GE Hotpoint range fire hazard: it happened to us

Posted by Good Music on August 24, 2005, 5:44 am

Has anyone else had or heard of anyone having problems with GE / Hotpoint
ranges that get some kind of short in the broiler which causes it to
suddenly light up as bright as the sun and start sparking & flaming, like a
road flare, right at the electrical connection on one end at the back wall
of the oven? And when you turn the oven control knob "off", and the
electric "power" light goes off, but the broiler stays energized and you
can't turn it off?

We had this happen today. It happened all of a sudden. We had the oven
(not the broiler) turned on on our GE / Hotpoint MODEL#: RB757 range (7
years old). It had been on about 4 minutes preheating. Then it made a loud
POP and lit up bright as the sun inside the oven compartment as sparks and
flames shot out the place where the broiler coil connects to the electrical
contact in the back wall of the oven.

When the fire trucks arrived and the firefighters rushed in, they kept
spraying it and it just kept hissing and smoking but stayed lit up real
bright at that one point and on fire (I had turned off the control knob and
assumed maybe there was some food stuck on it that was causing it to still
burn, but they said no, it's still energized.). As soon as I switched off
the breaker, the bright light and fire and hissing immediately ceased.
There was no food on the element.

They dragged the range out the front door and onto the concrete driveway and
doused it, and said I should contact the manufacturer, which I will.

But first I want to see if this has happened to others. I looked for any
evidence on the web of this happening to anyone else; all I found is one
person said she got "E2" or soemthing error code displayed on her range and
the broiler would come on even with the knob in the "off" position, and had
to turn it off at the breaker. But she didn't have the sparks and fire.

Any evidence of this not just happening to us is appreciated. Thanks,

- Bobby & Susan

Posted by Hell Toupee on August 24, 2005, 8:55 am

Good Music wrote:

>
> Has anyone else had or heard of anyone having problems with GE / Hotpoint
> ranges that get some kind of short in the broiler which causes it to
> suddenly light up as bright as the sun and start sparking & flaming, like a
> road flare, right at the electrical connection on one end at the back wall
> of the oven? And when you turn the oven control knob "off", and the
> electric "power" light goes off, but the broiler stays energized and you
> can't turn it off?
>
> We had this happen today. It happened all of a sudden. We had the oven
> (not the broiler) turned on on our GE / Hotpoint MODEL#: RB757 range (7
> years old).

There's a recall on it:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml04/04576.html

Posted by SixGun on January 6, 2009, 3:17 pm

SixGun had written this in response to
http://www.thestuccocompany.com/maintenance/Re-GE-Hotpoint-range-fire-hazard-it-happened-to-us-24974-.htm
:

-------------------------------------
Hell Toupee wrote:

> Good Music wrote:

>>
>> Has anyone else had or heard of anyone having problems with GE /
>> Hotpoint
>> ranges that get some kind of short in the broiler which causes it
>> to
>> suddenly light up as bright as the sun and start sparking &
>> flaming, like a
>> road flare, right at the electrical connection on one end at the
>> back wall
>> of the oven? And when you turn the oven control knob
>> "off", and the
>> electric "power" light goes off, but the broiler stays
>> energized and you
>> can't turn it off?
>>
>> We had this happen today. It happened all of a sudden. We had
>> the oven
>> (not the broiler) turned on on our GE / Hotpoint MODEL#: RB757
>> range (7
>> years old).

> There's a recall on it:
> http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml04/04576.html

Wow just read this and yes this happened to us on New Year's Day 2009.
The oven was turned on to keep warm some french toast and the element
sparked and popped and starting burning like a magnesium flare. Turned
off the oven with no effect element continued to burn like the sun.
Poured baking soda on it with little effect. Used a fire extingusiher
made for kitchen use and that finally extinguished it. Called fire dept
to be sure it was really out they used a thermal imager to be sure there
were no hot spots. The fireman had never seen this before. Bad way to
start the New Year, but grateful it wasn't any worse. The public needs to
be made aware of this potentially fatal flaw in this appliance. As for
the New Year we just bought a Frigidaire Electric Range and pray this
won't happen again to us or any one else. Tom & Laurie

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Posted by Frank on January 6, 2009, 5:50 pm

SixGun wrote:

> SixGun had written this in response to
>

http://www.thestuccocompany.com/maintenance/Re-GE-Hotpoint-range-fire-hazard-it-happened-to-us-24974-.htm

> :
>
>
> -------------------------------------
> Hell Toupee wrote:
>

>> Good Music wrote:

>>> Has anyone else had or heard of anyone having problems with GE /
>>> Hotpoint
>>> ranges that get some kind of short in the broiler which causes it
>>> to
>>> suddenly light up as bright as the sun and start sparking &
>>> flaming, like a
>>> road flare, right at the electrical connection on one end at the
>>> back wall
>>> of the oven? And when you turn the oven control knob
>>> "off", and the
>>> electric "power" light goes off, but the broiler stays
>>> energized and you
>>> can't turn it off?
>>> We had this happen today. It happened all of a sudden. We had
>>> the oven
>>> (not the broiler) turned on on our GE / Hotpoint MODEL#: RB757
>>> range (7
>>> years old).

>> There's a recall on it:
>> http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml04/04576.html

>
>
>
> Wow just read this and yes this happened to us on New Year's Day 2009.
> The oven was turned on to keep warm some french toast and the element
> sparked and popped and starting burning like a magnesium flare. Turned
> off the oven with no effect element continued to burn like the sun.
> Poured baking soda on it with little effect. Used a fire extingusiher
> made for kitchen use and that finally extinguished it. Called fire dept
> to be sure it was really out they used a thermal imager to be sure there
> were no hot spots. The fireman had never seen this before. Bad way to
> start the New Year, but grateful it wasn't any worse. The public needs to
> be made aware of this potentially fatal flaw in this appliance. As for
> the New Year we just bought a Frigidaire Electric Range and pray this
> won't happen again to us or any one else. Tom & Laurie
>
>

Happened to me. I came home to see fire company leaving. Wife had
turned on stove (not a GE but I can't remember brand) and burner flared
as described and would not turn off. Wife has since learned how to
operate circuit breaker. Also old stove was directly wired in but new
one has a plug you can pull although you have to pull out stove.

Posted by CL (dnoyeB) Gilbert on August 24, 2005, 10:00 am

Good Music wrote:

> Has anyone else had or heard of anyone having problems with GE / Hotpoint
> ranges that get some kind of short in the broiler which causes it to
> suddenly light up as bright as the sun and start sparking & flaming, like a
> road flare, right at the electrical connection on one end at the back wall
> of the oven? And when you turn the oven control knob "off", and the
> electric "power" light goes off, but the broiler stays energized and you
> can't turn it off?
>
> We had this happen today. It happened all of a sudden. We had the oven
> (not the broiler) turned on on our GE / Hotpoint MODEL#: RB757 range (7
> years old). It had been on about 4 minutes preheating. Then it made a loud
> POP and lit up bright as the sun inside the oven compartment as sparks and
> flames shot out the place where the broiler coil connects to the electrical
> contact in the back wall of the oven.
>
> When the fire trucks arrived and the firefighters rushed in, they kept
> spraying it and it just kept hissing and smoking but stayed lit up real
> bright at that one point and on fire (I had turned off the control knob and
> assumed maybe there was some food stuck on it that was causing it to still
> burn, but they said no, it's still energized.). As soon as I switched off
> the breaker, the bright light and fire and hissing immediately ceased.
> There was no food on the element.
>
> They dragged the range out the front door and onto the concrete driveway and
> doused it, and said I should contact the manufacturer, which I will.
>
> But first I want to see if this has happened to others. I looked for any
> evidence on the web of this happening to anyone else; all I found is one
> person said she got "E2" or soemthing error code displayed on her range and
> the broiler would come on even with the knob in the "off" position, and had
> to turn it off at the breaker. But she didn't have the sparks and fire.
>
> Any evidence of this not just happening to us is appreciated. Thanks,
>
> - Bobby & Susan
>
>
>
>

Why didnt you pull the breaker before you called the fire department? I
am assuming this is an electrical model and not a gas one? Sorry I dont
own this model I don't think, and don't know of this happening to anyone
else. Ill check my model when I get home, but mine is gas and I assume
yours is not.

--
Respectfully,

CL Gilbert

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door() into
the sheepfold{}, but climbeth up some other *way, the same is a thief
and a robber."

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