. 

“As an initial matter, the outermost burner control knobs in each of the Ranges protrude further than the oven handles themselves—therefore eliminating any guarding property they may have,” the suit explains. “Moreover, any such guarding effect is further blunted by the oven handles’ rounded (rather than squared design), which permits inadvertent contact.” 

The lawsuit charges that the LG electric ranges at issue are defective at the point of sale as a consumer could not reasonably discover the knob problem by reading manufacturer materials.

“Black smoke filled the house…”

The plaintiff, a Miami consumer, purchased his LG range, model number LSEL6335F, for roughly $1,500 in November 2021, and at all times used the product in a “normal and expected manner,” the case relays. Shortly after the range was delivered to his home, however, the plaintiff “began noticing that his Range would turn on inadvertently and without warning,” the suit says.

In August of this year, the plaintiff’s LG range apparently activated without warning while he and his wife were eating dinner in their bedroom. After smelling smoke, the plaintiff rushed to the kitchen to find that an empty UberEATS bag, left next to the range’s cooktop, had caught fire, the lawsuit says. 

“Mr. Brito immediately turned off the Range and placed the bag in the sink to extinguish the flames. Black smoke filled the house, but fortunately no one was injured.” 

The man claims that he contacted LG and was told someone would be sent to his home to investigate, but no such investigator ever contacted the plaintiff or went to his house.

Who’s covered by the lawsuit?

The suit looks to represent all residents of the United States and its territories who bought or otherwise acquired an LG electric range with front-mounted knobs primarily for household use and not for resale.

I have one of these LG ranges in my house. What do I do now?

When a new proposed class action is initially filed, there’s nothing you need to do to join or make sure you’re included in the lawsuit. Really, it’s only if and when a class action settles that the people who are covered by the case, called “class members,” have to act, typically by filling out and filing a claim form online or by mail. Oftentimes, a consumer will be contacted directly if they’re covered by a lawsuit and the case settles. 

There may be a ways to go until this case gets there – and there’s no guarantee it ever will – as class actions tend to take a while to work through the legal process on their way toward a settlement, dismissal or arbitration. 

If you own an LG electric range with front-mounted knobs, or just want to stay in the loop on class action lawsuit and settlement news, sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter.