Wish there was some info out there on if Sharp identified and fixed the problem. The class action suit is dated from Jan 1, 2009 - Aug 5, 2020 but there is no information on if units manufactured after this date are updated or if this was just the scope of the lawsuit.

What can I put in my island instead of the fire hazard Sharp microwave drawer? Help!

Our third Sharp microwave (second replacement) was a newer model - "KB-6525-Y", which was the 30" version. Installed 12/20/17, nearly three years ago. It now shows "Beverage Center" and "Melt" modes which the previous models did not have. Apparently they have re-engineered the product so that it doesn't blow up when melting butter or re-heating a cup of liquid.

2015 to 2017 - TWO burnouts . . . . . 2017 to almost 2021 . . . . . We have had ZERO issues since this model was installed.

my microwave is being replaced today. they are offering me a one-year warranty on it would you purchase the extended warranty?

Having the same arcing, smell of burnt wires, grinding, etc. symptoms with a top of the line Thermador MD30 drawer mv. Anybody else ? I think the internals are made by Sharp

We own model KB-6024MS that was installed in 2009 when we built our new home. The unit has performed flawlessly for over 10 years until just last year when it began to spark. We will file a claim under the class action suit. We really like the drawer concept and will purchase the newest, top of the line Sharp unit. I know we're taking a chance. We considered other manufacturers but since Sharp basically provides the main components it doesn't seem to matter which manufacture we purchase from. Every product out there has good a bad reviews. We had great success with our unit for 11 years. Hoping we have the same results with the new unit. Will definitely keep an eye on it and purchase the extended warranty.

People who had Sharp replace your drawer microwave. Did you contact customer service and what did you have to do? Thanks!

For those that are considering a microwave drawer after seeing this thread, just be aware that the phenomenon of microwaving foods (vegetables) and sparking or arcing is not new and does not only occur in microwave drawers. Microwaves, butter and arcing has been a known issue even before microwave drawers were on the market. There is a series of physics behind it and the high mineral content of the food acts similar to metal, which gets its mineral source from soil it was grown in. Some soils have high mineral content, some don't, which could be a reason why it occurs with some green beans and not others as an example. Also the shape matters. Chopping kale finely so that there are irregular sharp edges increases the chances of arcing. Cut a grape and half but leave the skin touching the two halves, put a glass over it and you have a plasma science experiment. Check it out on youtube if you want to see it in action.

And the trick with adding a cup of water is not new. It absorbs some of the electrical field reducing the electrical field that leads arcing. The trick addresses the physics behind why arcing happens rather than a perceived design flaw. Apparently Kirkland brand (Costco) butter is susceptible to arcing, while I have read that it does not happen for other brands.

Now this does not mean that there may not be design or part issues with the sharp mw drawers but the phenomenon is definitely not limited to only mw drawers.

How Does Microwaving Grapes Create Plasma? | NOVA | PBS | NOVA | PBS

Are all microwave drawers built with Sharp components? Just had the same sounds and smoke while using a Wolf drawer microwave to reheat a cup of coffee on Memorial Day. The microwave was bought in July 2018 and used in a one person home. Technician tested it yesterday [06/08/2021]using a cup of water. Did not replicate the problem. Should I continue to use it until it bursts into flames? Should I replace the magnetron? Should I just leave it as an expensive kitchen drawer and get a college microwave for the countertop? Thanks

Have technician melt butter, we always get the sound doing that. I’ve had the magnetron replaced and then eventually the entire microwave. We’ve replaced it twice so far.

Thank you!

I was pleased to see Gus Fanamo's input in the post above yours, Deanna Hammond. While I did not start this thread, I was one of the early commenters five years back. Gus's information explained more than I've read elsewhere. Sharp was not much help when I had my issue, but lots of finagling, I got a new MW drawer at a prorated price. While it appeared to be the same model, it was reported to have features that lower the temperature for certain foods. Melt for butter, etc. I use the features and haven't had the arcing but one or two times. Since I don't know what foods or densities will cause this, I never walk away from my unit in use. If I hear the slightest noise, I open it and add the cup of water. I'm very cautious. There is/was a class action suit against Sharp, but I did not qualify since I got some restitution with a different unit and sent the burned one back. My local authorized Sharo microwave repairman couldn't get the parts from Korea even if I wanted him to replace the magnetron, so be aware of that, as well.

Hi, we just purchased a new sharp drawer microwave fir the first time for kitchen remodel. Should we consider returning this unit and abandon the idea of under island MW drawer?

We have had three. Our current one has held up for more than a year, whoch is better than the prior ones. Hopefully, this may mean they have improved the model. wish i could be more definitive!

We are also on our third since 2015. Once we got the newer model that has "Beverage Center" we have not had any problems. Model # KB6525PS Y was manufactured in June 2017.

Mine is model# SMD2470AS Y manufactured in 2021. Thanks for the feedbacks. Hope all necessary features have been corrected and installed by now.

I doubt Sharp has corrected any issues. Maybe but doubtful. Like I stated earlier ours lasted for 7 years- not bad. But, the failure mode is unsafe. we currently have an inexpensive countertop unit in the drawer space waiting for the class action suit to be resolved - not holding my breath.

Hi my Sharp drawer just died this week - 18 mo old. It has had some smoking, honestly don't know what killed it (the display is dead, breaker, etc to no avail). For a while I could see a faint blue light blinking and that went. Anyway, I went to the class action site and a) can't tell if they are accepting claims from people that didn't join the class prior to May this year 2) not sure how to document arcing/smoking after the fact. And the repair folks Sharp sent me to don't want to service a drawer they didn't install. Any info on if the class is open for claims and how to document (or how picky they are) would be great. Am thinking I should have done Bosch at least with the rest of my appliances. Model SMD2489ES

Just taking a survey, did you use your microwave to melt butter?

Yes, both times we were melting butter

Yes, i now add a cup of water to avoid the sound. Too much energy and not enough matter to absorb it.

Wish I would have found this thread sooner. Just had my second sharp micro installed today in our kitchen remodel. First was installed July 6, and while I never had the arcing or burning the unit just didn't work. Technician came out in September, replaced something and it worked for about a month. After reading this thread, I'm really surprised we got a new unit but I guess they did it to shut up my husband, ha ha. Wish us luck, not feeling very good about the future of our microwave though. The rest of the kitchen looks great though, got Thermador appliances which are wonderful. The appliance store did say that the Thermador drawer microwave was made by sharpe, so she tried to save us a little money by going with Sharpe.

Confused by the poster from a few months ago. The lawsuit is fully settled and was finalized on 1/7/21.

Sharp has acted in bad faith in all this and I personally would stay away from any drawer at this point.

I wonder how many people got notice of the lawsuit. I know several people with drawers and none got notified.

I never received a notice and I’m on my 3rd replacement with sharp.

I was never notified and I am also on my third drawer unit. Since they’ve already replaced it, I know they have my contact information.

Oh my gosh. I was just going to put our 15-year-old countertop MW in a cabinet opening with an outlet in the back, similar to how we have it now but in a base cabinet instead of wall cabinet. Then we took out the old wall cabinet and there was mold going up the wall and ceiling because the unit hadn't had adequate space to vent and moisture had gotten through the hole cut for the outlet. So now, even though we love this reliable old microwave, we have to replace it with a 24" drawer--right? Are there other options that vent in the front? Cabinet is not built yet--I don't want to have to buy a MW that will die and take my new cabinet with it... Ideas?

I had the misfortune of buying a Sharp drawer in Spring of 2021. Supposedly after the "problems" were over. I knew nothing about the class action, of course. I had a regular bag of microwave popcorn go on fire, and I complained. Even though the class action was over, they acted as if they would replace the microwave if they could verify the fire. So I didn't clean the fire up and waited over a month for them to send a technician! The technician said, "yup you definitely had a fire," took photos, and said it wasn't working properly -- to me. Then, Sharp calls and said they couldn't replace the microwave because I had misused it by having food particles on the wave guide! I didn't clean it because they said I had to prove there was a fire! And then they used that against me. Before the fire, I cleaned my microwave any time I saw any splatters, and at least twice a week, so that is certainly not why it was malfunctioning. Sharp has the worst microwave drawers and customer service! Is there another class action or did I just get a defective microwave. Anyone else still having problems?

I guess a year ago they settle the class action. I'm looking today. There are no design improvements? None of the manufacturers that have wrapped their name around this Sharp design have done anything about this? Home builders and remodelers are still selling these expensive and defective units to unsuspecting buyers? None of the product reviewers online are even mentioning it. What a scam at this point!

I guess $114 million dollars isn’t enough of a deterrent to fix the issue going forward?

Ya I’m really having a tough time deciding but knowing all of this I don’t think I can go forward with a microwave drawers. The alternative I’ve found is a microwave oven with the drop down door. They come in 24” and 30” - I was looking at one from Zline and Kitchenaid. They have microwave capability along with convection cooking and baking. Any one else have any other suggestions? Otherwise I was just considering a standard microwave with a trim kit.

https://zlinekitchen.com/microwaves/24-inch-stainless-steel-built-in-convection-wall-oven-microwave-combo-mwo-24

My Sharp microwave drawer started arcing a few months ago, and Sharp refused to help me. So now I have to remove it, and likely rebuild that cabinet space, since I will never buy anything from Sharp again and I'm worried about getting stuck again if I install a microwave drawer. Man, Sharp is a lousy company and I hope everyone will avoid all their products!

One year and 13 days old. Died
Sharp drawer microwave.
Runs but will not heat. The board and buttons are intermittent. The Wolf micro is made by sharp. That’s what the wolf rep told me.
Very said! 13 days over one year.

This is an older thread, but since there is a m/w drawer planned in my new kitchen, I looked for comments about Sharp and found this. It seems that Sharp is still selling the same models that had these problems. The one on my list is #SMD2470ASY, with controls that tilt up. Since they make all the m/w drawers, it seems safer to get a countertop model that sits on a shelf, like the one I have now. Only problem is, there is no place in my new kitchen to put one. Anyone have a positive experience with a recent model m/w drawer?

I have the sharp drawer with the tilt up panel. Was installed 4.5 years ago and have NEVER had a problem with it.

thanks @User! I'm hoping we will have good luck with it, too.

Our drawer MW lasted 7 years before it self destructed. Good luck

@cmehnert good to know! thanks.

I purchased a Sharp microwave drawer in August 2022, it arrived November 2022, brought it home and had it installed and it does not work, it has never worked, it is stuck in "demo" mode, I have tried multiple times to contact sharp service and nothing, can't leave a message nothing. I am now dealing with the retail outlet that i purchased it from, i offered to bring it back for a replacment they have said have to wait for service, brand new microwave that needs to be serviced. Never again Sharp, never again!!!!

My Sharp microwave drawer "blew up" with a charred magnetron and wave guide. Installed in 2014 and used maybe 12 times a year.......DO NOT BUY SHARP MICROWAVE DRAWER!! It's a known problem and they seemingly don't care.

We just purchased a Sharp SMD2499FS in June 2022. It was their top of the line model for $2,200.00. It has lots of great features but the most disappointing thing is that it doesn't pop microwave popcorn. Our old GE Profile microwave would make the popcorn just like the bag says in 2 & 1/2 minutes. This microwave does nothing in that time. If you leave it in longer for 5 minutes it will burn and half the bag will pop. Very disappointing!

Being just 15 months old, and used a lot, I do not think that my Sharpe microwave is heating well. I also hate the pop-out thing. When I try to hit the settings, the thing sometimes closes on me and I pinch my finger or I scrape it on the lower lip of the panel.

Waiting for my microwave to go so that I can try the Zline or the Kitchenaide with drop down door. Thanks for mentioning that, Nick B. Could you link to the Kitchenaide model that you were looking at? I have a 24" x 15" microwave drawer, so I am not sure how another size would work with my opening.

Robert Lisa - My drawer does pop corn. There is a special popcorn setting. I use it to start the popping, but when the end of the cycle comes, I hit the 30 second button and listen for the popping to slow and stop.

Hi! So after doing a lot more research and talking to a few appliance shops I ended up getting the Sharp. From what I was told, Sharp holds the patent for the microwave drawer and essentially all of them are the same (parts, design, etc.). So even the higher end names (Wolf, Monogram, etc ) are all rebranded Sharp. Apparently the arching issue was correct a few years back and my friend who recently built a new home has the Sharp. He’s had no issues, so that made me feel a little better. Upon looking into the Z-line I was told by several sources to stay away, as customer support and overall quality of their appliances are pretty bad, so I decided to steer clear. Also, that style required additional venting and would not work with our cabinet layout, so we couldn’t go with it anyway. Hope that helps and best of luck. Our kitchen should be done by the end of next month, so I’ll update on how the Sharp drawer is working, etc.

We got our Sharp when we did the kitchen 5 yrs ago. The Sharp burned and I got a new one under the class action lawsuit ( roll of the dice). 2 yr into this one and I have had know problem. I hope that Sharp did figure out the problem and that I have ine of those! Otherwise we love it.

I wish i had thought to check this website a month ago. We had the Sharp microwave drawer installed when we had the house built about 11 years ago. I’ve used it happily since then - no problems at all. A month ago I had the sparking, arcing problem complete with smoke. I was cooking a potato. In doing research to find a new microwave I found that the model was no longer made because of a recall and that there had been a class action suit that was settled and closed in 2021. Trying to call Sharp is impossible - I was on hold 45 minutes before I gave up. I also called the local appliance store that we had purchased all the appliances for the new house and hit a brick wall. (not our problem). I have now purchased another Sharp microwave drawer through Amazon. Fingers crossed.

Just found these comments and had no idea about the past law suit. I had just put a tortillas with cheese in the microwave and pushed start only to hear a buzzing sound and when opened a burnt smell. after reading this tread I can see what went wrong. I had contacted a service repair guy who told me they do not make repair parts for this problem. I bought this for a kitchen remodel in Jan. 2019 and just now it quit. so I got 5 yrs. so sad as I loved this unit. model # SMD2470AS yes they still sell it at a much higher price now…. not sure what to do.……as it cost too much to have it possible go out in a year and knowing it can’t be repaired.🤬🤷‍♀️

Gave up on the Sharp convection microwave. We went through 5 units in less than 3 years. Four were replaced under warranty after much back and forth with the company. After the fifth unit needed a new control panel (for $1500.00), we decided to ditch Sharp altogether and bought a Wolf speed oven. The Sharp purchase was the biggest appliance disappointment of my life.

Here is an interesting bit of information: there are four Sharp drawer microwave appliances in the breakroom where I am currently working. I don’t know yet how many years that they have been in service but this could be a good experimental test. Stay tuned.

Do NOT buy this! I bought it Feb 2025 and the control panel kept freezing. I had the panel replaced 3 times before Sharp replaced the whole microwave. Now, May 26, the new one has the same issue and they will not fix it because it is past the one year warranty on the First one !!! Stay away !

Five years ago I posted this . . . .

" Our third Sharp microwave (second replacement) was a newer model - "KB-6525-Y", which was the 30" version. Installed 12/20/17, nearly three years ago. It now shows "Beverage Center" and "Melt" modes which the previous models did not have. Apparently they have re-engineered the product so that it doesn't blow up when melting butter or re-heating a cup of liquid. 2015 to 2017 - TWO burnouts . . . . . 2017 to almost 2021 . . . . . We have had ZERO issues since this model was installed."

2026 - After nine uneventful years into the 2017 model, the magnetron tube finally blew. Given that we got 9 years out of the most recent model, we opted to just get our FOURTH 30" Sharp microwave drawer (Model SMD3070ASY). So far, so good. The control panel now is hidden and pops out at a 45 degree angle. Not sure this if is a feature or a bug! Much fewer detailed instructions for a variety of heating tasks. They now include a 5 year factory warranty on the magnetron tube.

NOTE: The hidden control panel adds 12 1/2" wide by 1" high to the height of the uhit, centered at the top. When you go to install the newest unit where you had a custom cutout for the old model, you need to trace the outline of the bump-up and cut out a small piece of your custom cabinet to fit. It's all hidden once you slide the unit in.Not a big deal, just an unexpected twist.