Nearly 80,000 Gas Cooktops Recalled Due to Fire Hazard

A recalled stainless steel 36-inch 5 burner gas cooktop by Electrolux. Photo Courtesy U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Electrolux Home Products has issued a recall for thousands of its gas cooktops from the market amid fire and gas leak incidents.

“Plastic control knobs with a black shaft on the cooktop can crack or break during use, posing a risk of gas leak, fire hazard,” the recall notice said. “Electrolux has received 63 reports of the control knobs cracking or breaking, including one minor injury from a gas leak and one report of fire.” The recall affects around 77,000 cooktops manufactured by the North Carolina-based company.

It applies to Frigidaire Stainless-Steel 30-inch 4 Burner and 36-inch 5 Burner Gas Cooktops with control knobs and black shafts. The cooktops have the term “Frigidaire” on the front, lower left corner.

“Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled cooktops, check for plastic control knobs with a black shaft and contact Electrolux Group for a free set of replacement knobs. Consumers can continue to use knobs with a chrome-colored shaft. The firm is contacting known purchasers directly.”

Serial numbers of the products have been listed on the website of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The products were sold between March 2016 and April 2022 and were manufactured in China and Thailand.

People who own Electrolux cooktops can check whether their product comes under the recall notice by visiting www.cooktopknobrecall.com. Affected customers can also order a set of free replacement knobs through the website.

“As always, the safety of our consumers is our top priority, and we take this matter very seriously,” said Electrolux Group North America Product Safety Director Chad Strickland.

“We have decided to voluntarily recall these affected cooktops in close partnership with the CPSC and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

This is the latest recall Electrolux has initiated for its gas products. Last month, Electrolux issued a recall for its gas laundry centers due to an issue with the product’s felt seal on the dryer drum.

The felt seal could reportedly be folded inward, leading to an accumulation of lint, thus posing a fire hazard risk.

In total, around 13,600 units of gas laundry centers were recalled. The items were sold between October 2014 and April 2018. The company had received 23 reports of fire and one report of an individual suffering from a smoke inhalation injury.

Biden’s Gas Stove Crackdown

Electrolux’s gas cooktop recall comes as the Biden administration is raising energy efficiency standards on gas appliances, a move that many claim is aimed at limiting their use.

In February, the Biden administration unveiled rules aimed at reducing emissions from household appliances. The regulations targeting gas stoves would affect at least half of the new models sold in the United States. In addition, most of the existing models would be noncompliant.

A gas-burning stove is offered for sale at a home improvement store in Chicago on Jan. 12, 2023. Scott Olson/Getty Images

During a hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability in May, witnesses Matthew Agen, Chief Regulatory Counsel for Energy at the American Gas Association, pointed out that shifting away from gas cooktops won’t provide much of a monetary benefit for consumers.

An analysis by the Department of Energy (DOE) put the estimated consumer savings at just $1.51 per year.

Mr. Agen said that the proposed rule violates the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) as it could make gas cooktops unavailable in the market and exhibits the Biden administration’s predetermined bias against gas burners compared to their electric counterparts.

“DOE’s Proposed Cooking Products Rule is not its only effort to limit access to gas appliances … DOE currently has rulemakings pending that would remove a large number of natural gas furnaces from the market and increase costs for customers, including seniors, and low-income customers,” he said.

On June 13, the House passed the “Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act,” which prohibits the CPSC from using federal funds to regulate gas stoves as a banned hazardous product.

The agency would also be prohibited from issuing or enforcing a product safety standard that bans the use or sale of gas stoves or increases the price of such stoves.

“The Biden administration is intent on weaponizing every aspect of the federal government to achieve its ideological goals,” Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), who sponsored the bill, said at the time.

“Consumer protection should be about safety, not used as a veiled push to eliminate fossil fuels and the millions of jobs they support. Americans should decide if gas stoves are right for their families, not the Federal Government. I’m glad to see this commonsense bill to rein in the administration pass the House.”

President Biden’s proposed gas stove ban is extremely unpopular with the average American citizen.

A recent poll by media outlet Center Square found that 53 percent of respondents opposed banning gas stoves. While 62 percent of Republicans expressed opposition to the ban, the number dropped to 37 percent among independents, and to 16 percent among Democrats.

Thirty-one percent of respondents aged 18-54 opposed the ban, a figure that jumped to 46 percent among those aged 55 and above.

The Biden administration has also developed a policy that would effectively remove all existing portable gas generators from the market. A ban on the sale of incandescent light bulbs came into effect on Aug. 1.