SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20160617-19B09-2147417733. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: BOSCH HBL5751UC (BOSCH Wall Oven/Microwave Combo Oven MODEL: HBL5751UC HBL5751U Bosch 500 Series 30" Speed Combination Oven). Incident: Bosch Built-in Oven/Microwave Combo was purchased March 2015 from Lowes in Cary, North Carolina. In May 2016, while the oven is turned OFF, the broiler came on by itself. The oven alerted (beep sounds) me, and when I touched the oven handle and panel, it was VERY VERY hot. I immediately turned the power breaker off to cut off any power to the oven. I left the oven OFF and immediately called BOSCH. BOSCH stated they would have an authorized dealer diagnose the issue. Initial dealer that investigated the issue stated it was the "communications board". He had asked me to turn the oven on to help him diagnose. He said I could use the oven, but "be careful". A few days later, more burning smell from the oven (I called the fire department) and cut off the power to the oven again. Fire department did not identify the cause of the smell. The initial dealer never returned to complete the repair. I called in a 2nd dealer. When he investigated the oven, he found multiple components had burned down within the appliance, including the board and wires. This is a very dangerous situation where the oven is catching fire while in the OFF position. If the fire was not contained within the oven, it would have easily spread in the kitchen. My oven sits next to a gas cooktop - making the situation even more volatile. BOSCH agreed that this is a safety issue, however, once they diagnosed that it a full replace was required, they stopped working with me - sending me to LOWES instead. I have been without an oven for over 6 weeks with no resolution yet.