790.41 is a Kenmore built-in electric cooktop family sold roughly 2009-2014, built by Frigidaire — the 790 in the model number is the tell. This is the old-style surface: four exposed coil elements with separate knobs, not smooth glass.
These model numbers have been verified as belonging to the 790.41 family. Small variations exist inside a family — your exact model is what ties recalls, known issues and repair guidance to your machine.
Standard Warranty
1 Year — Varies by Product; Check Your Model
Model Match Confidence
Moderate
Ownership
How We See It
Living with a 790.41 is quiet, flat, dependable heat — the surface that asks only for a decent sponge. The coils lift up or come out entirely for cleaning, and drip bowls underneath catch spills. Coil elements are cheap and simple to replace yourself — one of the easiest fixes in the appliance world. Day to day, nonabrasive cleaning and decent cookware keep the glass and elements happy for years. Parts are easy to find; the repair itself usually routes through the brand's service network. Our data puts the ApplianceEdge Expected Lifespan at 16 years for this family. Treat that as the planning baseline, not the ceiling — well-maintained units regularly run past it.
ApplianceEdgeExpected Lifespan
16 yrsOur estimate for this family with normal use and basic care.
The ApplianceEdge Expected Lifespan is our editorial opinion, drawn from ownership patterns and market data. It is not a warranty, a prediction for your unit, or a substitute for an assessment of your machine’s actual condition.
Recall Information
No recalls on our record for this family. We watch official CPSC recall notices continuously to keep you protected — if anything ever changes, it will show up here.
Warranty Coverage
Standard full warranty
Typically 1 year — varies by product; check your model. Some components may carry longer coverage than the standard term — your warranty booklet or Kenmore can confirm for your exact model.
Coverage varies by year and region. Confirm yours with Kenmore against your exact model to be sure.
Recurring Issues to Watch For
No documented programs or service records are on file for this platform. These are common wear points for the category.
One cooking zone will not heat
Zone stays on high or will not regulate temperature
Cooktop is completely dead
Heat cycles erratically or the indicator does not match the zone
Glass top is cracked or has a deep chip
Touch controls do not respond or operate by themselves
Zone heats slowly or only part of the ring works
Cooktop makes a buzzing sound, smells hot, or shows scorch marks
Controls are loose, cracked, or hard to turn
Cooktop repeatedly trips the breaker
Maintenance Habits
Clean the glass after each use with a nonabrasive cooktop-safe method.
After every use — Residue repeatedly heated under cookware can become permanent and interfere with stable pan contact.
Do not slide rough cookware across the glass.
Every use — Dragging pans grinds trapped grit into the surface. Lifting cookware prevents cosmetic scratches and edge impact damage.
Remove sugary spills promptly and use only a designated low-angle scraper.
Immediately when the surface is safe to clean — Melted sugar can chemically bond to hot glass and leave permanent pits. Improvised blades and steel wool create scratches that cannot be repaired.
Habits like these tend to extend the useful life of the appliance. They are not a guarantee against failure.
Kenmore's service story is clearer than people expect: Sears Home Services still runs a national repair operation that knows these machines, and parts stay easy through the same channels as whoever built yours.
Kenmore repair runs through Sears Home Services — still a real, operating national fleet, booked online, by phone, or chat. Out of warranty there's a second path: the model number's prefix tells you who actually built your machine (Whirlpool, LG, Frigidaire, Bosch), and any tech who knows that builder can service it with the right parts.
Repair Economics
Most-Common Repair
$200–$550
Common Repair
Typical Range
$200–$550
$225–$600
$225–$800
$175–$475
$500–$1,400
$250–$750
$225–$575
$250–$750
$100–$425
$300–$900
Parts Availability
Parts Availability
Plentiful
AppliancePartsPros and Sears PartsDirect each resolve to model-specific purchasing catalogs for 790.41203903. Both are usable third-party purchasing channels for functional repair parts.
This platform is generally approachable for a confident DIYer. The repairs owners face most often here — , and — can typically be handled with basic tools and patience.
This page draws on the ApplianceEdge Registry — 2,640 appliance families connected to more than 18,200 verified models, independently researched. We don’t know everything about this family yet, and we won’t pretend to: finish records, filter and accessory cross-references, and warranty information for this platform are still being verified. We only publish what we can stand behind, and the gaps close as the Registry grows.
ApplianceEdge assessments — lifespans, repair values, and reliability notes — are our editorial opinions, built from documented third-party sources: owner reports, industry pricing data, manufacturer literature, and official records. They describe patterns across a product family, not any individual machine; your experience may differ. Recall information links directly to official CPSC notices. We accept no payment from manufacturers, and no brand influences what we publish.
ApplianceEdge is not currently compensated for referrals made through links on this site. Links to products, retailers, and service providers are provided for convenience only. Our recommendations are based on ownership experience, reliability considerations, serviceability, and household fit—not compensation. No manufacturer or retailer pays for placement or favorable coverage.
