Samsung has issued a recall for over 1 million slide-in electric ranges due to fire hazard after the company received reports that its front knobs could be unintentionally activated by people or pets, and resulted in 250 blazes.
The recall, announced in a release by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Thursday, covers 30 models sold in the U.S. from May 2013 through August 2024, ranging in price from $1,250 and $3,050.
Since 2013, Samsung received over 300 reports of the “unintentional activation” of the range’s front-mounted knobs by humans or pets.
Of the 250 fires the issue caused, at least 18 caused “extensive property damage,” the release said.
Forty injuries have been reported as a result of the fires, eight of which required medical attention. At least seven fires involved pet deaths, the release said.
Samsung is offering free knob locks or knob covers as a remedy to the issue.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urged consumers to never place, leave or store anything top of the range as “such items can ignite if the range is accidentally activated or left on.”
“Fires can occur when items are left on the top surface of any range that is accidentally activated or left on,” the release said.
Samsung said in its own statement Thursday on the voluntary recall that consumers can still use their slide-in electric ranges while awaiting the knob locks or covers, while noting that their knobs meet industry safety standards.
To receive a set of free locks or covers, customers can visit this link, or, call Samsung toll-free at 1-833-775-0120 or reach the company by email.
The company said that in April 2024 it introduced new slide-in ranges with built-in three-step precision knobs that require a “pinching” action before the “push and turn movement” to turn on, in an effort to ensure the knobs are activated intentionally.
Further, some Samsung ranges with Wi-Fi connectivity can send users a notification via the Samsung SmartThings app to warn when a burner is activated. Certain Samsung range models also have illuminated knobs that display a “distinctive blue LED light around the knob’s base when a burner is activated.”
Samsung noted that CPSC’s public data includes “numerous reports of ranges with front-mounted knobs” across different manufacturers “that were activated through accidental contact,” meaning this isn’t an issue unique to Samsung. The company is also participating in a CPSC “Joint Gas and Electric Range Knob Working Group” along with other major brands to improve knob safety standards.
