Update: This topic was originally about the poor construction of some washing machine doors, which resulted in the door glass falling out and smashing on a customer’s tiled floor. However, it has since attracted comments from people who have experienced the door glass in their washing machine shattering during use – and allegedly sometimes even when not in use – which is even more concerning. Therefore I’ve widened the subject to include incidences where a washing machine door has exploded too.
Related article For article on actual washing machine exploding go here – Washing machines exploding: What’s going on?
Original Article
I’ve been contacted by a Washerhelp user about a safety issue regarding the door glass in washing machines. His young son recently had an accident where he fell against the washing machine door and it broke away from the washing machine. As the flooring was tiled the door glass immediately shattered and his son fell onto some very nasty pieces of glass.
He is keen to warn others about this safety issue after his son suffered “large cuts to his arms and legs which required emergency hospital treatment”. His question to me was, is it acceptable that the door was not manufactured with toughened glass?
I’ve never heard of an accident like this and it sounds like a nasty incident. The glass used in a washing machine door has always been quite thick but I’m not aware of any washing machine door glass being made from either toughened, or safety glass. The onus is on a washing machine manufacturer to make the glass tough enough to stand up to normal use and extremes of use such as violent banging about if a badly out of balanced sheet goes into spin etc. but whether they should anticipate this kind of accident or not is something to be decided by Trading Standards or some other body.
I would guess that the majority of washing machines these days would have behaved in the same way because most washing machine doors are made of plastic, and many door hinges are fairly weak. The quality of many washing machine doors and possibly even the thickness of glass has been decreasing in line with the demand for cheaper and cheaper washers.
I’m confident that a washing machine door from 15 years ago or more would have stood up to a small child or even an adult falling against the door without it dropping completely off. The door glass from a washing machine from 15 years or more back may not have shattered so easily and into so many hazardous pieces either but the main thing is that it would have not fallen onto the hard tiled floor in the first place. Washing machine doors and hinges used to be made of strong metal at one time (not plastic and alloy) and if someone was strong enough they could have lifted the washer up with the door and swung it around, they were that tough. These days many doors even fall off without any impact under normal daily use, just because of poor quality materials.
This incident should serve as a warning for people with children to be aware of the potential danger. It would make sense to keep the washing machine door closed when not directly loading and unloading the washing machine if children (or anyone) could potentially bang into, or fall onto the door. The chances are the door glass would only shatter like this if it falls on a hard flooring rather than a carpet though.
Update: Exploding door glass
The photos above are of the results of a door glass falling out of the door when a small child fell against it. There are also increasing reported incidences of the glass in washing machines “exploding” during wash and shattering into many pieces causing a hazard. Please report any incidences of this happening to you in the comments below.
Thanks for publishing that warning and showing the photos. It is truly shocking. Would something like the British Standards Institute be worth contacting for advice? They used to have a testing centre in Milton Keynes where they carried out rigorous tests on consumer goods. Might still be there.
Like yourself, I am shocked by shoddiness of modern washing machines as compared to their older counterparts.
My 14 year old washing machine was capable of doing a high temperature wash without the glass door becoming a lethal weapon. The 1st time I did a similar wash on my new (July 2008) machine, the glass got red hot – enough to cause a burn. Not that I routinely finger glass doors, of course! However, It would be too dangerous to use if there was a small child in the house.
I did question this with both the retailer and the manufacturer but was told that my machine was no different than others. Please tell me that that is not true! How do these things ever get passed for sale?
The chap involved is currently pursuing the washing machine manufacturer who seem to be taking the incident seriously. If I hear any significant news I will publish it.
I haven’t named the manufacturer because at this stage I believe most average washing machines would have done the same thing and this is a symptom of washing machines in general these days rather than one make. However, this would not have happened with a Miele washing machine – Miele washing machine build quality review (Note: This statement refers to the quality of the door holding the glass in place and the likelihood of the glass falling out after a knock, and not the possibility of a Miele door glass shattering during use, which unfortunately has been reported in the comments below)
On your problem with your door, modern washing machines usually have a plastic cover over the front of the door glass acting as a second skin which prevents someone touching the actual door glass. Clearly a door glass shouldn’t get so hot as to burn a small child. Asking the retailer and manufacturer is the wrong approach I’m afraid, they would be implicating themselves. It’s independent bodies like the one you mentioned and trading standards that you should ask.
The “shoddy” build quality of many modern washing machines is due entirely (in my opinion) to the majority of the general public naively accepting poor quality products because they have lots of the features they desire and they are an acceptable price. The same is true for most products today where true quality that we took for granted in the past is just too expensive for most people because we won’t go without any more and there is just too much to buy and we want it all. If we limited ourselves only to high quality products we’d only be able to afford half of the things we have.
Washing machine manufacturers are only supplying what customers want and even demand. For decades they’ve demanded cheaper and cheaper machines and they’ve been happy to supply them. Even when people started to realise how rubbish they were they still refuse to spend more money on a proper washing machine.
Until people stop buying all the common household name washing machines and buy really high quality ones the status quo will prevail.
I’ve been harping on about this on Washerhelp for over 8 years now :-)
An example of this is you can buy a 1400 spin, 6Kg drum washing machine for £180. Miele make a 1400 spin, 6Kg drum washing machine that is £700 at most places. Many (if not most) people either believe Miele are ripping people off (they are totally misunderstanding how much a proper washing machine costs) or even if they accept it’s the true price for a “proper” washing machine they say “I’d love one but can’t afford it”.
Most people resent spending money on a washing machine and refuse to buy properly well made products so the rubbish flourishes.
I hope that didn’t resemble a rant :-)
I myself am extremely dissapointed with how washing machine’s are made. At this moment I am waiting on an engineer comeing to my house to do a report on my washing machine . On Sunday night the glass exploded from the door shattering all over the floor and worktops when it was on the final spin,3mins to go. The machine is only 4 months old and luckily nobody was hurt. It was bedding and towels I had in the machine at the time.
I have recently had the experience of the glass door in my Beko washing machine exploding / shattering on a 90 degrees hot wash and the machine is less than 4 years old. Beko were not very helpful and the issue has been raised with Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire Trading Standards. The machine has since now today been repaired but should I trust it with high termperatures again?
They only seemed to be willing to come back and finish the repair after contacting Trading Standards.
Hello Alex: If they didn’t explain exactly what caused the glass to shatter and what they’ve done to prevent it happening again (for example has the new door glass has been modified – presumably thickened – to prevent it happening again?) then presumably it could happen again.
If that’s the case you ought to be able to claim the washing machine isn’t fit for its purpose because it isn’t safe to use it on one of its programmes. If you have lost confidence in it you may be able to claim compensation from the retailer under the Sale of Goods Act which gives consumers up to 6 years (5 in Scotland) to claim compensation. Under the Sale of Goods Act it’s only the retailer who is responsible despite the fact that they didn’t make it and clearly aren’t “really” responsible.
If you pursue this line you can expect resistance from virtually all retailers who generally tend to just claim there’s nothing they can do because it’s out of guarantee, which is not true. If you do win compensation in the small claims court they will likely knock off about half the value of the washing machine because you’ve already had 4 years use from it.
Most people tend to think it’s not worth the hassle and stress pursuing a claim, but if you do want to pursue it further you need to read this article and its comments EU 2 year guarantee. Sale of Goods Act gives us 6 years to claim for faulty appliances
hallo
ik heb een samsung van 2 jaar maar vorige week brak ook het glas in mijn wasmachine toen mijn zoon de deur open deed omdat ik het zelf niet kon vanwege pijn in mijn pols.
nu zit ik zonder wasmachine en kost het me een nieuwe deur dit mag toch niet gebeuren met zo een vrij nieuwe machine
[translation]
I have a Samsung for 2 years but last week broke the glass in my washing machine when my son opened the door because I myself could not because my wrist pain.
Now I’m without a washing machine and cost me a new door that it must not be done with a relatively new machine
We had just bought a Samsung washing machine never again we were doin laundry as normal towels ect, when we heard a bang went to investigate and the the glass inside the machine broke right in half and glass everywere.We have been waiting for 2 weeks for a Samsung tec to look at it.Be carefull with theses machines the glass could have really hurt someone if they were standing there.Theses washers are dangerous and can cause serious damage to someone.
I am currently waiting for an engineer to come and fix the glass in my Zanussi washer dryer. I was doing a 40 wash not overly full and when I went to open the door I cut my hands on some glass.
The inner door had exploded all over my clothes…
I have never heard of this until it happened to me and I looked on the web abd saw your comments. I am really disappointed with how they are made, especially knowing that my mum has had many washing machines over the years and she has never come across this happening.
my hoover washing machine had just exploded .All the inside is ruined,the detergent drawer was blown out,the top came off and the drum is literally out of shape. I could’nt believe my eyes. I was lucky that neither me or my 5 year old son were’nt there when this took place cause the door was wide open with the blast.I’ve bought this washing machine in Dec. 2008.
I would be interested to hear what the manufacturers blame for this problem, and more importantly are they replacing the door glass with exactly the same type as previously fitted or has some sort of modification been done?
A door glass should not break and it’s hard to imagine how they are shattering especially as all washing machines have out of balance protection now.
I have had a BEKO WASHING MACHINE, for 10 days.
Last evening around 4pm, we were sitting in the living room, when we heard this loud bang, we found the cause, the DOOR ON THE WASHING MACHINE HAD JUST EXPLODED, the machine was not in use at the time.
There was no know reason for this, as the machine, was quite empty, and still, with not a soul any were near it.
On phoning BEKO, we were told, WE WOULD GET A PHONE CALL WITHIN THE NEXT 48 HOURS FROM A ENGINEER, mind you I know really don’t trust any machine, as he will be only fitting a new door.
Pamela: Yours is the most bizarre case so far. It’s hard to imagine a cause for a door glass shattering whilst not in use – do you have a poltergeist? ;-)
Please keep us informed.
BEKO has informed us they will be here some time on the 1st. SEPT.
To fit a new door, I must say, they didn’t sound a bit surprised, so I will let you know just what takes place.
With reference to the above comments, I am so glad that the exploding washer/dryer glass door has not only happened to me. I am currently pursuing the dangerousness of this matter as two weeks ago, with 3 items in the machine on a dry cycle, a loud bang occurred, similar to a pipe bomb going off. Following investigation, the glass of the door and its surround had been blown out at such a force, it had dented my fridge freezer door and also a sweeping brush handle which was approx 5 feet away from the machine. The 3 items inside the drum had also caught on fire.
I perish the thought that if any one had been in front of the machine when it exploded, they would have either been severely maimed, or, if it was my youngest child who is only seven, he would not have stood a chance and could have been killed. So far, a senior engineer has been out from the company who made this deadly machine to supposedly do a full diagnostic check, yet, all he did was a fire check and alienate me and my husband because of his rudeness and obstructiveness. He made us feel that it was our fault that this product had blown up and was not interested in how it has affected us. I even asked him whether he had any suspicions as to why it had happened and his reply was that he did not wish to speculate.Some senior engineer hey!
Yesterday, we were offered a replacement washer/dryer because they want the killer machine back for further testing yet, I am more annoyed that there has not been a mention of the word ‘SORRY’, for the stress this has caused and the numerous phone calls I have had to make to both parties who were involved with making and selling me this deadly machine. My advice to all consumers is that if they encounter safety issues with any items they may purchase, at first contact Consumer Direct about their worries and if they think that there is a safety issue they will pass the information on to the local Trading Standards Authority like they did in this particular case. Also, make sure you report the incident by writing to head office and send it by recorded delivery so that you can prove that it got there. Don’t forget to make a duplicate of the letter too so you can always refer back to it.
At present, I do not know whether I will have an explanation as to why the door exploded and by giving me a replacement in turn for the collection of the machine is a way of shutting me up and keeping me sweet. However, I am still very upset about the whole thing and now I have seen, by reading these comments that other people have gone through similar experiences has made me more determined to get to the bottom of it. If anyone has any suggestions or advice about this topic, please leave your comments as I feel, that at the moment, I will not be at ease until I have been given a reasonable explanation as to why this happened!
Hello Julia. You don’t mention the make of this appliance or the model number.
It sounds like the engineer may have been defensive, which is understandable. I’m not trying to excuse the attitude, just possibly explain it. I would assume that when any manufacturer comes across a safety issue like this they are pretty scared of potential consequences and may be quite reluctant to apologise, which could be seen as an admission of responsibility – especially if they genuinely don’t know how it happened yet.
Of course they should definitely be held accountable for safety failings if it’s shown to be the case. I think it’s quite likely most people will get the same cold, clinical and cagey response, (which is not what they want) because of their over defensiveness and fear of admitting responsibility. The irony is that many people would be satisfied with a genuine apology, and are much more likely to become litigious because of the lack of any apology or even sympathy.
Although the original article was about a door glass breaking when a small child fell against it, subsequent comments have been about exploding and shattering door glasses whilst the machine was in operation which is even more worrying.
Thanks for your contribution, and please keep us informed of unfolding events.
Hi
Well, we finally got the chap to fit us a new door on the washing machine. I asked him just what he thought would have coursed the first door to explode, all he could say was, how he thought there must have been a hair line crack in the glass some were, mind you this door now is much thicker, so lets hope we don’t have any more of smashed doors
If the new door glass is thicker it would indicate they are aware the original glass was too thin and have had to improve them.
I just googled washing machines and exploding doors and came up with this website. Contrary to what you think and I have been a Miele customer for years. I run two Miele one is 13 years old and it is used for animal bedding and smelly farm clothes and has never given any problems, when the old Zanussi packed up a year ago which the previous owner had left and was used for the above dirty jobs, I bought a new Miele for the personal clothes, t owels etc for my husband to come down stairs this morning and find that the glass door of the new one had exploded and put water and glass everywhere.
Hello openspacewalker: I’m sorry but I can’t work out what you meant by “contrary to what you think”.
Regarding the door glass exploding on a Miele washing machine someone else emailed me about it happening to them the other week (unless by any chance that was you). As I replied back to them this is definitely not what you would expect from a Miele washing machine.
My Miele W3740 washing machine glass door suddenly exploded shedding shattered glass and water around the room. The machine cost £700 and is only twenty months old so still within guarantee. It was about twenty minutes into the 95 degree cycle and was only at the beginning of this two hour cycle. On examination door looks as if it has been crushed into thousands of pieces, some hardly visible to the naked eye.
The glass is still attached to the metal door around the lock area but has completely disintegrated around the rest, especially on the hinge side. According to the specification the door is caste metal although the engineer said it was not? He also said the glass door is the only part of the machine that Miele do not manufacture themselves. Overall he had little to say but did mutter he thought it was a problem with the door! I was fortunate that no one was near the machine or they would certainly have been scalded or cut from the flying glass. I was also fortunate to be able to get to the machine before serious flooding occurred.
I don’t think I would ever leave a washing machine unattended in the future. I have written to Miele and Comet by recorded delivery under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 but so far there has only been a deafening silence. Miele’s engineer said their management support would be in contact, I have heard nothing. I am concerned that there are other potential time bombs out there, surely both retailer and manufacturer have a duty of care towards their customers. Miele’s own engineer has examined the machine and reported back his findings, if Miele want to retain their good name they should take immediate action to find the cause for this failure and ensure it cannot happen again. The Miele W3740 is still available for sale.
These reports make alarming reading, especially that a Miele washing machine glass door exploded – from one of the “best” manufacturers of washing machines!
I’m starting to wonder if there is only one manufacturer of the door glass itself? Probably some cheap Chinese manufacturer, with the low-strength glass being imported by all the washing machine manufacturers? Anything to cut costs!
This should NEVER happen and I hope someone will know which government safety department(s) should be contacted about this problem, along with the EU people, who could stop this happening in the EU member states.
Washerhelp, I quote you saying in comment #2:
“However, this would not have happened with a Miele washing machine”
Sadly, it DID HAPPEN to a Miele washing machine and I’m sure it will keep on happening to Miele and all other manufacturers’ door glass. It can only be caused by using glass that’s too thin and cheap.
As for the glass becoming too hot to touch on 90C or 95C washes – all washing machines should really have an outer glass or plastic cover to prevent young children from touching the hot inner glass.
Hello openspacewalker I have just read about your Miele washing machine door exploding – what model is your Miele ? I am the person whose Miele W3740 also exploded (see Anonymous ) sounds like you were unlucky enough not to have been around to switch the machine off. When Miele engineer examined mine he said he had not seen a glass door breaking like this for twenty years, or since he started working for Miele. I said I thought my Miele machine should be returned to the factory and properly examined but was told that as it had never happened before this was unlikely. Miele should be worried as they may well have a recall issue here. PENNY (aka anonymous)
Hello WMUser: No it’s still a comment I can stick too. The reference was to the construction of the door holding the door glass in place, which is cheap plastic on the washing machine that inspired the article, and solid stainless steel on a Miele.
Unfortunately this article is now trying to deal with two related but separate incidents after my original article attracted several comments from people experiencing exploding door glasses happening with the washing machine in use.
The original article is about the danger of anyone (in this case a small child) falling against or knocking the open door resulting in the door breaking off its hinges because of cheap plastic doors. This can result in the door dropping to the floor and the door glass smashing as demonstrated by the photos. My comment said the door would not have fallen off a Miele.
It’s now been broadened to include incidences of the door glass spontaneously shattering during use, about which I made no comment regarding the likelihood of it happening to a Miele – although I grant you I could well have if the subject had come up because I would expect that of all washing machines a Miele would have the least chance of that happening.
It’s clear now these are 2 different but related things. The Miele door would not fall off, but the door glass could break without warning, usually during the hottest wash or drying cycle in the case of a washer-dryer or just at random.
I’m glad I’m always at home when I have the washing machine on – you can’t trust a washing machine to be left totally unattended!! As regular readers will know from other blogs on this site, I have to add a little more hot water to the main wash and lots of hot water to the rinses, as my skin is too sensitive and modern washing machines don’t rinse properly, another sign of the poor quality of modern washing machines. In fact, modern washing machines are very poor quality as they are too cheap – the door glass breaking so easily is more proof they are cheap and nasty – literally!
Washerhelp, who should people contact if the door glass breaks? With today’s over-zealous “health and safety” laws, this problem must be rectified immediately. It never happened with older washing machines, so why is it happening now?
Hello WMUser: The responsibility in consumer law is with the retailer, so if someone wanted to reject the washing machine and say they cannot trust it any more they would need to argue that case with whoever they bought it from and not the manufacturer. Having said that, any manufacturer is likely to be concerned about something like this happening and may well try to accommodate a consumer in some way. The dilemma they face is that if they simply replace the part in question what assurance is there that the same thing won’t happen again, yet if they say they’ve improved the design they concede that the original one was in some way deficient.
Regarding more wider safety concerns, people like Trading Standards, watchdog and other consumer groups would potentially be interested if this was seen as a consumer safety issue, which it certainly looks like. Whilst on the topic of safety issues there are increasingly concerning related issues I need to write more about such as exploding fridges and exploding washing machines where serious explosions are taking place putting consumers at great risk. One can only assume these issues are likely to be caused by the ever increasing drive to keep production costs and retail prices down resulting in reduced quality and corners being cut.
It was my Miele W3740 that had the glass door suddenly shatter, unfortunately having written a letter to Comet under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 and copied in Miele, both sent via Recorded Delivery, I have had a very disappointing response from both parties. Miele have agreed to clear the glass from the drum under the guarantee but as they want to undertake major engineering on my premises and use heavy lifting gear to access the drum I have declined. Under the Sale of Goods Act I am not obliged to accept a repair. In any case they are aware that I have lost confidence in that machine. Comet as retailer has the liability but they have made minimal effort. Neither Comet nor Miele have given me the the courtesy of a reply to my letter, I doubt that any of the staff are able to put one together. I have had one phone call from Comet when I informed them that legal action is to follow, that was a week ago and I have heard nothing from Comet or Miele. I still have no washing machine machine, three weeks now! Next step is I am off to get the forms from the local Court. I will keep you posted.
Hello Penny: Under the sale of goods act they are not obliged to replace an appliance once you’ve had it a few weeks if they can show it is disproportionately expensive compared to the cost of a repair – especially if it’s a minor fault. Having lost confidence in a machine that has exhibited such potentially dangerous behaviour though takes it into different territory and I would expect a retailer to be sympathetic to that. A lot depends on how long you’ve had the machine too.
Unfortunately as Miele are the highest quality washing machine you can buy it creates quite a dilemma as to what to replace it with. Please keep us posted thanks.
Dear Sir i own a Miele Komfort ModW1713. which was purchased Nov 07 up till now it has not been a problem.
Last Thursday while washing three towels on a cotton programme 60 degree wash about half way through there was a loud bang and a noise like shaking ice cubes in a cocktail shaker.
to my astonishment the inner dome on the door had exploded and filled the drum and washing with glass.
Ran Miele the following day customer afterservice said they had never herd of this happening before and needed to get an engineer straight out to investigate, also wanted me to speak to one of there engineers so put me on hold.
After a few minutes they came back said they didn’t need to speak to me and it would be over a week before the engineer would come out with the replacement parts and to investigate.
They asked if i had knocked door or anything but that is all, luckily we were here but like your other commenter my wife now has no confidence in the machine,makes it worse that they stated it has not happened before when it obviously has.
The machine is obviously out of warranty luckily they didn’t mention any charges i just don’t like the idea that a company with a reputation like Miele would say it is not a problem and has not happened. If they do after the event try to charge for the repair can you advise where i stand on the matter
To update on the Miele W3740 glass door shattering and Comet and Miele’s disapointing response. Since sending a letter to Comet under the 1979 Sale of Goods Act (no response) I have written again stating my intention to take legal action against them, I asked for a written reply, they replied only by telephone. No one wants to commit themselves to paper anymore. Comet appear content to sit back and let Miele dictate the outcome although it is they who hold liability under the Sale of Goods Act. I had the same experience as Bill initially when I first informed Miele and it took another ten days for an engineer to just look, no repair. In the meantime I have been without a washing machine since 5 January. Miele have stated that they will undertake repairs under the guarantee. They will replace the door and remove glass from the drum using heavy lifting gear in my home, I have declined this offer, they then suggested they could do it in the garden! I declined this offer too, not wanting glass all over my patio and garden, I have a dog. Comet and Miele continue to fail to acknowledge the safety issue, they said that should the glass door shatter again it will be covered under their extended warranty, no mention of what happens should injury occur or if it happens after the warranty has expired, presumably the customer pays. Miele are not interested at all in why this has happened and that this machine has proved itself to be a time bomb, Miele are obviously aware of the other machines and glass breaking incidents and appear happy to keep their customers in the dark, to maintain the status quo probably all in the name of money.
A suggestion to anyone who wishes to have this safety problem taken seriously…
BBC Watchdog comes and goes, but looking at the BBC website, they are still looking for more stories. I would definitely recommend contacting BBC Watchdog – I’m sure when this is broadcast (I say “when” and not “if), people throughout the UK with shattered glass doors on washing machines and washer dryers will be contacting the programme. Here’s their contact page:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/gotastory/
Hope that helps.
i had a beko which i brought in dec of 09 that exploded glass from the door all over my kitchen while nobody was around(luckily).this happened in oct 10 only 10 months old, that was finally replaced with a new machine exactly the same. today feb 11 sitting in the lounge with my baby and 8 year old we heard a loud bang thinking something fell off the side in the kitchen i went to investigate to find the door has exploded yet again with small shards of glass covering all my 8week old babys clothes. I am now trying to get a new machine with a different make as dont want to have to go through this again.
Hello natalie: Your experience highlights the point I’ve made from the start, which is if they just replace the door glass what’s to stop it happening again? If they replace it with an improved design then it’s pretty much an admission it wasn’t suitable in the first place.
Are the shards of glass pointed and sharp, or are they small squares of glass as in safety glass that are unlikely to cut?
bought a beko washing machine less than 2 months ago and 20 mins ago the glass shattered. it was on a final spin and sent the shards of glass all over kitchen floor and the clothes inside are covered in VERY SHARP pieces, best they can do is send sum1 out on monday. its thursday now. can i claim compensation for all the clothes that are ruined or is that a job for house insurance.
joanne: Apologies for not replying sooner. I would say you have a claim against the people you bought it from although it’s possible the manufacturer might decide to compensate you even though legally only the retailer is responsible.
You shouldn’t have to claim on your house insurance, which may cost you in increased premiums, loss of no claims bonus or simply in time and effort and the inconvenience of having to detail the claim for the next 3 to 5 years on any subsequent insurance quote enquiry you might want to do.
I have a 1.5 year old Samsung washing machine, one day we noticed that the door glass was cracked and a large piece had fallen out into the machine. It is out of warranty but we have an extended warranty but they refused to cover the repair so I just order the part myself and replaced it at a cost of about $75.
I am very surprised that this would break and do not consider it our fault so I am rather upset that we had to pay for the repair. I will be writing to Samsung about it to express my aggravation.
-walter
I’m sorry to still be reading about these shocking incidents of exploding glass doors.
BBC Watchdog has returned. Watching it earlier reminded me about the exploding glass doors that people have been reporting here. I eventually found this blog again (as the new website layout is still taking me time to navigate) – so reminders to people to please take photos and I definitely recommend contacting Watchdog with your evidence: http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/gotastory/
If it happened to me, I would be contacting Watchdog immediately and I would *NOT* accept the washing machine manufacturer trying to blame me for their poor quality glass from breaking when it should *never* break on any programme or – in the case of washer-dryers – the hottest drying cycle. Glass doors should be able to withstanding becoming hot and being scraped by zips etc. If they break too easily, they are not fit for the purpose.
Take action and let’s put a stop to this forever, before somebody gets seriously injured!!
I bought a Miele W1730 in February 2009. I woke up this morning to find the inner glass
door totally shattered with glass all over the floor. The machine was not in use – this happened during the night. This washing machine cost me a lot of money and as things would have it, it’s just out of the guarantee period.
What’s going on with these door glasses – and on Miele’s of all brands? I can’t see how any door glass should ever shatter unless you were washing a brick. If washing normal laundry surely it’s unacceptable for any door glass to explode or shatter – and doing so when not even in use?
They can make bullet proof glass so it has to be down to cost savings or faulty manufacture?
My Meile W1613 had been unused for a few days when my a “bang” was heard. On inspection the inner glass door had exploded. Just to clarify: it was not in use at the time. The machine is approx 2 or years old. Currently awaiting a visit from the retailer’s engineer tomorrow.
We bought what we were told was the best make on the market. I hope Meile will take this obviously dangerous situation very seriously to protect their reputation.
I’ve made this point before and I’ll say it again. If an engineer simply replaces the door glass there’s nothing to stop it happening again – and again. The door glass is clearly defective, badly designed, has an inherent fault etc. In my opinion I don’t think it’s acceptable to say – it’s made of glass therefore this sort of thing can happen. They should be designed so they don’t break under normal conditions.
If they don’t say they are fitting a new improved door glass they are not curing the problem, which is that the door glass on the washing machine can shatter at any time. If this is unacceptable I would complain to the retailer under the Sale of Goods act and take consumer advice.
On the other hand if they say the new door glass is improved, and not prone to this problem they are conceding the original glass wasn’t good enough, but even so most people are likely to be happy to have a proper repair.
The glass on our washing machine has just exploded! All that happened was that a cup fell out of a cupboard on the other side of the room, it went nowhere near the washer!
Nearly 3 weeks since my exploding Meile let go. Apart from a brief visit by the retailer/service engineer to assess the damage there has been zero action. no sense of urgency. No hint of concern from Meile. It really make you wonder if anyone really gives a toss. Another visit to the launderette beckons.
Hi Gary. I was about to buy a 1613 and came across this page while searching for reviews.
I’ve contacted Miele who appear to want to minimise the issue and refuse to give any sort of guarantee or assurance that the same thing won’t happen with mine. So I’ve decided I probably won’t buy it after all.
in their communications with me they state that there could be various reasons for the occurrence, (not that they have specifically addressed any incidents reported here) including ‘customer misuse’ or ‘a faulty part’.
It would be refreshing were a company of such repute be honest enough to say, yes, we have had reports of this, and yes, we are investigating it and plan to recall affected machines’. THAT would have made me go ahead with the purchase.
It’s all about attitude. Good luck and I hope you get somewhere.
My daughters Beko washing machine glass door exploded at 10pm last night and it wasn’t plugged in?
Reading all these comments, it now sounds as if somebody has to sort this out immediately before anyone is seriously hurt? I will contact Beko and Watch Dog. This machine is about 5 years old and the glass imploded which will now cause additional damage to the water pump if not flushed through correctly.
I would never buy a Beko!
It sounds like this is an issue that needs looking at yes.
I had this happen to a Beko machine a year ago and reported it via my local Trading standards before they would do anything. They only replaced the glass in the original door frame. Cambs standards replied saying they contacted the Trading Standards Office local to Beko’s Head Office but I have never heard anything further since the complaint was made.
.
It seems the manufacturers appear to think that it’s perfectly acceptable and even normal for glass to break – it’s glass isn’t it? However, I can confirm that this never used to happen in the past. If you go back to a better period – say 1976 to 1990 in all that period I personally only ever saw one door glass broken and it just split in half. I had a hell of a job getting a replacement door glass because they just weren’t a part that normally needed replacing. It had to be specially ordered. I remember us all being amazed that they’d managed to break it and telling other engineers I came across about it.
Door glasses are made of glass yes, but glass is not fragile per se. Glass can be bullet proof. Glass can be made strong enough to simply just not break, and with a washing machine there’s no excuse for door glasses spontaneously shattering – especially when not even in use.
I’ll stick my neck out – and manufacturers please correct me if I’m wrong – but it would be quite simple to stop washing machine door glasses shattering like this. Just make them out of better quality, presumably thicker door glass.
(There is a similar issue with the glass in ovens shattering too – sometimes spontaneously when not in use – and has been for some years.)
Now 5 weeks since Meile W1613 exploded. Eventually the retailer/repairer obtained replacement door from the disinterested Germans. “Sorry, the engineer called in sick so we cannot keep our appointment. Will Saturday be OK?” No, not OK – but what else can we do but wait? An engineer arrived a day “early”. But when he unpacked his treasures “the office” had not given him all the neccessary parts. The missing bits arrived (presumably not all the way from Germany) by car soon after. The repair was completed. The machine washed. Everyone celebrated. The machine broke. Water inlet problem: probably gunk dislodged by the unavoidable robust manhandling during repair. A few more days and the engineer returned, removed gunk. The machine washed. everyone rejoiced. The machine broke. Water inlet problem: over a month after the explosion the machine has managed a few washes. A huge laundry bill has accrued. Meile apparently could not be any less interested. Please do not by a Meile. Buy a cheap one and ditch it when it goes wrong.
Last night my beko washing macenes exploded I used it about 30 hours before it exploded to do a small load it is about 2years old, I went out for a fag at 11 then locked up and went to bed then at about 2 in the morning I head a big bang I went running down stairs thinking someone was robbing my house just to walk in to the kitchen and find small pieces off glass all over the floor I am noe stuck with no washing machine:(
A summary of reports of washing machine door glasses exploding or shattering so far -
Beko – 8
Miele – 5
Samsung – 3
Hoover – 1
Zanussi – 1
Gutted to see Miele in second place. Why is the phrase, “you get what you pay for” so unreliable at times?
Now 7 weeks since Miele W1613 exploded. Retailer/engineer has visited twice more since my July 19 post. Now waiting for yet another part which should be fitted tomorrow. Meanwhile I have finally provoked Miele into action and they will send their local engineer to inspect – when he returns from vacation. They advise the replacement glass has been supplied by a different manufacturer to a higher specification following earlier explosions. The machine came with a ten year waranty so at least I will not be charged for the ongoing repairs. Miele also undertook to “consider” reimbursing laundry fees which is probably the least they should do under these circumstances. I have other equally expensive Miele appliances which have been well behaved up to now.
Thanks for the update gary.
My daughters beko door glass exploded last night when it was on final rinse. 17 days out of the year warranty. Argos not interested but have called beko who are raising the issue as a concern. Will wait till monday for response from beko
Keep us informed daz, cheers.
will do waiting for beko to ring tomorrow
Beko have rung and sending an engineer out Wednesday to assess the machine. Woman on phone said most likely outcome will be a new machine as they wont risk fitting a new door due to the glass shards in the drum not being able to remove them fully. Will keep you posted.
Update- Engineer came out Yesterday had a look at the pictures we took, inside of the machine, door and bag of glass and said——No problems i will ring it in and you will get a new machine next week from Argos who sold this one via Beko. Took all of 5 minutes. So a very good outcome to this issue which leads me to believe that they may know of an issue with the door glass thickness or related issues.
Good result. That’s what I would expect form any half-decent manufacturer. The true test will be how they deal with the same events on washing machines a lot more than 17 days out of “guarantee”.
Had the same problem with my Beko on Saturday where the door just exploded when on a wash with a small load. i spoke to Beko expecting a response along the lines of “we are sorry this has happened” or “we will arrange a refund” but all I got were objections and the promise to send out an engineer to assess the damage. Why they need to send an engineer to look at a hole in the door i don’t know!!!
The service so far has been terrible and they assured me this is the first time that they have heard of this happening obviously not true judging by what i have read on this website. I have also spoken to Argos as that is where i bought it and they have given me no assistance either so far, i am very disappointed with this so called reputable retailer, i expected more.
I will pursue this until I get a satisfactory result. But all i can say is dont buy Beko, the most disappointing thing is not that it has happened but the fact Beko seem to think it is not that much of a problem when it could have been incredibly dangerous.
I have a beko washing machine its over a year old and last wednesday the glass door exploded i rang beko who didnt want to know being as the machine was over a year old so i rang argos who said i have to get an independant engineer round to do a report and send it to them and they will follow it up , i dont have the money for a report eventhough argos said they would refund me it dosnt help if you dont have the money to begin with , so i rang beko back up and was pretty firm with them they agreed to send an engineer round this week and go from there , they pointed out that its not really their problem i have to go to the place where i brought it from however i pointed out that actually it is their problem as they are the ones who make the machines . Dont know what is yet to happen but will keep you all posted , i have got another machine on order which is coming tomorrow thanks to my mum and her argos card but i can tell you i havnt ordered a beko !
Paul13 & mairs Beko are correct (technically) that it is not their problem although it’s a terrible attitude because it is their problem if they have been selling appliances which have a design flaw or weakness in them resulting in the door glass exploding or shattering. However, what they mean is they have no responsibility under UK consumer law (the Sale of Goods Act). The only people responsible are (unfairly in many ways) the retailer who sold it to you.
In such circumstances any decent manufacturer should disregard this technicality and try to sort it out themselves. However, if they won’t you have to chase the retailer.
Sale of Goods Act
This happened to me the other day. I was doing a load of laundry (blankets) and I heard a loud crash. I went upstairs and glass was everywhere. I even had small pieces stuck in the wall. The door and frame are all still attached to the washer and I actually had to turn it off since the spin cycle was still going. I have had such a hard time getting any help and no one can give me an answer on why this would happen. It’s a LG front loader that is only 3 years old. I’m just very thanful that my son or I were not in the room when it happened.
I reported my daughters door glass shattering on this site, see: Dave says:
July 7, 2011 at 10:51 am.
I have read the latest comments about the door glass shattering and it is only time before someone is going to get injured from this default.
I have encouraged my daughter and her husband to contact Beko as the supplier doesn’t want to know. If everyone does this now, then Beko can’t fob everyone off with the statement that they are not aware of this fault and pressure will be put on them to correct this fault or they are going to lose a lot of potential customers.
Hi,
Came across this website. I am in the United States, but this happened to us also. We have an LG model. Company is unresponsive and tells us it is our fault. Despite the fact this happened while machine was in use in spin cycle. They also told us it has never happened before. Machine is under a year old and under warranty, but LG is refusing to fix it. It is a $800 piece of junk with NO customer support and a company that does not stand behind their product.
Hello Anonymous from the USA: When LG say it is your fault, what have they accused you of specifically and have you asked them to prove it? This article will hopefully demonstrate that washing machine door glasses are apparently shattering with no apparent cause.
Unless you washed something ridiculous inside it I can’t see how it can be a user fault. Any normal washable item should be able to be washed without fear of the glass shattering. However, if there was a coin or some other metal object inside the washing machine it could potentially have been thrown around on spin and damaged the glass – although coins have been routinely getting inside washing machines since they were invented – and always will. I never saw one break a door glass before.
I live in the U.S. and decided to look up a strange thing that happened to us the other night. So I searched online and I see at least one other person has. The other night, we were watching TV and there was a loud bang. Upon inspection, the LG washing machine door cracked straight across the middle, and it wasn’t on and the door was partly open to prevent mildew. How does this happen?!!! We bought the machine in June 2010. We’ll be talking to the manufacturer tomorrow. Hope they take us seriously.
have decided that beko as a company are as crap as their washing machines finally an engineer was sent round with the new door but brought the wrong one so now its got to sit in my living room for yet another week beko still wont help keep fobbing me off saying have to contact the retailer they are really not bothered that the door exploded i can only hope it dosn’t happen to someone else and cause a serious injury !
New washer now in use. Cant fault the service even though from getting it authorised to delivered took almost 3 weeks.
Good news daz. 3 weeks is too long without a washing machine but at least it’s replaced now.
yeh we done all her washing…God my leccy bill…i dread it when it comes…
Hi, just thought i would let you know that our 9 month old BEKO washing machine ( another one for the list ) glass door has just shattered, we heard an almighty bang and found glass all over kitchen floor and inside the drum with glass all over the clothes, this had just finished its final spin, contacted beko who are sending an engineer out on tuesday, will keep you informed of his response.
Well, LG came through….we have a new door on the washer with no cost to us. It appears to be a better door than the one before, too. They didn’t poo poo on us at all….not sure if this is a common enough issue or what. Anyway, we’re good to go after 2 and half weeks of waiting.
The door glass in our Indesit washer dryer got major cracks and little shattering… but none of the pieces fell on to the floor because the porthole door is double glazed to protect from the heat produced during the drying cycle.
I don’t know what to think… or what to blame… is it the slanting design of the glass bowl that causes a weakness in the glass or just low quality glass? Older machines used to have a straight glass which shut flush with the opening of the drum and never had this problem… not even after decades or washing!
Haxisfan: Older washing machines probably had better quality and thicker glass.
lifes good…now my drum bearing is on its way out…..must thank the daughter for her excessive washer.
Hi there. My Beko washing machine door has exploded. The machine was not being used at the time. The glass has managed to spray aross most of the kitchen. It was on its last day of its one year warrenty. Thier rubbish site would not work, so by the time I got the email sent off it was a few minutes after the deadline. After many emails they say that its not their problem. Surely this cannot be correct? I dont think its a matter of just replacing the broken glass in the door as the drum had many tiny pieces of glass in it!
Any of you guys know how I should proceed
Thanks
Mr GP Wells: If Beko are not concerned you need to complain to the retailer as only they are responsible under the Sale of Goods Act. Chances are they’ll try to fob you off saying it’s out of guarantee (depending on their standard of customer service) but this is starting to look like a potential design issue and it’s a safety issue too.
There have been many reports of the door glass shattering or exploding when the washing machine wasn’t even in use. This bizarre habit sounds like a totally abnormal breakdown and something needing a safety notice and modification.
People need to contact BBC Watchdog, Trading Standards or a consumer group. There may be a lot of interest in this sort of thing at the moment – as well there should be – because it looks like we are seeing a virtual epidemic of safety related issues on washing machines and other household appliances e.g -
Appliance safety warnings and notices
Thanks for the prompt reply. I have just contacted Trading Standards and am awaiting their reply. I will also inform the BBC Watchdog as per your suggestion, as well as now recontacting the original retailer.
Many thanks
Mr GP Wells
Current reported door glass shattering incidents count:
Beko – 13
Miele – 5
Samsung – 3
LG – 2
Hoover – 1
Zanussi – 1
My mum bought a hoover washing machine in September 2008, and on saturday 15th Oct 2011 at about 11am, 5minutes after my mum put it on it exploded. There was a loud bang and the drum had twisted and spiked out of the top of the machine. There was bits of broken plastic everywhere, a brush that was on top of the machine had skewered itself an inch and a half into the ceiling and the blast had dented the freezer next to it.
All of our clothes that were in there were totally ruined. It also managed to blow 2 of our electrical fuses so the telly stopped working as soon as the blast happened. Thank God we didn’t have any small children running around because it could have killed someone or seriously injured them. The company has been very apologetic and they want to view the machine and issue us with a new model. It’s actually made me and my mum quite scared of washing machines now :(
Merry: Your issue is different (and worse) than the issue discussed on this article, which is merely about exploding door glass on washing machines. This is another issue, which I cover on my main site Washerhelp.co.uk – Hoover Candy & Indesit washing machines exploding
You might want to add your experience there.
My 4 year old Miele Novotronic W1514 inner glass door exploded tonight at the end of a 40 degree wash. Luckily the outer plastic cover stopped the glass showering the room and causing more damage. The glass was pretty thick and I therefore would be surprised if that was the cause, unless it was down to inferior quality. Like many on this site, I am so disappointed that I have been let down by a Miele product – obviously no longer a name of quality. I now have to decide what course of action to take and will take advice from the comments on here. I will definitely contact BBC Watchdog and of course, Miele, but it seems I should not expect too much! Do I aim for a new door and hope it will last a few more years or just admit defeat and buy a new brand of washing machine? Any further advice will be appreciated.
Ali: As a Miele owner you have a unique dilemma. You can’t just write it off and buy a better machine because you’ve already bought the better machine, supposedly the best. Unless you had something in there such as a large metal foreign object that shouldn’t have been in I can’t think of any reason why this should happen to a Miele washing machine. Maybe if something had a metal buckle or large metal button? What does the instruction book say about washing items with metal buttons, clasps or buckles? If it says not to put them in then Miele are covered.
6 month 3 days ago my Bosch washer door exploded. So far no one has been able to help me. I want it replaced. It is supposed to adjust itself to stay balanced. That failed. It is supposed to shut off when it is out of balance. That failed. It should have shatter proof glass. Clearly it does not. Glass has scratched up the drum, poked holes in the rubber seal, and clearly the computer is malfunctioning. There are tiny shards waiting to float back up if it is used again. A washer that has exploded should not be considered repairable. I have reported it to the cpsp. Do we really need to risk our lives so we can see our laundry?
Got home from watching the football on saturday to find the glass had exploded on our Ignis AWD 593 integrated machine, never ever heard of this before, dont know if it was on or off at the time but the cycle had finnished, some of the glass was on the floor but most of the glass was inside the machine but that may have been that the unit door kept it there having read of how far the glass can travel this is a big concern if the unit door had been open, we had already ordered a new glass online before I visited your site and as the machine is over 4 years old I didnt think it was worth contacting Ignis but having second thoughts now, any feedback would be greatful, machine broke team got beat not an enjoyable saturday night
Hi – I bought a second hand washing machine just last week, a Tricity Bendix, and yesterday I went in to switch the load over to the dryer to find shattered class all over the floor! I’ve never heard of this happening until I googled it and came to this website. I didn’t hear anything, and it was a normal load, normal temperature, nothing irregular about it. The glass is completely gone, and the shards that came out were very dangerous. Thank god my learning disabled son didn’t walk in there (he wears no shoes when at home, just goes about in his socks) or he would have been seriously hurt.
I have contacted all the people you mentioned. I didnt even get a reply from trading standards or watch dog! The retailer did respond. But with only go further if I am prepared to use there premium number! Typical
My partner and myself bought a Beko washing machine 5 months ago and this morning at 11am there was a loud bang and the glass in the door had shattered. I called both Comet and Beko. An engineer will be out from Comet next Wednesday, so a week with no washing machine!!!!! I dread to think if I was not in what would have happen????? I do not want it in the house now and my partner is terrified of it!!!! I will be asking the engineer to replace the whole unit as there is lots of glass in the machine and I doubt that it safe!!!!!! Can someone shed some light on what the engineer did when they had their machine fixed?
Waiting for an engineer to come and fix my Hoover washing machine that imploded yesterday. The electric was off as we were putting a light fitting on upstairs, I heard a crash like glass and found my washing machine completely smashed, there was no one else on the room thank god as glass was everywhere and alot in the machine all over a load of baby clothes that had been washed that morning. Baffled. Obviously I expect the engineer to presumebit was my fault, I certainly will Persue a legal claim, it’s when people don’t take complaints further that they get away with making expensive products so shoddily! Ridiculous it’s not even 2 years old yet!
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that some of these door glasses are shattering when the washing machine is not even in use. It smacks of design faults or flaws. Unless the engineer can assure you a re-designed and stronger door glass will be fitted then they cannot claim to be fixing the machine and obviously it could happen again at any time.
If you are sure you haven’t aggravated the situation by washing something with heavy metal buckles or buttons then I’d be inclined to complain to the retailer that it has an inherent fault and needs replacing with a different make. Unfortunately though, it seems a lot of different makes appear affected.
Here are the latest count of reports on this article – with a clear winner and a shocking second place.
Beko – 14
Miele – 6
Samsung – 3
LG – 2
Hoover – 2
Zanussi – 1
Ignis – 1
Bosch – 1
Tricity Bendix – 1
We were away on holiday on return we found our LG washing machine door in pieces on the floor. We called yesterday to get it repaired and have been told they have never heard of an exlpoding washing machine door. It scares me, what if it gets fixed and then happen again while we are at home?
Iz from Aus
I presume you’ve pointed them to this article Izzy? Another one with washing machine door glass exploding when not even in use! Regarding your question, see my last reply above yours.
13/01/2012 – i bought my Hotpoint Ultima on the 25/05/2011 and today during a rinse the door glass exploded, spraying the kitchen with shards of glass. it shook us all up as our 2yr old was only a meter infront of it playing. i called them straight away and was bounced from number to number i took me over 45 minutes to talk to someone and then i was told to contact the seller. so i called them who then had to call hotpoint direct. the earliest i get to see someone is wednesday as the engineers dont work week ends and dont work after 6pm. They even said that it would take longer to repair if the fault was found to be ours. i found them to be very unhelpful and quite rude. they have no consideration for the dangers involved or for what could have happened, and they are prepared to leave me with a very dangerous machine for a week. I didnt spend top money for so called good quality and bad service!! i thought i would buy what i thought was the best and have great service…… how wrong was i!
The glass in my Hoover washing machine door exploded sat during a hot wash cycle, glass all over kitchen floor and inside the drum. I bought the machine in April 2010. Luckily no one was in the kitchen at the time, and the wash cycle carried on regardless!! I contacted Hoover who said although it was covered by a 5yr parts warranty I’d have to pay £119 labour. Have refused to pay as this must be a major health & safety issue and desgn fault …. Planning my next move would be grateful for any advice.
My daughter had this happen also (see Dave says: August 23, 2011 at 8:56 pm)
In reply to Tracy’s Hoover 5 year warranty, this company and Hotpoint give out a 5 year warranty and in small print they state that this is only a free parts warranty if you deal with their service engineer. A charge of each call out is over £100 regardless how small the job. Hoover charged me this for tightening two nuts, total time 10 minutes. Hotpoint wanted similar for oven thermostat light bulb change. I did the job myself in 15 minutes but Hotpoint still charged me over £14 for bulb and standard delivery of over £6. The bulb arrived loose unwrapped in a basic envelope with general post. Rip off Britain wanted me to appear on their programme but my health doesn’t allow for this.
Don’t pay them a penny and threaten them with small claims court telling them that once the fee is paid for court appearance, that you will be requiring a refund for ALL your costs to date before settlement whether they settle before or in court. All travel expenses and loss of work to appear should bump up their bill.
They will try to get you to part with your money before caving in.
The evidence on this web page alone states that they are aware of the problem and that you are not the first person to claim.
Keep a record of all correspondence and receipts of additional costs (including telephone call records).
My bet is that they will replace the door free rather than attend a small claims court.
The manufacturer’s are (against assumed logic) not responsible. If they want to help (to protect their own reputation) that’s great, but if not, your only address in UK consumer law is with the people you bought it from under the sale of goods act.
In circumstances like these where the door glass is exploding or shattering and you are not satisfied it is safe or that they will replace it with one that is safe you can only try to argue with the retailer (or sue at the small claims court) that the washing machine has an inherent fault, or inherent design fault.
Glass, does not have to break easily, and certainly shouldn’t during normal use (unless washing something with large metal buckles etc.)- or especially when the appliance (as reported several times here) is not even ON. Glass can be made bullet-proof, they make floors out of glass that people stand on many hundreds of feet up in the air in tall buildings, so glass per sae is not fragile or destined to break unless manufactured weak enough to do so. The only explanation I can think of is that the quality of door glass in appliances has been reduced steadily to save money until it’s reached the stage where they are no longer safe from shattering.
One thing to bear in mind is has the glass shattered into many small blunt pieces, or has it broken into dangerous sharp pieces? If the former it’s most probably designed to do that for safety reasons (like car windscreens). The latter is a serious safety issue.