Eliu Lopez is still trying to piece together what caused his Samsung stove to explode. It sent glass toward his wife, who was wiping down the oven door when it happened.
“I heard like this sound, it was like poof,” said Lopez. “And then I heard my wife go, ‘Oh my God,’ and then I ran in, and there she is, sitting on the floor with all this glass all around her. My wife could’ve lost her eyesight with all that glass going in there, you know, you just never know. So they have to do something about it.”
According to Lopez, Samsung initially told him there was nothing they could do because his warranty had expired. They then offered to fix the stove, but Lopez told them that wasn’t good enough.
“I don’t want you to replace this door, I want this unit out of my house,” said Lopez. “I’m scared of it. It’s dangerous.”
Nationally, from 2011 to 2022 there have been 1,500 cases of glass exploding or shattering on stoves from different manufacturers, according to data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
One consumer wrote, “shards embedded in my leg as I was standing a few feet away,” when their Frigidaire suddenly exploded.
Another said that their 10-year-old daughter was making sugar cookies when their Kenmore sent glass flying across the kitchen.
Appliance repair expert Mike Mannino said sometimes hairline fractures combined with extremely high heat, like the kind used in an oven’s self-cleaning mode, can be bad news.
“Nothing is made to last too long anymore, which is sad, and in this case, incredibly dangerous,” said Mannino. “That oven can get up to 800, 1,000, maybe 1,200 degrees in some cases and that can cause the glass to spontaneously just crack and shatter.”
Jones asked Samsung about Lopez’s stove and the other 28 cases nationwide involving Samsung. A spokesperson said product quality and customer safety are the top priorities. They also said that this is a rare occurrence and that they have worked closely with Lopez. They also encouraged customers to contact the company with any questions.
“It’s possessed, the stove is possessed,” said Lopez. “I don’t know. You know what I’m saying, it was just the oddest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Samsung did pick up Lopez’s damaged stove and he got a $900 refund.
To report unsafe products, including appliances, contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission at saferproducts.gov.
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