‘Oddest thing I’ve ever seen’: Family claims glass from oven exploded in front of homeowner

Homeowner Eliu Lopez says his family got quite the scare when the glass on their oven door exploded while his wife was standing in front of it.

“I heard like this sound. It was like, POOF. I ran in and there she is, sitting on the floor with all this glass all around her,” Lopez explained.

Lopez shared a photo he took immediately after he says his Samsung stove sent flying pieces of glass toward his wife. She was wiping a stain on the door when the explosion happened according to Lopez.

He said he is so thankful his wife hangs a towel in front of the oven, which helped block the glass.

“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, like yesterday,” Lopez said.

According to Lopez, Samsung initially told him there was nothing they could do because his warranty had expired. The company then offered to fix the stove, but he said that wasn’t good enough.

“I don’t want you to replace this door. I want this unit out of my house. I’m scared of it. It’s dangerous,” Lopez insisted.

According to data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, between the years of 2011 and 2022, there were 1,500 instances reported of glass exploding or shattering, on stoves from different manufacturers.

One consumer wrote, “...shards embedded in my leg as I was standing a few feet away...,” when their Frigidaire suddenly exploded. Another consumer said, “...my 10-year-old daughter was making sugar cookies...,” the moment their Kenmore sent glass flying across the kitchen.

“Nothing is made to last too long anymore, which is sad, and in this case, incredibly dangerous,” Mike Mannino said.

Mannino is an appliance repair expert and explained how sometimes hairline fractures combined with extremely high heat, like the kind used in an oven’s self-cleaning mode, can be bad news for consumers.

“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,” Mannino warned.

There are things consumers can do to help prevent issues according to several manufacturers and appliance experts:

• Don’t Close Oven Door Until Racks Are In Place
• Don’t Hit Oven Glass With Anything
• Scratching Or Stressing Glass Can Weaken It

When asked about the Lopez family’s situation and the other 28 cases nationwide involving their stoves, a Samsung spokesperson said product quality and customer safety is top priority. The company also said this is a rare occurrence and they have worked closely with Lopez. The spokesperson added that Samsung encourages customers to contact the company with any questions they may have.

Lopez says Samsung eventually agreed to give him a full refund and remove the appliance.

“It was just the oddest thing I’ve ever seen,” Lopez said.

If you need to report any unsafe product, including appliances, contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission at saferproducts.gov.

Samsung statement:

At Samsung, product quality and customer safety is our top priority. This is a rare occurrence and we have worked closely with the Lopez family to understand their experience. We encourage any customer with questions about their product to contact us directly at 1-800-Samsung.

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