Burning Microwave Handles Put Electrolux in the Hot Seat

Owners of Electrolux over-the-range microwave ovens say a design flaw has resulted in injuries from burning microwave handles.

Electrolux Home Products Inc. is now facing at least two products liability class action lawsuits over allegations that its microwave ovens designed to be installed above a working stovetop feature metal handles that get extremely hot when the stovetop is on.

These burning microwave handles have gotten hot enough to cause injury, the plaintiffs say.

Plaintiff Elaine Rice filed her Electrolux class action lawsuit in February 2015 in a federal court in Pennsylvania.

Rice says she bought an Electrolux-made over-the-range microwave in October 2013 and had it installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Later, while she was cooking food on her stove, she reached for the microwave handle. The handle was so hot that it gave her a burn on her hand, she claims.

Rice says she called Electrolux customer service to complain about their burning microwave handles. The company sent out a service representative, who told her that it was installed too close to the stovetop. The representative told Rice the bottom of the oven should be at least 30 inches from the stovetop.

Rice says her own oven was installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, which allegedly say the oven’s top – not the bottom – should be 30 inches above the stovetop. As a result of that apparent mistake in the instructions, Rice claims, her oven was installed much closer to the stovetop than it should have been.

Rice says she has since measured the temperature of her microwaves handle after putting a pot of water on the stove to boil. She reports the handle reached a temperature of over 168 degrees Fahrenheit.

That’s hot enough to burn human skin almost instantly, according to Rice’s Electrolux class action lawsuit. She cited industry standards that warn against allowing human contact with surfaces that are 158 degrees or hotter.

Plaintiff: Stainless Steel Makes for Burning Microwave Handles

In a more recent Electrolux burning microwave handles class action lawsuit, plaintiff Alex Kukich raises similar allegations.

Kukich blames the problem on the 400 grade stainless steel used to make the problematic handles. He says that during normal use, the temperature of these oven handles can far exceed the maximum temperature allows in standards published by Underwriters Laboratories.

According to those guidelines, a bare or painted metal handle should not get hotter than 131 degrees Fahrenheit. Kukich claims the Electrolux stainless steel handles can get as hot as 168 degrees.

Kukich includes a copy of a schematic diagram that calls for 30 inches of space between the stovetop and the top of the oven, with the notation “Bottom edge of cabinet MUST be 30” min. from cooking surface.”

Rice’s Electrolux Class Action Lawsuit is Elaine Rice v. Electrolux Home Products Inc., Case No. 4:15-cv-00371 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Kukich’s Metal Microwave Handle Class Action Lawsuit is Alex Kukich v. Electrolux Home Products Inc., Case No. 1:16-cv-03412 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

UPDATE: On Jan. 15, 2020, a federal judge in Pennsylvania dismissed warranty claims in a proposed class action lawsuit against Electrolux by consumers who argue the handles on the company’s microwaves cause burns.

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If you own an Electrolux over-the-range microwave with a stainless steel handle, including the Frigidaire Gallery brand of microwaves as well as the other brands sold after 2011, you may be entitled to compensation. It’s absolutely free to participate, so act now!

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