Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This kettle is a serious fire hazard! Although I purchased it because I am a senior and it made sense to not worry about forgetting a kettle on the stove,the last couple of times I used the kettle I noted a mild smell of electrical wires burning. I couldn't identify the source and thought it must be my imagination. I'd used the kettle successfully for two months. Two days ago I boiled water for coffee. I DISCONNECTED the kettle from the base and UNPLUGGED the base because I was uneasy about the smell. I went out to clear ice off my car. I returned fifteen minutes later and the fire alarms in my house were all sounding. The house was filled with toxic smelling smoke. i went into the kitchen to see the plastic handle of the kettle shooting flames with flames coming from the plastic along the base of the kettle! I doused the flames but had I come in 60 seconds later the fire would have spread. Clearly the interior wires in the handle must have been smoldering when I went outside and later ignited the highly flammable plastic. I have looked up Cuisinart products since, and discovered that is a serious problem with some of their other electric kitchen appliances. The house was so smoke-infested that even when I opened all doors and windows, the alarms continued for 15 minutes! I had the strange ash the burning plastic produced all over surfaces - my books - my windowsills. And what I worse, I am coughing and coughing still from whatever I inhaled. THIS PRODUCT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN OFF THE MARKET! It is unsafe! Even if it worked well for a few months, its life is short and unpredictable. I could have lost my house!