Sears to fix killer stoves

Sears, Roebuck & Co. has agreed to a $546 million recall that will fix household stoves that can tip over onto people, consumer advocacy groups Public Citizen and U.S.PIRG announced today.

Since 1980, at least 33 people have been killed and 84 have been injured in accidents involving unsecured stoves sold by retailers, which can crush, scald or burn children who tug on them or people who place heavy objects on open oven doors. (The settlement doesn't include people with potential claims against Sears for personal injury, wrongful death or property damage caused by stoves that tipped over.)

Under the terms of the settlement, consumers who purchased a range from Sears and had the company install it between July 2, 2000, and Sept. 18, 2007, are entitled to have a Sears technician install a range stability device. Or, they can choose to receive a $50 gift card that can be used toward the purchase of a new Sears range. People who installed brackets on their own are entitled to reimbursement up to $100, Public Citizen said.

In a press conference, the advocacy groups said that Sears, manufacturers and the government have known about this potential danger for more than 20 years, according to documents from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Apparently, manufacturers started using lighter-gauge steel in the early 80s to reduce costs. But the change resulted in a tendency for lighter-weight appliances to tip over when weight was placed on the oven door.

Reports of severe accidents caused industry-standard organizations Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to develop national, voluntary safety standards that require electric and gas ranges manufactured after 1991 to remain stable when 250 pounds of pressure is applied on the oven door for five minutes.

The standards also require sellers to install the anti-tip brackets that manufacturers agreed to supply, but the consumer groups said that  retailers rarely install the brackets. Even though retailers are all aware of the safety hazard, the delivery people they contract with often are not equipped or trained to perform the installation service. Sales people also rarely mention the issue to the buyer, which means most homeowners have no idea that the stove they just purchased and installed could be unstable.

Since the settlement does not include people who bought similar stoves from other companies, Public Citizen said today that it will petition the CPSC to extend the recall to millions of stoves installed by other retailers. The group will also ask the agency to issue a public alert and a safety standard to prevent tip-overs.

People who bought a Sears stove can visit www.searsrangesettlement.com for more information.

Both Public Citizen and U.S.PIRG took the to opportunity to slam the CPSC for knowing about the tipping propensity of stoves since 1980. Even as CPSC continued receiving reports of injuries, the consumer groups said the agency failed to alert the public to the danger lurking.

Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook called on Congress to increase the CPSC's authority and funding to better protect consumers. "The CPSC is hamstrung when it comes to alerting the public to dangers," Claybrook said. "Currently, CPSC must give companies 30 days notice, allowing them time to file suit to stop the CPSC from alerting the public about hazardous products. Essentially, it has to get the manufacturers' permission, which is absurd."

(AP Photo)