Kitchen Microwave Oven Problem

[Richard]

Has anyone had the following problem or have any suggestions as to a fix?

Several months ago I installed a Kitchenaid Microwave/Convection Oven combo (model kemc307kwh02). Right from the start two problems with the microwave oven were evident:

If the door is opened while the oven is operating, the display still indicates that the unit is cooking, the fan still runs, the timer continues to count down, and the light remains on -- in short, it appears in all respects that the oven is still microwaving, except that the turntable stops. Closing the door starts the turntable again.

Second, when the microwave finishes its cycle, it turns off, beeps, and displays the message "End" on the panel -- just as it should. However, opening the door and removing the food, then closing the door does not reset the program -- the "End" message is still displayed and the reminder tones sound every minute until you press the "Cancel" button. The manual clearly indicates that simply opening and closing the door should reset the program

I purchased the unit from Sears, and they first verified that the unit was not continuing to microwave when the door was opened. They then replaced the master control unit and the keypad TWICE with no effect. They also checked every microswitch they could find, with no effect. Finally, they declared the unit a lemon and ordered a replacement. I installed the replacement a few days ago and ---- it does the same thing!!!

I've called Kitchenaid several times, and they have verified each time that these are problems, not features. However, they are also at a loss to explain them. I'd just as soon get my money back and buy another brand, but I have a feeling that will be difficult.

Has anyone else had these problems or have any suggestions as to a fix???

Richard Sherman

[Appliance Repair Aid]

Hi,

Kinda sounds like the door switchs or door catches are out of alignment as opening and closing the door should prevent things from happening and reset to the off position when the cooking is done.

jeff.

[Appliance Repair Aid]

Hi,

Kinda sounds like the door switchs or door catches are out of alignment as opening and closing the door should prevent things from happening and reset to the off position when the cooking is done.

jeff. Appliance Repair Aid

[Travis Jordan]

This sounds wrong to me, too. My KitchenAid mw/convection oven completely shuts down when you open the door in any mode (mw, convection, or combo)

At end of cycle, opening the door on mine doesn't reset the program. It will continue to beep (just as yours does) until you press Cancel. This may be a documentation error.

[Art]

My local Sears stores would have no problems giving me credit towards a different brand. Their slogan is "Satisfaction Guaranteed or your money back" or something like that. I would still buy from Sears. I always do just in case I have a problem like you describe with an appliance.

[3rd eye]

You've had better luck than many.

May be maybe not. You stand on solid ground for a different unit. Please let us know how Sears handles it.

At least you didn't get it from best buy.

[Art]

2 years ago I bought a $1000 washer, Bosch dishwasher, Kenmore dryer, and GE refrigerator from Sears. All but the dryer had to be replaced. The refrigerator was replaced twice. I let them try to fix the washer 3 times before asking for a replacement when it was 4 months old. DIshwasher came with a ding in back insulation pad so I got it replaced. First refrigerator was damaged. Replacement was fine but after 2 months we discovered it was not the right model. It was missing the water filter. They offered a discount to keep it but we made the exchange,.

[Richard]

Travis --

Thanks for the feedback. However, on the problem of not cancelling at the end of the cycle when the door is opened, you should call Kitchenaid. Three different reps have assured me that the documentation is correct, and that opening the door should reset the program. In short, we apparently share this problem, even if you don't have the other one.

I just had a service call today from Sears and after a 3-way conversation between the service man, his tech advisor at Sears, and a tech advisor at Kitchenaid, the current thinking is that it may be a problem with the house circuit -- perhaps a "floating ground" or reversed polarity. I have agreed to have an electrician check this out, provided that Sears will agree to pay the cost if it turns out not to be the problem. We shall see. I'll keep you posted.

Richard

[Travis Jordan]

Thanks for the comments. FYI, I have a different (stand alone) Kitchenaid mw/convection model that is about five years old. Just pulled the "Use and Care Guide" and it doesn't have the same wording as your dual-oven model. According to my instruction book you press Cancel "to erase an incorrect command, cancel a program during cooking, or to clear the Display". It doesn't say that the display is cleared automatically by opening the door. Maybe they added this functionality (or the documenation for it ) in a later release.

[Richard]

PROBLEMS FIXED!!!

Sometimes what seems complicated is actually very simple. We had an electrician check the oven circuit yesterday and in very short order he found a faulty grounding problem inside the service panel. A simple fix and both the problems I described went away --- opening the mw door during the cooking cylcle completely shuts down the unit, and closing the door and pressing "start" again resumes the program where it left off. The other problem is also gone -- removing food at the end of the cycle resets the display simply by closing the door.

Although I have been very happy with Sears service in most ways, it seems to me this whole saga might have been avoided had they checked the ground at the junction box where the oven is wired into the circuit as one of the *first* trouble shooting steps. They would have discovered that the ground was faulty, and had me hire an electrician to fix that problem at my own expense. Of course, it was easy to assume the circuit must be ok since a previous wall oven combo had been working just fine for 12 years......

Anyway, thanks to all of you who gave me advice. I hope my experience can help you in the future.

Richard

[Travis Jordan]

Great...and what a story! I never would have thought that a bad ground (more likely, a bad neutral) would have caused the symptoms you described. But now that we have the 'rest of the story' I can see how that would happen.

Thanks for the follow up.