CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Some customers say their gas stoves turn on too easily, releasing gas into the air without them knowing it. Ali Washburn brought it to Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke’s attention. She has an LG gas stove with knobs on the front.
Kendal Hicks saw that news report and told Stoogenke she has the same problem. She has a Frigidaire gas stove with knobs on the front.
“Just a little bit of pressure from you bumping into it pushes it in and the gas will start to come out,” Hicks explained.
Stoogenke found more than 30 complaints to the Consumer Product Safety Commission about this issue involving Frigidaire and LG gas stoves.
He also found a solution.
You can buy knob covers, although some homeowners give them mixed reviews.
“I looked at the child ones, but they looked a little tacky,” Washburn said.
Trevor Lawson saw Stoogenke’s reports and emailed him. Lawson runs a Virginia company, RangeSafe. It makes replacement knobs for this exact reason.
“I took matters into my own hands and thought, ‘I can do this’ and I went from there. No engineering background whatsoever. But I’m a big believer that, if there’s a problem, it can be solved,” Lawson said.
Stoogenke asked Lawson to send him one of the knobs so he could test it. Lawson did and it worked. It was easy for adults to use, but difficult for people or pets to accidentally bump “on.”
Action 9 doesn’t normally endorse products. But there are times when consumers are dealing with a potential safety issue and, if Stoogenke comes across something that can protect you, he wants you to know about it. RangeSafe knobs start around $25.
Stoogenke asked Frigidaire and LG about the consumers’ concerns multiple times over the past few weeks. Neither responded for the first two news reports.
Frigidaire’s parent company, Electrolux, responded to Action 9′s most recent report with the following statement:
“Electrolux takes the safety of its products seriously and we know it’s a top priority for our consumers. For consumer safety, our ranges are certified in accordance with the American National Standards Institute, the Canadian Standards Association, International, and Underwriters Laboratories which regulates the safety standards of all U.S. manufactured ovens and stoves. If a consumer believes that their product is not working as expected, we urge them to call our consumer services group to discuss this or to schedule service.”
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