Sears review: Light cover Melted due to light not shutting off! 31

I just filed a complaint with the US CPSC about the same problem. I then called the Product Recall hotline at [protected] and they are going to send out a technician. This is the first time this has happened and our light fixture incasement was already warped and melted? Thank goodness I went home during my lunch hour today and as the original complaint read, that we were not on vacation. This is an accident waiting to happen...shame on Sears.

I had the same problem, kenmore Elite three doors, light melt the cover so bad can't use anymore.

The light cover on our Kenmore 3-door refridge melted from the heat of the light bulbs. Fortunately, we were at home and heard the cover fall inside the refridge.

I am concerned that this could have caused a fire because the bulbs were so hot and we could not trust the quality of the food left in the refridge.

The thermostats do still work. The cover is now sitting on a container until we can get it fixed.

We are assuming the switch did not work and the lights did not go off when the doors were closed. We now play the "Is the light on in the refridgerator when the doors are closed" to make sure it goes off regulaly.

My light cover completely melted too. It actually melted down and was sticking no some containers (one of which was cardboard and burn mark). Luckly my wife was getting a water and notice a burning smell. Not only is the cover melted but so is the plastic housing. A complaint is going to be filed. This is so dangerous. I took pictures and will atach tommorrow.

The same thing happened to mine. I called the parts department to order a new light, and while I was talking to the rep, I asked her to see if there were any recalls for this problem. She checked and found that there was an ongoing problem with the lights in these units. She set me up with a repair guy to come out and replace the light at no charge to me. While at my home, he decided to replace the main electronics board because there was an ongoing problem with those also, causing the units to use more electricity than was advertised. No charge for either of the fixes.

I was told that anyone with one of these refrigerators, can call sears and they will fix it at no cost to you for the life of the product.

Would you please provide some more details on your repair (like the model, recall number and the person you talked over the phone or the person did the repair, etc).

My frig now has the same problem with the light not shutting off. I called sears and was told no recall can be found.

Hi there,
It was not actually a formal "Recall", but some kind of a service bulletin (or something like that) indicating a problem No attempt was made to contact owners of the fridge to repair the units, but if someone called in with the problem, they would take care of it.
I found out about all this when I called the Sears Parts 800 number, as I had planned to buy the parts and repair the thing myself. While talking to the woman who was helping me, I asked about ongoing trouble with these units, and that is when she found there was and set me up for service at no charge.

My fridge is a Kenmore Elite 3 door with the freezer on the bottom... model number 795.[protected].
my REPAIR ticket says "Service Requested: REPAIR PER SF46-520
Technician Comments: Repaired per SF46-515

Another problem I had with this fridge was the vegetable drawers, as the small ball bearing wheels broke off just after the warranty expired. They still slide in and out, but they are resting on the plastic guides now so it is not so smooth. I asked the Tech about this, and he admitted that it was an ongoing problem with my model, but not enough people had complained about it so there were no repairs authorized. He went on to say that Sears says the wheels broke because the drawers were possibly "overloaded".

Overloaded? With Vegetables?

If a small drawer in a $2000+ Refrigerator was designed to hold vegetables, don't you think the drawer should be able to hold as many vegetables as you could possibly fit in it? Poor design if you ask me.

One other thing, your complaint may not generate a free repair unless you mention that the light actually got so hot it melted the light fixture, as mine did.

Same thing .I smelled plastic burning. I traced it to the fridge and when I opened the door the plastic light casement was melted and hanging. The water bottles on my top shelve were hot and also melting. When I called Sears they said it was not under warrinty (bought in 2007) But they would be happy to send out a service tech. I hung up! And IM starting my investigation before the fight! This is VERY dangerous and as others have said, thank GOD I was home and it did not start a fire...

Seaford, N.Y.

We bought the same elite ( what a joke) trio. A friedn i work with has the same fridge also. His light stayed on a year ago and he had to go through alot to get it fixed. Sears finnaly did come and fix it at no charge. The problem was a faulty circuit board that caused the light to stay on. If your doors the the fridge are closed and the water dispenser works the problem is not the switches on the the doors. This last week the same thing happened to my trio. I spent three hours on the phone with various people giving me the run around. They said that if my fridge was older they would fix it. My model number is not on their recall list and that there was nothing tey wold do about it. They told me to pay to get it fixed or buy a new fridge. 3 years at 2, 000 dollars and i'm supposed to do that. If we were not home our home might have burned down. I have turned in a complaint to BBB, and advise any one who reads this to do the same, even if you already had it fixed. It's a crime that they will replace at no charge for a fridge that is older.

We have a Sears Kenmore Elite 3 door refrigerator, model 795.[protected]. It started with the ice maker not shutting off. When the freezer drawer is opened ice goes everywhere. I am glad to hear we may be able to fix that.
The light is a melted mess, and not sure how to fix it. We, too, smelled smoke in the kitchen and when we opened the refrigerator door we found the light hanging by melted plastic goo, and the refrigerator contents warm. I am sure there would have been a fire if we had not come home for lunch. Our local Sears dealer, where we purchased this piece of junk, said there were no recalls or service bulletins and he could do nothing for us. Our refrigerator has a manufacture date of Sept. 2006, and it was not even 3 years old when it started having problems. Now 2 more pieces fell off the top inside of the doors and the doors will not shut unless you push them gently together. Only 2 elderly people use this monster, so it does not get much wear and tear!

Like you, I lost a refrigerator full of food when the light malfunctioned. Although they fixed my refrigerator, they did not replace the food that was lost. My recommendation is to call the parts department and ask to speak to a supervisor. Tell them that others have had the problem fixed at no charge, and demand that yours be fixed as well. Also, Contact your State Attorney Generals Office and file a complaint with them, as well as your State Fire Marshals office. This is a definite fire hazard and they should address it.
For Sears to continually deny this problem is inexcusable. I only hope some lawyer will pick up on this and start a class action suit.

I just spent 2 hours getting the run around on the phone with Sears. I was disconnected every time I asked to speak with a supervisor or transferred to the wrong department then disconnected. I tried to call a few days ago and didn't get to speak to anyone at all! I was disconnected 4 times that day when they were transferring my call to a service rep. So yes, I have the same story. I opened my Sears Kenmore 3 door Elite refrigerator and smelled burning. The housing that has the lights was hanging down as the lights had gotten so hot it melted the plastic that holds it to the screws. The casing that holds the bulbs was scorched. I pulled out the fridge and unplugged it to let the bulbs cool so I could get them out. Sears wants me to pay for this repair and the fridge isn't even 4 years old. Unfortunately my house is loaded with Kenmore appliances. I have now filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the US CPSC as well. I'm so thankful I was home and my house didn't burn down. How many of us need to have this story before there is a recall? Meanwhile Sears takes no responsibility and will repair it...for a fee.

If you file a detailed complaint with your State Attorney Generals Office, Sears will be required to address this issue and offer a solution. I would suggest filing a complaint with the Fire Marshals Office and the BBB as well.

Sears / Kenmore Elite Trio Refrigerator — Defect in lighting Follow this link for more information. All these people have had a resolution at no charge by calling [protected]. There is a service flash that all the people at this number are aware of. I filed a complaint to the CPS Consumer Product Safety Board. Everyone needs to file complaints to someone.

Called [protected] and mentioned Service Flash #46-515R4. We have a repair scheduled for Tuesday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm - NO charge! :O)

Thank You so much bnrchild! I called sears & was getting nowhere until I mentioned Service Flash #46-515R4. Within minutes I had a technician coming to my house the next day & at no charge. I love the internet & all those who take the time to post their problems & solutions. I know reading this post has saved us countless hours of headache & torment.

Hipichiki, While at my home for the light problem, the service tech decided to replace the main electronics board because there was an ongoing problem with those also, causing the units to use more electricity than was advertised. Have your tech look into it. No charge for either of the fixes.

Wow... we had the same problem. Melted plastic, spoiled food, and we had to remove the bulbs to stop the fridge from melting itself. We're calling Sears tomorrow to see what they're going to do about it.

we have had the same problem and have had an appliance tech here twice he can not figure it out glad I googled this we are calling sears immediately ty everyone

sti in Hampden ME

I just had the same problem with our fridge model [protected]. I called Sears to ask about a product recall or advisory and they said that they don't have any recall of this product. As an electrician I believe I have come up with a workable solution. I have purchased 3 new style LED bulbs. They need to be PAR 16 style which are hard to find. This type of lamp product very little heat if the lights in the fridge stay on for some reason (either a door left open or the switch fails) The light out put will be much less but I'd prefer to have a dark fridge than one that is on fire!

AJV in Fort McMurray AB Canada

Corey D in Centralia, IL Our light fixture also melted and spoiled all the food. The ice maker never shuts off and the latches at the top of the doors fell off. We have to manually shut the doors every time we open it. The Centralia Sears store was NOT helpful. I will never buy Kenmore again.

We Purchased the same Fridge and we have had nothing but problems. We had it a month and the plastic things on top broke off they fixed them then they broke again. We also have problems with the water sometimes is warm. The ice maker too. Now we have had problems with the lights staying on the cover was melted off now we just shut the light bulbs off. I am going to call to get this fixed before my house burns down. Thanks for posting it has been very helpful.

I got up this morning to the same problem everyone else is having with their Kenmore Elite three door refg. I opened the door and could feel the heat in my face and noticed the light hanging funny and everything I touched on the top shelf was hot. It seems to be running fine, and the doors had been shut properly when I first opened them. I also have the same trouble with the ice machine not working properly, makes ice and never stops, the arm does not work and the whole unit freezes up and we have to turn it off for a day before it will make ice again. When is Sears going to do something about this, are they going to wait until someone, s house burns down and someone may lose their life.

Thanks to all who posted the Service Flash #46-515R4. I was able to get the light problem
resolved at no charge. You definitely have to have them look this up because at first they tell you that there is not a recall. But with some persistence's they schedule an appointment for a tech to come.

Same thing just happened to me. Woke up, opened the fridge, smelled something burning. The entire light unit was melted from the heat. Had to unscrew the bulbs. Burnt my hand trying to do so. Called Sears. They wanted to charge me. I asked for a supervisor. They are sending someone out at no charge. Glad I won't be charged but very unhappy that there has not been a recall. I'm going to file a complaint with the CPSC. Thanks to all who posted!

I am on phone with them as I write. Definitely call the 888 number and give the service flash no. I was disconnected several times and had to call back. They acknowledged they would fix. Interestingly when I called home service repair for Sears yesterday, they mentioned nothing about this being a problem even though I asked. Fortunately my daughter came to our house when we were on vacation to smell the burning hot lights and melted plastic covering! The ceiling of the refrig is bubbled. I have no doubt a major fire could have occurred. I, too, am writing the BBB, the attorney general, the CPSC, and the State Fire Marshall! Sears service stinks! After being customers for 40+ years, I'm done with Sears and with Kenmore.

Once again, they hung up on me without giving me an appointment!

Be sure to look up Consumer Product Safety Commission and call in. Very nice lady took full report and says the only way to be heard is to post at www.saferproducts.gov. I think Sears should be pressured to replace everyone of these refrigerators. This has gone on for long enough!

Lights stayed on constantly and there was a strong odor of burning wiring. Refrigerator was purchased in 2008 and I never heard of Service Flash #46-515R4 until I researched the issue on the Internet. I then saw the Flash and called Sears Recall department. Gave them the Flash Number, Model Number, and Serial Number. They shipped the parts to me and scheduled a technician to install them. The technician was excellent and knew all about the Flash. The circuit board, light bulb housing, and grill was replaced in less that 15 minutes. NO CHARGE---- COVERED BY THE SERVICE FLASH.

Only thing I was not happy about is that this dangerous issue was allowed to remain for some 7+ years before finally failing where the defect should have been addressed years earlier. This exposed me and my family to a possible fire hazard for all those years. Sears should have notified and replaced the parts when it became known there was an issue...End of story.

Same thing just happened to us Kenmore refrigerator model # [protected]. Wife got up could smell plastic burning opened refrigerator door and the whole light assembly was hanging and top of refrigerator was bubbling. the food on the top shelf was warm. Lights would not turn off and I was at work .
She manage to pull refrigerator out and unplugged it