Easy Accidental Turn On

[user1OUc2R1Yok]

I purchased this range in November. I read a report or two about how easily it turns on. The huge knobs are great. But, let me set the stage for how I know a bad design job from a great one. My father was part of a 2 man team who, in the 1950's, designed the 'Spin Free' knob at Patten Button Co in Knoxville, TN. They manufactured all sorts of plastic products and, yes, buttons, too. Their knob was the brain child of a co-worker who was playing with poker chips and put one atop the other and tried to rotate the top one. The little groves kept him from doing it. He took the idea to my Dad who designed the machine to make injection molds for their Spin Free knob. 

This simple knob kept kids from turning on a stove. They could spin the knob and nothing happened until Mom pushed in with a little force and turned it to the desired setting.

My new Samsung is a flat glass surface. It's easily scratched so I purchased a black 'drying mat' just in case casseroles were placed on it in preperation of using the oven. I wanted to keep the surface new looking for as I could.

Imagine my surprise when last week my teen granddaughter yelled something was on fire.
She had put together some Christmas treats. None required the use of the surface range. But, sure enough, the left rear burner was bright red. The black pad had melted and stuck to the stove. I was sick. All that  money and all that care and here was this mess.

I tried to recreate what happened and how it happened and it was very simple. I bumped the knobs on the left with my mid section and slid my body ever so slightly to the right. Sure as the sun rises tomorrow, that left back burner became flaming red. It was on 'high'.

These are the poorest designed knobs I have ever seen. The concept is good but the force needed to activate them is woefully lacking. 

I was able to let the remnants of the black drying mat cool and used a single edge razor blade to gently lift off the black gunk stuck to it.

Shame on Samsung for not checking the this out since there have been prior valid complaints.

[SamsungTam]

@userNYBxx9uZ; I'm very sorry to hear this. Were there any damages to the home and is everybody okay? Please send us a private message to the link with more information on your concern. 

[userUwv6wUFrCX]

I found a similar solution. My local Ace hardware has stepped rubber grommets. The firstone I got was3/4 x 1/4 inch. It worked, but I had to push them in a little harder than I like (I don't have smalle kids - these would be better for small kids!), so I went back and got the 5/8 x 1/4. They look a little bigger than the onew in the pciture above, but they work well. The grommets are in the parts drawers in the hardware section - look for "Grommets" (may be "rubber grommets". The smaller side goes toward the range. 

[user7HuEmFll1B]

The Samsung rep told me today that I was the only person having this issue...  clearly I am not!! 

[user7HuEmFll1B]

The Samsung rep told me today that I was the only person having this issue...  clearly I am not!! Please message me if there is any class action... I have 6 kids at home & a rag caught fire today...  luckily my husband was home <hidden>.... Samsung said if I cared about my kids safety I would purchase their knob protectors!! Rediculous 

[DunhamFamily]

If you are able to get the class action going, please message me - I would be happy to join and give whatever information I could. We have had 5 issues so far, and I am terrified we are going to have our house burned down from this! 

My email is <HIDDEN> if the message boards will let it post ... 

[MFColorado · Accepted solution]

There's a man who posted this solution a couple of days ago - WORKS GREAT!  Go to Home Depot and get 9/32 inch neoprene grommets - remove your oven knob and place as shown in picture.  Then put the knobs back on. It will require extra effort to push and turn the knobs BUT you won't accidentally turn on the burners!

We have had many issues with this - Samsung came out and said there is "nothing they can do because the oven is performing to specifications."  This is an awful design.  It is happening with the induction ovens and the gas ovens.

See if you can reference his post above.  Hope this helps - it has certainly solved the problem for now - until they resdesign.

[usergcN4APZt3j]

Thank you for this suggestion.  I agree the stove is dangerous and I am surprised there is not a class suit already for this 

[userHuP2sdjKCT]

I was just about to return this stove in my truck until seeing this post.  THANK YOU for sharing!  If this doesn't work, I'm gonna be bummed.

Dear Samsung - please increase the resisitance/tension on the control knobs, AND enable locking the cook top!  That should be a no brainer!

[Michael_Scott]

REALLY????...are you SERIOUS "Go to Home Depot ...get grommets ...remove your knobs as shown in picture...put the knobs back on????

I've got a BETTER IDEA!

Don't you think it would be more logical...more fair...more reasonable, if SAMSUNG were to "go to Home Depot" and buys 10,000 neoprene grommets....then THEY send a service technician over to your home and the home of everyone else in North America who owns one of these potential FIRE-STARTERS,  and do the required repairs? 

It'll cost them a lot of money to fix or replace every range they've sold in this series...all the ones with easily turned-on front control knobs...but not nearly as much as a class action lawsuit might cost them.

Email me at <HIDDEN>, with "I OWN A SAMSUNG FIRESTARTER" in the SUBJECT LINE, and find out about participating in a lawsuit to have your stove repaired or replaced.....by SAMSUNG, not yourself....in order to protect you, your loved ones and your property against possible injury, damage or destruction

[userE8PoRM9PRT]

Today one of the burners was accidentally and unknowingly turned on when we left the house, leaving my husband who is partially deaf, upstairs alone in the house.  A glass dish of cooked brownies was sitting on top of the stove and happened to be sitting on the burner that was accidentally turned on.  Fortunately he smelled smoke and came downstairs to a smoke filled kitchen and an exploded glass food container that was holding burning brownies.  We had a huge mess but more important, we could have lost our home or a loved one.  Samsung's response that their design meets required standards is a defensive response that is not helpful.  I am 63 and have had multiple stovetops in my lifetime and I have never experienced one that is accidentally turned on like this one.  Shame on Samsung for their  response.  At a minimum put in a recall or send out repairman to modify the design.  This stovetop is a huge fire hazard.  I'd be happy if Samsung fixed the problem but since they don't, I'm happy to join a class action suit.