Watch CBS News

2 Investigators: Glass Oven Doors Shattering Without Warning

(CBS) -- Glass oven doors have been exploding and when it happens, sharp pieces fly everywhere. Injuries have occurred as well as damage to property.

So, why is this happening? CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini has some answers in this Original Report.

The complaints to the Consumer Product Safety Commission center on tempered glass shattering with no warning. One brand of oven appears to top the list of complaints.

Alice Rollins came home to find the kitchen in her Chicago home a mess.

"This kitchen is like my headquarters," said Rollins.

She and her husband Ed Rollins say glass from the outer glass of their double-pane Kenmore oven door spontaneously exploded into sharp pieces. Rollins says she is grateful it happened while they were away because her granddaughter could have been injured.

"She certainly would have, because she sits there," said Rollins.

Rollins said she worries this could happen to someone else, "I am terribly worried."

We first told you about the problem when Josi Rein's oven door exploded in 2012.
"This huge like boom, like boom," said Rein.

Hot glass flew all over her Highland Park kitchen, burning her hardwood floors. Three years later, the complaints keep piling up.

In just the past year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission received 123 complaints of oven glass breaking. Kenmore received the most complaints with 52. Some consumers complain about repeated breaks. One said the same oven door exploded three-times. Another complained it happened four times. Other complaints include 20 for Frigidaire and 20 for GE.

Glass expert Mark Meshulam says tiny flaws in tempered glass are often to blame.

"It could be absolutely spontaneous," said Meshulam. "I think the CPSC is getting the message that there is an issue out there with oven door glass spontaneously breaking and it really needs further study."

Abe Scarr, director of the Illinois Public Interest Research Group, says manufacturers need to take heed too.

"It certainly shows that manufacturers should be responsive to their consumers," said Scarr. "So they should take these complaints seriously, seems like, and improve their manufacturing process so we see less of these types of accidents."

"I have to pay to fix it," said a frustrated Rollins.

She says no one from Sears Kenmore has offered to repair or replace the oven she purchased in 2010.
"You have to do something," said Rollins. "You can't just walk around and deny it's happening."

Spokespeople for the brands in this report say they are following safety standards. Sears Kenmore also says glass breaks are infrequent.

But, currently there are no standards to make sure the glass is free of small flaws - which can grow and lead to the break.

Something you can do: Do not bump anything against the glass in the door or rest hot pans on the open door. It can cause flawed glass to shatter.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.