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General Electric Company Spectra Series Consumer Reviews - Page 2

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GE Spectra electric oven caught on fire! Sparked! Burned through element!
By -

My GE Spectra glass top electric range has never given me a problem until tonight! But tonight it could have burned the house down! I was making brownies for my kids' party. I took out the first batch, then closed the oven and turned around to get the second batch to put in. Suddenly I hear loud popping ad zapping, and turn to see giant sparks shooting in my oven!

I screamed for the kids to get out of the house and in that moment the inside of the oven had flames! I turned it off and ran to the circuit breakers and threw them off. That put out the firs and stopped the sparking. After it cooled and the smoke cleared, I looked inside and saw that about 6 inches of the element is missing, completely burned away! My oven was clean and well-cared for. I know it has had plenty of use but I can't believe this just happened! Now that I see all these other reviews, I am just shocked!

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GE Spectra oven fire
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A month or so ago, my daughter was cooking something in the oven (which we've had no problems with until now) when I smelled something and saw a spark in the oven. Like some of the other people mentioned, I tried to douse it, not with water, but with baking soda, which did no good.

I called a neighbor since my husband was out of town and asked him to come before the house caught on fire. I literally stood there and watched it like one of those old episodes on TV, where they lit a fuse to light dynamite on fire; by the time my neighbor got to our house, the fire had finished traveling 3/4 of the length of the heating element. I never thought to turn off the electricity, I was too rattled.

I'm going to try to replace the part (we've been grilling ever since, as it is summer, after all) and see if we can get it working again. But from everything I've read here, there should have been a recall on this oven a long, long time ago.

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GE Spectra Oven Fire
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We got this oven with our new home in 2002. On January 26, 2010, I turned on the oven to preheat so I could cook our supper. Standing next to the stove at the counter, I heard a popping noise. I looked in the oven and there was a bright light with sparks coming off it. Immediately I turned off the oven. It was the bake element on fire. The fire did not go out after turning the control to off.

I called my husband into the kitchen and we pulled out the stove enough so I could get behind it and unplug it. Then it went out. The oven was not dirty and nothing was in it cooking so that did not start the fire. The element is badly damaged. After doing several searches on the internet over the last few days, I am finding this appears to be a common way for the elements to go out.

I have ordered a new element to replace the burnt one. But after sleeping on it, I think it may be safer to also change out the broil element. It did make me a little nervous to learn this is a common thing to happen. This is my first electric stove and oven. I have always had gas.

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Oven Fire
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While preheating the oven, I noticed a flickering light through the glass. I opened the oven to a white, sparkler type light and small fire. I turned off the oven and attempted to put the fire out with a flour-like substance (as could be done for a grease fire), but it didn't work. I used the fire extinguisher and called 911. The heating element had burned and broken inside of the oven. There was nothing in the oven to start the fire.

The same thing happened to my next door neighbor with the same oven within the past 12 months. Our neighborhood is less than 10 years old, and I want all of my neighbors to know that this could happen. Like my neighbors, we will replace the oven instead of getting a repair...and it won't be a GE Spectra! Thank God I was home and in the kitchen; this story could have ended very differently. Thank you to the firemen and rescue heroes of the world.

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Bottom Oven Element Shorted Out
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My GE Spectra is about five years old. I don't bake very often, maybe twice at Christmas and once a week when making a roast or casserole. Last night a hot spot (an extra bright spot) on the lower heating element that I had been keeping an eye on for a while ('cause I never saw one before) shorted out and burnt with an arc-white flame. Threw the 220 line breaker and it stopped. DO NOT STAND THERE AND WATCH IT BURN!

This is very inconvenient and unsafe. It is not enough to say "things don't last like they used to". Perhaps an element might rupture in a cheap toaster oven, but we have an order of magnitude difference in price here! Now I know what will happen and you do, too. Replace element if you see a hot spot. I want a recall, and better-made replacement upper and lower calrods! Wonder what's going on with the burners beneath the glass top?

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GE Spectra Oven Fire
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I remodeled my kitchen in 2002/2003 and purchased a GE Spectra Oven. Today I was preheating the oven at 350 deg. and my lower heating element caught fire -- just like the other reviews I just read -- it had a sparkler effect while it burned. I immediately shut off the oven and closed the door and the fire eventually went out after burning all the way around the heating element. Since there are 3 other complaints with the same problem, I agree there needs to be a recall on this oven. This problem is definitely a safety issue as well as product failure to perform as it should.

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Getting the Runaround on a Repair
StarStarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 2/51

12 year-old gas range, light use. The oven stopped working (while range top and broiler continue to work). We called GE Answer Center who diagnosed the problem quickly and told us the part (and part # WB16K0022) for the repair. Before setting up a service call, I wanted to know the cost of labor for this particular part - we know the repair may cost more or less and may not even involve the stated part. We only wanted to have a ballpark figure to work with - to repair or replace! GE Repair would not help us - "we can't give you that." GE consumer relations gave us the same runaround.

All we want is able to make an informed decision about repair or replace - and all GE wants is to collect $99 for a technician to come to our house. All of this has soured us to GE (I used to work for GE!) to the point that we are thinking about foregoing repair altogether and just buying a new (non-GE) range.

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General Electric - Spectra Oven
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As I have already read from other people's postings, I too had a frightening experience with my Spectra range. The bottom element randomly caught fire, lighting up the whole oven. Fortunately, I was in the kitchen at the time & moved quickly to turn off the oven. Following this, the fire died down and then extinguished. A section of the element that burned is totally gone.

I have called GE and am waiting on a call from a technician that they are supposed to be sending out. Most frightening of all is that I use my "time bake" feature each Sunday while we are away at church. We are very thankful this happened while we were home or we could have easily lost our home. Hoping GE will take care of this problem soon.

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Fire In A Spectra
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ROME, GEORGIA -- I got to this website accidentally as I was trying to find the price of a new Spectra oven. The cooktop on my old one (2003) is broken and I know I can't afford a Profile so I was looking for Spectra. After reading the two reviews about fire in the ovens, I have to add my own. A month or so ago, I was warming up something in the oven when the same "sparkler effect" suddenly burst out. I immediately shut off the stove and removed my pan. The fire went out in a few seconds. The bottom element was broken.

My husband and I just assumed that someone had spilled something on the bottom of the stove that caused the blaze even though I couldn't remember anything being spilled. Now I know it was due to a bad oven! I will not be looking for another Spectra or another GE appliance.

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Another GE Spectra Oven Fire
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NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- I am posting after reading another person in this forum had the same experience. I was cooking frozen potato skins for my son in my GE Spectra oven. I removed them and as I was placing them on the counter, I saw as a reflection on my glasses what looked like lightning. I looked at the closed oven and saw what looked like a 4th of July sparkler going off in my oven. When I shut off the oven and opened the door, half the element was still red hot and continued to stay that way and catch fire.

My 19-year old son was freaking, thinking he wouldn't have known what to do if he had been the only one home. It was a pretty large fire! I then yanked out the drawer and unplugged the plug on the floor. Then the element finally went out and cracked in half. I think GE should replace this part free of charge as this could have been a potentially very dangerous situation. GLAD I NEVER USE THE AUTOMATIC COOK SETTING OR THE SELF CLEANING!!!! SCARY!!!!!

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General Electric Company Spectra Series Rating:
Star Half star Empty star Empty star Empty star
1.7 out of 5, based on 11 ratings and
33 reviews & complaints.
Contact Information:
General Electric Company
3135 Easton Tpke
Fairfield, CT 06432-1008
203-373-2211 (ph)
GE (fax)
www.ge.com
richard.wacker@corporate.ge.com
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