SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20130712-5D685-2147454245. Matched catalog product: GE PDW9980N20SS. Incident: Dishwasher dry cycle did not shut off following end of cycle resulting in melting of the silverware basket, utensils with plastic handles, the plastic parts of the lower water spray bar, and several plastic items on the top rack. The granite counter top and the adjacent cabinet walls were extremely hot to the touch, but no damage is visible on the cabinets. This is the second incident of this type that has occurred on this exact same model. I reported the previous incident to CPSC on Oct 12, 2008, and CPSC contacted GE, and their investigation determined that the dishwasher was not repairable and they replaced it with the same model, the one that I am reporting. Since this is the second incident of this type on the same model, it leads me to suspect a design defect and I believe a recall would be warranted. If I have experienced two incidents, there are undoubtedly many others out there with similar experiences. The fortunate thing is that we have been at home when both incidents occurred so we were able to intervene and turn off the dishwasher before something worse, like fire, happened.