SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20110415-B4BC7-2147480146. Matched catalog product: Kenmore 790.92303010. Source model text: 790.96614406. Incident: The oven on our electric range had been preheating for approximately 5 minutes when flames began shooting from the vents at the back and top of the control panel. The flames went up the wall nearly to the vent hood a distance of about 12 inches. The flames lasted for about 60 seconds until something inside the control panel popped and then they went out. It scorched the tile behind the range and could have easily set the house on fire. There was nothing in the oven and nothing on top of the stove to catch fire. The source of the fire was inside of the control panel. I have tried to get both Kenmore the company we bought it from and Frigidaire the company that manufactured it to come out and look for the cause of the fire. Neither company cares enough to come look at this product. I removed the rear cover to take pictures of the source of the fire. It appears that 2 relays actually came unsoldered from the circuit board and fell off. One landed on a wiring harness just below the control board and one fell down inside the range.