I’ve been writing about and following cases of “exploding” door glass on washing machines since 2008. There’s been a steady trickle of reports from people with various brands. Some even claim their door glass shattered spontaneously when the washing machine was not even switched on. It’s potentially a genuine safety concern. Especially for children.
Customers who report these incidents are definitely claiming it is dangerous. I have seen reports of people being cut and injured, but nothing serious so far. As far as I can make out it’s been more to do with being cut picking up the glass.
Back in 2012 there was a brief flurry of international media interest in my article. It was widely quoted and linked to. However, presumably without any reports of serious injury it was soon forgotten.
Don’t confuse two separate “exploding” washing machine issues
This article is about the door glass exploding. Another issue, which has also had national press coverage is when the washing machine’s inner drum “explodes” during spin.
This is a known issue related to specific brands and is covered in my article here – washing machines exploding: What’s going on?
Shattering door glass
I’m not entirely happy using the word explode because it sounds sensational. But as most people experiencing this issue use that word it needs to be used. Some have even described it as being like “a bomb”.
The previous picture is of a Beko washing machine. Beko are one of the most common UK washing machines who so far have the highest reported cases. The consumer who sent it me wrote –
I dread to think the outcome if my son had been in front of the machine at the time!
Lots of people have expressed concerns over children and pets.
Seeing the following photo on my Facebook news-feed heightened my concerns. It’s of a friend’s small child innocently looking into their washing machine.
Reports of spontaneous exploding glass when washer not even running
No parent could be expected to foresee the thick door glass of their washing machine shattering, either when on – or especially when it’s just standing unused. This photo is worrying when you know about all of the incidents that have happened (rare or not). Clearly it’s best to not let children get this close up just in case.
Manufacturers are saying the problem is caused by foreign obstructions such as coins or metal buckles hitting and weakening the door glass. The weakened door can then shatter under constant heating up and cooling down.
Another theory is that it’s caused by people overloading the washing machine. However, it would be nice if the door glass was strong enough to cope with such inevitable stresses. I have written an article specifically covering that subject here – exploding door glass who’s fault is it?
Which washing machines are affected?
Many brands have been mentioned across the price range. Cheap, middle, and even some top-end brands have been affected. So it’s not necessarily only the cheapest brands. See the tally of reports on the right column (after the comments on mobile devices).
What’s the solution?
Until a definite cause is proved it’s difficult to know what needs to be done. The main expectation is that the door glass maybe needs to be made thicker. There’s no proof that the glass is too thin as yet. If manufacturers placed a plastic cover in front of the door glass it would definitely prevent any injuries. This would make it double-glazed.
It’s likely to be difficult to fit one retrospectively. So it would probably need to be designed like this from the off. This was actually done around 20 years back by Hoover on models like the Eco Logic, Soft Wave and New Wave. However it was done for thermal protection and insulation. To my knowledge, and in my experience, the shattering door glass was not an issue back then. I didn’t come across any shattered door glass until around 2008.
What can you do to limit any danger?
Enough reports of the glass shattering whilst the washer isn’t even on have been made to be taken seriously although this still appears to be rare.
Don’t let kids play around washing machines until this issue is hopefully resolved.
Some door glass appears to break into relatively safe rounded chunks, but some (see photos of broken glass ) have broken into more sharp and jagged pieces, which definitely look dangerous.
Remember, there are only (presumably) a few hundred cases out of millions of washing machines and only a small percentage of them claim the washer wasn’t running at the time.
So the odds of it happening at all – never mind someone being in front of it at the time – should be very low. If you are concerned enough to need to do something you could try hanging a thick towel over the door when the washer is not in use. That would prevent or limit any glass flying out. Keep children and pets away from it especially when it’s running.
Take care of your washing machine and treat it gently
Many of them aren’t built as well as they used to and can’t take much “abuse”. Don’t overload the machine by cramming it so full that the whole laundry just turns around in one big lump. Don’t under-load it either – Loading a washing machine).
Also make sure you check all pockets for coins and other obstructions before washing.
Don’t put laundry in with metal buckles or buttons which could hit the door glass.
Some new washing machines do have a plastic barrier in front of the glass
I’ve seen two new AEG washing machines that both have a protective plastic see-through plate in front of the door glass (which is the solution I’ve always described). However, they were both washer dryers.
So it’s more to do with thermal insulation again than protecting against shattering door glass. As AEG have only had 1 reported incident on Whitegoodshelp (so far) it seems unlikely they would have introduced this “shield” for safety. It’s likely to just be coincidental.
(More views on this subject from another engineer : Ken Watt runs UKWhitegoods and is an experienced appliance engineer. He has written an article giving his views here – Washing Machine Door Glass Failures)
Photos and tally of broken door glass
I have a separate page where I feature some of the photos of shattered door glass I’ve received. On this page there is also a list of all of the incidents reported to me in order of which brands are most affected. Photos are currently here – photos and tally of broken glass.
There are also plenty of comments on this article below to read and research if you scroll down. If you have any information or would just like to register an incident with me please add a comment or contact me
Related articles
- Exploding door glass who’s fault is it?
- For an article on actual washing machines exploding (not just the door glass) go here – Washing machines exploding: What’s going on?
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Karen Walters: This whole issue is a very tricky one because glass shouldn’t break unless “broken” by something. The door glass on washing machines should be fairly thick (although I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s not as thick as it used to be to save money).
It’s understandable for retailers and even engineers to suspect something external has caused this to happen and unfortunately very difficult for a customer to prove anything different. All I can say is that in the 30 years I spent repairing washing machines I hardly ever had to replace a washing machine’s door glass. Only around 3 or 4 times, and each time the customer told me how it had been broken and never tried to blame the washing machine. Plus they just broke in two and definitely did not shatter or explode.
We currently have about 45 reports of washing machine door glass shattering, with at least 10 saying the washing machine was not even being used when it happened.
Beco rep/eng came last week to make report. phone call Fri thay are taking old washer away and replacing it with new one/new model. Well done BECO.
hi the same thing as happend to me my washer is 5 month old zanissi. I am waiting for someone at the moment to come out and look at my zanussi washer last night while it was on a wash the glass on the door expoled phoned the care centre this morning they tried to fob me off till monday its only thursday the glass is like daggers on the door an i still have my washing in which is full of spinters of glass i have a 4 year old son so I’ve demanding some one come today can i also claim for my clothes because they will not be waerable now
It depends what caused the door glass to shatter. Exactly what was in the washer at the time?
hi I’ve not heard anything about my washer yet i didnt have anything with buttens or zips or no belts it was all cotton items hopefully i hear something this week
I brought a Beko washing machine from comet on the 21st june 2012 and have had it a week i got up this morning to find the door had exploded. I had done a wash the night before and the washer was finished when i had gone to bed. The clothes in the washer are covered in shards of glass and ruined. I have been in touch with Beko and they have told me to send in the clothes to them by post so i can be compensated and an engineer will come out and fit a new door on 3rd july, but who wants a washer with shards of glass in the drum so i am expecting comet to either replace or refund me. We will see
Add another, my Hoover OPH616 door glass exploded last night with very light load 40deg glass all over kitchen, happened during fast spin cycle I think as no water on floor. Clothes ruined as glass has cut them in many places. Call to cirrus coming machine is nearly 3years old but I have a 5 year currys warranty. But having said this it is more of the safety issue for me, what if a child had been in the room with broken glass all over the place and a washer spinning at 1600rpm with a large hole in the front!
I think you can sue a manufacturer directly under English common if you have suffered financial loss from the machine not being fit for purpose. My understanding is that The Sale of Goods Act et al are in addition to this. These Acts clarify consumers’ rights, so that it is easier to win a case.
But, if anyone has actually cut themselves on the broken glass, they have a personal injury claim. This is more serious for the manufacturer, because the compensation payable really starts to mount up. Any high street solicitor will usually take this on or at least give you half a hour’s free advice to see if there’s money in it for them.
I hasten to add that I’m not a lawyer but I’ve won all but one of the civil actions I’ve ever taken to assert my rights as a consumer. One was a personal injury claim and was settled out of court.
My candy grand O washing machine door exploded yesterday . Machine was completing a 40c cycle of towels and shirts. The glass is everywhere, large pices , large shards , small bits and lots if small / dust like pices . luckily enough no one was directly I. Front of machine as I dread to think what the outcome would have been. I called candy customer service , they did not appear alarmed or bothered. They said They could send out an engineer which would cost me £119 or I could take out an extended warranty as machine is under 5 years old at £13.99 per month. If I took the later and the machine could not be repaired they woul cancel the direct debit and refund me £13.99. I have now managed to empty the clothes out of the machine and they are full of holes and glass.i called back the candy customer service number , quoted in Which and asked to speak to a manger , I’ve now been waiting over 4 hrs for a call back. Reading Which it appears that this problem has been reported previously but manufacture appears not to have taken any action. Any suggestions?
Laribe. If the manufacturer isn’t interested in helping other than to repair and charge you then you would need to seek consumer advice from somewhere like trading standards. The people responsible in consumer law are the people who sold it to you so it’s them you have to chase – not the manufacturer. Please keep us informed of any developments.
These cases may hinge on what is causing them. But even if they are being caused by coins, which should not be inside the washing machine it could still be judged that the manufacturers might have a duty to design the door glass so that dangerous shattering does not happen.
If your washing machine door glass has shattered or exploded please send photos so I can put them on this article as examples. Contact me using my contact form I can then reply, and you can attach the photos to my email reply.
I called back and they agreed to send out engineer free of charge but were clear that is damage was found to be caused by me then I would need to pay. I had also emailed them via their contact is link. The following day I got a call in response to my email , they said they would send out an engineer who would repair my machine free of charge. They also agreed to compensate me for the damage to my clothes. Engineered arrived at appointed time and repaired machine, it has been working fine since, cheque arrived yesterday for damage to clothes.
Perhaps best option is to contact via email !!