Homeowner and mom Ali Washburn is sharing her experience with her gas stove in hopes of raising awareness about an issue she says is troubling. Washburn says she was walking up to her front door and she knew something was wrong.
"It smelled like gas really strongly and I thought it was just outside and maybe there was a leak somewhere, but I got closer to the door and I opened the door and I realized it was definitely in the house," Washburn said.
She grabbed her dog, got out and called 911.
"They said that the back burner [of the stove] had just been leaking gas and I hadn't used the stove honestly in days," Washburn said. "One of us must have just bumped it lightly. If I would have been gone longer, I mean I just happened to be gone for two hours, if I had been gone longer, I don't know what could have happened.
“I think it's really scary if you have a kid and your child could walk right by and hit it and not even know, and then you're in your home, going on about your life and you might not smell it right away, and it could just be really scary," Washburn added. "Especially, if you have young kids at home."
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Washburn has an LG gas stove with front knobs.
A review of Consumer Product Safety Commission records uncovered more than 20 complaints about LG stoves where customers claimed you could knock the knobs into the "on" position too easily. In 2012, LG recalled 161,000 electric stoves for this same issue, but it hasn't recalled any gas stoves.
LG gave the CPSC basically the same response to every complaint:
"LG manufactures this gas range to meet or exceed all relevant standards" and "LG takes very seriously the concerns of our customers and uses such feedback on an on-going basis to evaluate and improve our products."
Consumer concerned about front gas stove knobs can buy locks online for less than $10.
Home safety experts say it’s always a good reminder to have working smoke detectors in your home and, if you smell gas, take it seriously.
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