Whirlpool WMH53520CS

Recall notice

In August 2016, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of about 15,200 units of the Whirlpool brand over-the-range microwave ovens because internal arcing during use can ignite an internal plastic component, posing a fire hazard. See the CPSC recall notice for more details.

http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2016/Whirlpool-Recalls-Microwaves/

This standard 30" wide Whirlpool 2.0 cubic-foot 1000-watt microwave oven has the following:

a sensor
auto-defrost
touchpad controls.
a wire rack for bi-level cooking.

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CR Expert Take

How did it perform in our owner surveys and expert lab testing?

Overall Score

The Overall Score for this model incorporates our expert lab test results, as well as ratings for that brand’s reliability and owner satisfaction from our annual product owner survey of members.

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Current Range of Tested Over-the-Range Microwave Ovens

What goes into the Overall Score?

OWNER SURVEYS

Learn More

Heating evenness

/ 5

Defrosting evenness

/ 5

Speed of heating

/ 5

Microwaving noise

/ 5

Ease of use

/ 5

Venting (air flow)

/ 5

Color

/ 5

Claimed capacity (cu. ft.)

/ 5

Usable capacity (cu. ft.)

/ 5

Detailed Test Results

Heating Evenness: This model performed very good in our heat evenness test consisting of reheating a bowl of mashed potatoes.
Auto Defrost: This model performed excellent in our defrosting test consisting of thawing a pound of frozen ground beef.

About

The Whirlpool WMH53520CS is part of the Microwave Ovens test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, Over-the-Range Microwave Ovens models like the WMH53520CS are rated on multiple criteria, such as those listed below.

Heating evenness: This reflects how evenly a model reheated a dish of cold mashed potatoes.

Defrosting evenness: This is based on how well the automatic-defrost program defrosted one pound of frozen ground chuck.

Speed of heating: This score is based on the temperature rise of water heated in the microwave.

Brand Reliability & Satisfaction

#? in Reliability of all Over-the-Range Microwave Oven Brands

Did the brand perform consistently well over time?

PREDICTED RELIABILITY SCORE

/ 100

Predicted brand reliability scores are based on the likelihood of newly purchased over-the-range microwaves experiencing a problem, adjusted for extended warranty or service contract status and product usage, by the end of the 5th year of ownership. Higher scores mean better reliability. Ranked #? of 22

Would our members recommend this brand?

OWNER SATISFACTION SCORE

/ 100

Brand owner satisfaction scores are based on how likely owners are to recommend their over-the-range microwave oven to their friends and family. Ranked #? of 22

Source: Consumer Reports' 2022, 2023, and 2024 Spring Surveys

Features & Specs

Features

Convection mode

Sensor

Yes

Stainless/SS-look option

Yes

Speed-cook mode

Grill

Racks for bi-level cooking

Yes

Air Fry Setting

Specs

Watts

1000

Detailed prompts

Yes

Type

Over-the-range microwave

Control type

Door-Open Method

Handle

Touchpad/Dial

Touchpad

Turntable size (in.)

Power level display/recall

Yes

Turntable diameter (in.)

14.0

Whirlpool WMH53520CS

CR Expert Take

Overall Score

What goes into the Overall Score?

Detailed Test Results

About

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