Kenmore Trio Refrigerator Fire Hazard
I experienced the same bulb housing melting/potential fire problem with my Kenmore Elite Trio refrigerator ( Model #79577549600) that I purchased in April of 2006. The first time it happened was in July 2008. I smelled burning plastic when I opened the fridge and noticed the bulb housing was extremely hot. The only way I was able to unscrew the bulbs was to unplug the fridge for a while until the bulbs cooled down. Unbeknownst to me, by unplugging the fridge, I reset some CPU board (or something) and the problem corrected itself. However, the lighbulb sockets were blackened and the plastic housing started to melt, so that was damaged. Because the problem corrected itself, I second guessed myself, thinking that perhaps I left the door open and the Alarm was off (even though it was on, but I dumbfounded). Then this past Sunday, 9-21-08, it happened again. This time, even worse. The plastic housing is completely destroyed because of the melting, the lightbulb shattered and the sockets are burnt. Thank goodness I decided to check about similar complaints before calling Sears. I can't believe all the incidents of this extremely dangerous hazard. Of course, the Sears 1-800 number offered no assistance since I didn't purchase an extended warranty. They recommended calling Kenmore. They were even worse. Finally, after reporting it to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, I decided to call the salesman directly who I purchased it from. He stated he never heard of that problem. However, he told me to call One Source at 1-800-479-5899 to see if they could help me with my "product failure". He warned me that they might not be quick to help, but to be persistent. I was all ready for a fight when Jim answered the One Source phone. When I told him my problem, he immediately stated he knew about the problem and he'd get a tech out as soon as possible to replace the necessary parts. He stated that this problem was "rampant", but that they were correcting it at no charge to the customers. I now have a tech coming on 10/2 (the earliest opening) and a case number. I would recommend still reporting this problem to CPSC, but then try One Source.