Oven Door Lawsuit Investigation: Shattering, Exploding Glass

Attorneys working with ClassAction.org are investigating whether a defect is causing the glass doors on certain ovens to shatter.

A number of reports have highlighted growing concern around the issue and now attorneys are looking into whether a class action lawsuit is viable. As part of their investigation, they would like to hear from anyone who had the glass on their oven door unexpectedly shatter.  

What Brands Are Under Investigation?

At this point, the attorneys are not limiting their investigation to a single brand or manufacturer.  They’re looking at all types of ovens, including Kenmore, GE, Whirlpool, LG, KitchenAid, Frigidaire and Electrolux, as their doors may have been manufactured by the same company or companies. This means a Kenmore oven may have the same glass door as a Whirlpool oven.

Reports indicate the exploding glass problem is particularly prevalent in Kenmore ovens.

What’s Causing the Oven Doors to Shatter?

Attorneys suspect that the shattering issue may be related to self-cleaning mode and the use of tempered glass that’s not able to withstand the extreme temperature. They’re hoping, however, that by speaking with consumers who had their oven doors shatter, they can start to narrow down the exact cause.

Complaints of Shattered Doors, Exploding Glass

The following is an example of complaints posted online by consumers after the glass on their oven doors shattered [sic throughout]:

I have a double electric wall oven that is less than 1 year old. the top oven was on warm and I had the lower oven on broil high. I placed a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil on the lower rack and shut the door. a few moments later I heard popping. I opened the door and noticed that the inner glass had begun to shatter. I closed the door and the glass continued to shatter.”
— GE double wall electric oven owner, Sept. 4, 2018, SaferProducts.gov

I purchased my Jenn-Air Electric Downdraft Range on December 16, 2016 and it was installed a few days later. About one month later, on January 22, 2017, after preparing a dinner and having the oven on at 425 degrees, we were finishing dinner when we heard a strange, loud popping noise coming from the oven. Not daring to open the oven, I could see through the oven door that glass was shattering inside the oven. Over a period of several hours, the inner glass continued to shatter and fall to the bottom of the oven.”
— Jenn-Air/Whirlpool electric range owner, Jan. 28, 2017, SaferProducts.gov

We cooked a casserole dinner tonight at about 6pm. We turned the oven off after removing the casserole. At 8:45pm the front glass of the oven door shattered into sheets, shards, and pieces. Glass continued to pop and disintegrate after hitting the floor. The glass prior to shattering had no obvious cracks or fissures nor was any blunt force applied to it. It seemed to break for no apparent reason.”
— Electrolux/Frigidaire electric oven range, June 21, 2017, SaferProducts.gov

For the third time our Kenmore Elite Oven has had the outer glass blow out across the kitchen floor when it was either on or recently had been used. The first time this occurred was in March of 2014, then again in February 2015 and now yesterday December 2015. The glass shatters across the floor with no warning, we have attempted to contact Kenmore directly but they remove our posts from Facebook and send us a phone number where we sit on hold for hours.”
— Kenmore Elite oven owner, TheSafetyInstitute.org

How Could a Class Action Lawsuit Help?  

A class action lawsuit, if filed and successful, could help people get back the money they spent on replacement doors, as well as force the manufacturers to find a fix for the issue. 

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