GE recalls 92,000 microwave ovens over fire hazard

BOSTON (Reuters) - General Electric Co is recalling 92,000 microwave ovens because they pose a fire hazard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Wednesday.

The agency said the ovens in question were sold at department and appliance stores from January 2000 to December 2003 under the GE and GE Profile brands, as well as the Kenmore brand of Sears Holdings Corp.

The recall will have no material effect on the financial results of the second-largest U.S. company by market capitalization, GE spokesman Russell Wilkerson said in an e-mail.

"The priority is always to solve the issue for our customers," he said. "The cost of the recall is immaterial."

GE knew of more than 30 cases of property damage, but no injuries related to the problem, the safety commission said.

The units in question, which retailed for $1,500 to $2,000, feature a traditional thermal oven below a microwave in a design that can be embedded in a wall, a picture on the safety commission's Web site showed. The agency said consumers could safely continue to use the lower thermal oven.

GE and Sears are offering owners of the affected ovens a free repair, a $300 rebate toward the purchase of a new GE or Kenmore brand unit, or a $600 rebate toward the purchase of a new GE Profile brand unit.

Consumers who own the microwaves in question can contact GE at (888) 240-2745 or Sears at (888) 679-0282.

In May, GE announced a recall of 2.5 million built-in dishwashers because of a fire hazard.

GE's industrial unit makes consumer products including appliances and light bulbs. It is GE's smallest unit as measured by segment profits, accounting for about 7 percent of GE's profit through the first nine months of the year.

(Reporting by Scott Malone, editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Dave Zimmerman)