Imagine waking up to a loud crash from the kitchen, only to find the floor covered in glass and a hole in your oven door where the window used to be.
Consumer Reports says hundreds of people have reported similar incidents to federal safety regulators, describing oven door glass that appeared to shatter suddenly—sometimes while the oven was not even on.
A Consumer Reports investigation reviewed complaints filed with the Consumer Product Safety Commission over a 15-month period and found nearly 400 incidents and more than 40 injuries.
CONSUMER REPORTS: Shattered Glass in Range Oven Doors Sparks Hundreds of CPSC Complaints
Some consumers described the sound as a small explosion, while others said they discovered the glass only after hearing a crash from another room.
Consumer Reports’ Gabe Knight says no one expects an appliance in their kitchen to pose that kind of risk.
In some complaints, consumers said the oven was cold to the touch when they found shattered glass on the floor. CR also found similar reports in the CPSC’s public database dating back more than a decade, and the issue was not limited to one manufacturer.
Consumer Reports contacted the five manufacturers with the most complaints.
LG said it was aware of the complaints but had not identified a basis for additional action at this time. The other four companies said their products meet third-party safety standards.
CR says Samsung was the only company to say it offers free repairs regardless of warranty status.
Consumer Reports is calling on manufacturers to work with the CPSC, investigate the incidents, and offer free repairs to affected consumers.
CR’s experts say there may not be obvious warning signs before the glass fails, though any chip, crack, or visible damage should be taken seriously and reported to the manufacturer right away.
If your oven door glass shatters, Consumer Reports recommends taking photos, keeping repair records, contacting the manufacturer, and filing a report with the CPSC at saferproducts.gov.
That can help regulators determine whether additional action is needed.
Manufacturer Customer Service Phone Numbers:
- Frigidaire: 800-374-4432
- GE: 800-626-2005
- LG: 800-243-0000
- Samsung: 800-726-7864
- Whirlpool: 866-698-2538