Electrolux Class Action Says Microwave Handles Get Dangerously Hot

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Handles on Electrolux Home Products Inc.’s Over-The-Range Microwave Ovens get dangerously hot when the cooking surface below is used, according to a class action lawsuit originally filed in a New York state court but removed to federal court.

Plaintiff Dean Mauro argues that Electrolux’s Frigidaire Gallery Over-The-Range Microwave Ovens are defective, because the stainless steel handles reach excessive temperatures that could possible injure users.

Mauro says he purchased one of these ovens from a Lowe’s store in Cicero, N.Y., and argues that both Electrolux and Lowe’s Home Centers LLC should have known about the defect but continued to sell the product to consumers nonetheless.

The Electrolux microwave defect class action lawsuit cites that the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) establishes the standard pain threshold to be 111 degrees Fahrenheit, and warns against skin contact with metal exceeding that temperature.

According to the Electrolux lawsuit, the ASTM has established “maximum bearable pain” to be 133 degrees Fahrenheit, and the “beginning of numbness and possible irreversible injury to be 140 degrees Fahrenheit.”

The Electrolux class action lawsuit goes on to note that the ASTM states that if the temperature of a metallic surface exceeds 158 degrees Fahrenheit, it may present a hazard regardless of the contact duration.

The microwave oven handle defect class action lawsuit argues that when the cooking range below the microwave is used, the stainless steel handles “reach temperatures that exceed all applicable standards.” According to the lawsuit, this occurs because the handles are hollow and made from uninsulated stainless steel too thin to protect against the heat from the range below.

According to Mauro, Electrolux was aware of the defect in the ovens because they received many complaints from customers. The Electrolux class action lawsuit claims that the company continued to sell the ovens with the knowledge that they were defective and unsafe.

Mauro seeks damages on behalf of himself and all similarly affected consumers, claiming that had he known about this defect, he would not have purchased the Frigidaire Gallery Over-The-Range Microwave.

Mauro is represented by Jason Zweig, Anthony D. Shapiro and Jeniphr Breckenridge of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP; Simon B. Paris, Patrick Howard, and Charles J. Kocher of Saltz Mongeluzzi Barrett & Bendesky PC; and Daniel E. Gustafson and Jason S. Kilene of Gustafson Gluek PLLC.

The Electrolux Microwave Oven Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Dean Mauro v. Electrolux Home Products Inc. and Lowe’s Home Centers LLC, Case No. 5:17-cv-01397-TJM-DEP, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.