SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Overheating

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20150306-D014E-2147434792. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Matched catalog product: Whirlpool Model #wrf767sdhz 26.8 cu ft 3 door French door re. Source model text: GT4185SKS-2. Incident: Our Whirlpool Gold microwave oven Model GT4185SKS-2 worked well for 10 years without incidents or repairs; however one day after warming up a glass of milk (use completed and clock displayed) we closed the door and it began making a low, constant humming sound. We opened the door, the humming stopped and the interior light came on. Curious, we placed a glass of cold water in the center of the microwave and simply closed the door without touching the keypad. The humming sound immediately started, the interior was dark, no light on, and the turntable did not move. Within 60 seconds we could see our water boiling. We opened the door, the light turned on, the humming stopped. Our water was boiling and steam came pouring out the top of the unit. Then we smelled a bit of smoke, something was burning although we don't know what. We immediately flipped the fuse and began unscrewing its 27" trim kit to remove the microwave from our cabinetry. We believe had we not been home and awake to manage this issue, and the wherewithal to cut the circuit and remove the microwave, it would have burned our house down.