Over 900 reports of glass oven doors shattering or exploding have been filed with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) since 2018.
The CPSC told Scripps News Tampa that the complaints include many different oven brands and models. Some cases occurred when the ovens were not even in use.
The government hasn't issued any recalls for the problem.
Without a recall in place, the options are limited for consumers like 94-year-old Delores Satler, who came home one day to see her oven door had exploded, leaving thousands of broken glass bits covering her kitchen floor. Some pieces had even made it into another room of her home, 20 feet away from the oven.
The Florida resident said the oven was only 2 1/2 years old.
Sattler told Scripps News Tampa she would like GE, her oven’s manufacturer, to say what caused the problem and why it won't cover all the repair costs, including the service call, instead of just the cost of the glass.
The company originally denied Satler’s claim. Scripps News Tampa then reached out to GE’s corporate office, and they have since notified Satler that they will replace the oven door free of charge.
But consumers all over the U.S. have reported similar stories.
Tonya Lowery, who lives in Indiana, said she turned the oven to 425 degrees and started making dinner when her oven door shattered. “Boom, and it just sounded like a gunshot," she said.
Consumer product safety expert Sean Kane with Safety Research and Strategies said getting a recall isn't easy.
“What it really comes down to is risk and potential injury for consumers," Kane explained.
The CPSC said there have been no serious injuries and told Scripps News Tampa, in part, ”There are standards in place for consumer products that use glass which should lead to the glass breaking into nuggets and not shards.”
Experts said 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 also said if you spot damage on an appliance, stop using it.
You can report safety issues to the CPSC at saferproducts.gov.
This story was originally published by Jackie Callaway at Scripps News Tampa.
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