Exploding door glass who’s fault is it?

I still receive emails from people whose washing machine door glass has shattered or “exploded”. I’ve included two photos recently supplied to me in this article. It’s hard to judge how widespread this issue is, but it appears to be relatively rare. I’ve had over 100 incidents reported over 10 years. For more details, see my main article – washing machine door glass danger.

But whose fault is it when the door glass shatters?

Manufacturers are blaming users

Manufacturers often claim this is caused by overloading or leaving coins and metal objects in pockets. While that may sometimes be true, it doesn’t explain all cases — especially when glass shatters hours after the machine has finished.

Door glass did not shatter in the past

From decades of experience, door glass didn’t used to shatter like this. Despite seeing thousands of overloaded machines and foreign objects inside drums, it was extremely rare. I only replaced a few door glasses in the past, and none had shattered — only cracked due to unusual incidents.

This suggests something has changed. Modern machines likely use toughened (tempered) glass instead of thick traditional glass. Toughened glass can shatter suddenly under certain conditions.

Is the broken glass safe or dangerous?

If the glass breaks safely into small blunt pieces, and misuse is the cause, then responsibility may partly lie with the user.

However, if it shatters into sharp shards that can fly outward and injure people or pets, then it becomes a serious safety concern. Manufacturers should anticipate common behaviours like overloading or leaving items in pockets and design against dangerous outcomes.

Do manufacturers have a legal duty to protect users from predictable misuse? Should they anticipate common mistakes, especially if those mistakes could lead to injury?

Is there a duty of care in design?

Consider extension leads — they can be overloaded and cause fires, yet most don’t include built-in protection. Or laptops that can overheat if vents are blocked.

These are examples where misuse can cause danger, yet products aren’t always designed to prevent it. So perhaps manufacturers aren’t always required to design against misuse.

There may be cases where manufacturers could be held responsible for not considering these risks — but it’s not clear-cut.

People must take responsibility for their actions, but predictable mistakes should arguably be made safe through design.

Examples of safety design already in use

Manufacturers clearly do design safety features when necessary. For example, washing machine doors cannot be opened during spin cycles. This prevents serious injury.

This shows that safety-by-design is already accepted where risks are obvious and severe.

Summary

It’s difficult to give a definitive answer on responsibility. It may be misuse — or it may be design-related.

If manufacturers believe misuse is the cause, they should clearly warn users. For example:

Warning: Overloading, leaving coins or metal objects in pockets, or washing items with metal components may cause door glass to shatter.

Is door glass breaking safely – or dangerously?

This is the key issue. If glass always shatters safely and poses no injury risk, it may not be a major consumer issue. But if it can cause harm — especially to children or pets — then it becomes a serious safety concern that manufacturers must address.

See real cases and photos here:

• Washing machine door glass danger
• Broken door glass photos