What happened: North Carolina Farm Bureau alleges a recalled Samsung range turned on when someone bumped the knob, igniting a Pyrex dish and filling a home with smoke.
Who's involved: North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company (insurer/plaintiff), Samsung Electronics America (manufacturer), Best Buy (retailer)
What's at stake: $140,572.23 in subrogated losses, plus interest, costs, and attorneys' fees
Why it matters: Subrogation teams chasing recalled-product claims can see how to tie a specific loss to the recall record
Where it stands: Complaint filed September 15, 2026; removed to federal court October 19, 2026
A Pyrex dish sitting on a stovetop caught fire after someone in the household bumped a control knob on a Samsung electric range - a knob that, according to a federal product safety recall, could turn on from accidental contact.
North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company has sued Samsung Electronics America and Best Buy, seeking $140,572.23 it says it paid its policyholders for smoke damage to their home and belongings. The insurer filed the complaint on September 15, 2026, as subrogee of a couple in Leicester, North Carolina. Samsung removed the case to the US District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina on October 19, 2026.
According to the complaint, the couple purchased a Samsung slide-in electric range, model NE58K9850WG/AA, new from Best Buy. The range was manufactured in October 2016.
On the night of November 5, 2024, the filing alleges, the couple's son bumped into the range's control knob, causing the stove to turn on. A Pyrex dish sitting on the right-front burner then caught fire, filling the home with smoke. After the incident, the knob was found in the "On" position, according to the complaint.
The complaint ties the incident to Consumer Product Safety Commission Recall No. 24-335. The filing states that the recall indicated the range's front-mounted knobs "could be activated by accidental contact, posing a fire hazard." According to the complaint, Samsung had received over 300 reports of unintentional knob activation since 2013, and the affected ranges had been involved in roughly 250 fires - at least 18 causing extensive property damage, approximately 40 causing injuries, and seven involving pet deaths. The recall covered ranges manufactured between May 2013 and August 2024, according to the filing. The specific model in this case - the NE58K9850WG - was among those listed.
The recall, issued in August 2024, covered roughly 1.1 million Samsung slide-in electric ranges sold at retailers including Best Buy, Costco, Home Depot, and Lowe's, according to the CPSC.
The insurer brings seven legal claims. Samsung faces straightforward negligence and product liability claims alleging the range's design was defective. Both Samsung and Best Buy face claims for failing to warn buyers about the knob risk, for breaching the express warranty that the range was safe and fit for its intended use, for breaching the implied promise that it would work as expected, for breaching the implied promise that it was fit for the specific purpose the buyers needed it for, and for attorneys' fees under North Carolina law.
The complaint alleges the range's control knob "absent a defect, would not normally turn on after being bumped into," and that the risk of the knob activating after accidental contact "was not an open and obvious risk, nor a risk that would be a matter of common knowledge."
North Carolina Farm Bureau says it paid its policyholders under their homeowners policy. The confirmed subrogation figure - disclosed in a pre-suit demand letter and verified between counsel - is $140,572.23.
The case is at its earliest stage. Samsung has reserved all defenses and denied the allegations in its removal notice. Best Buy has consented to removal and has not yet responded to the complaint.
For subrogation and claims teams handling property losses tied to recalled products, this filing maps out a recovery playbook: the insurer linked its specific loss to a documented CPSC recall, identified the exact model and serial number, and nailed down the subrogated amount through a pre-suit demand process before going to court.
The allegations in the complaint have not been tested, and no court has ruled on the merits of the claims.
