Federal government has "open investigation" of fires caused by self-starting microwaves

In the Queen Anne condominiums in Seattle, Wash., tenant Joe Lyons is afraid
for his safety. He’s one of 10 residents who, according to the condo board, has had
problems with their KitchenAid microwaves. They have started on their own, and in at
least one case caused electrical arcing.

At another development, in Florida, a fire started in a microwave that was not in
use, according to the official fire report. Both of those incidents, reported to the
Consumer Product Safety Commission, involved the same microwave, the KitchenAid
KHMS155LSS.

A Consumer Reports investigation looked at thousands of pages of CPSC documents
in its investigation of appliance fires, including many obtained through Freedom of
Information Act requests.

More than 40 of the CPSC reports involved KitchenAid microwaves that turned on by
themselves, some causing fires. Whirlpool, which owns KitchenAid, says it has not been
able to verify a single report of a self-starting microwave.

Consumer Reports also examined 82 similar reports involving some GE microwaves,
six of which involved serious fires. The reports listed various models, but 30 complaints
involved the GE Spacemaker line of over-the-range microwaves. GE told Consumer
Reports that it “has investigated unverified reports of ‘self-start’ and found them to
constitute product quality, not product safety, concerns. Many have been determined
not to be ‘self-starts’ at all.”

None of those microwaves has been recalled. And the problem is not limited to
those two manufacturers. The Consumer Product Safety Commission told Consumer
Reports it has “an open investigation into the safety of kitchen appliances, including
microwaves.”

If you have a problem with your microwave, unplug it and have a technician look at it.
And it’s a good idea to know which circuit breaker turns off the microwave in case of
an emergency. It you‘re experiencing a problem with a microwave or any appliance,
Consumer Reports recommends notifying the manufacturer immediately. And report the
problem to saferproducts.gov.