18 Whirlpool, KitchenAid and JennAir models can turn on by themselves
By Alan Wolf
Whirlpool has voluntarily recalled more than 29,000 electric radiant cooktops with glass surfaces sold under the Whirlpool, KitchenAid and JennAir brands.
The manufacturer initiated the recall following 133 reports of surface heating elements turning on by themselves. Of those, 14 involved damage to nearby items; four involved items catching on fire, including one instance of property damage; and two involved minor burn injuries.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Whirlpool was proactive in recalling the 18 affected radiant and radiant downdraft models, which all feature glass cooking surfaces and touch controls. About 26,300 were sold in the U.S. and about 2,800 were sold in Canada between March 2017 and August 2019 at Lowe’s, The Home Depot, Best Buy and independent appliance and home improvement retailers. Another 128 units were sold in Mexico.
The units carried retails of between $1,150 and $2,500.
Whirlpool is arranging for replacement installs at no cost to the consumer. Owners can call Whirlpool toll-free at 888-900-7897 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or contact the company online at repair.whirlpool.com, or by clicking on the “recall notice” pop-up the Whirlpool, KitchenAid and JennAir home pages.
The CPSC is also advising consumers to turn off their cooktops at the circuit breaker when not in use, and to remove empty cookware from the cooktop and any flammable materials from the vicinity.
The affected models were manufactured from December 2016 through July 2019. They include:
- KCES950HSS
- KCES950HBL
- KCES956HSS
- KCES956HBL
- WCE97US0HS
- WCE97US0HB
- WCE97US6HS
- WCE97US6HB
- JEC4430HS
- JEC4430HB
- JEC4536HS
- JEC4536HB
- JED4430GB
- JED4536GB
- JED4430GS
- JED4536GS
YSN is published by BrandSource parent company AVB Inc.
