General Electric announced the recall of about 92,000 GE combination microwave and conventional wall ovens Wednesday, due to a fire hazard.
GE and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that the door switch in the microwave oven can overheat and ignite plastic components in the control area, posing a fire hazard to consumers. The lower thermal oven does not pose a hazard.
GE is aware of 35 incidents of minor property damage and one incident in which a fire damaged adjacent kitchen cabinets. There have been no reported injuries.
GE is the parent company of NBC Universal. (Msnbc.com is a joint venture of NBC Universal and Microsoft Corp.)
The recall includes GE combination microwave and conventional built-in wall ovens sold under the following brand names: GE, GE Profile and Kenmore. The model and serial numbers can be found inside the microwave oven in the left interior wall.
The ovens were sold in white, black, bisque and stainless steel. Only microwave combo ovens with certain serial numbers are included in this recall. The microwave combo ovens were sold in department stores and appliance stores from January 2000 through December 2003 for between $1,500 and $2,000.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled microwave oven. Consumers can continue using the lower thermal oven. Consumers should contact GE for a free repair, a $300 rebate toward the purchase of a new GE brand unit, or a $600 rebate toward the purchase of a new GE Profile brand unit. Sears is offering a $300 rebate toward the purchase of a new Kenmore brand unit.
To determine if your microwave combo wall oven is included in this recall, contact GE toll-free at (888) 240-2745 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET Saturday or visit the firm’s website at geappliances.com. For Kenmore product, please call (888) 679-0282 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET Monday-Saturday or visit sears.com.