I would contact the manufacturer and see if they have any suggestions or if the warranty would cover the issue and replace your new range.

The first time I owned a self-cleaning oven (14-years ago) and ran it - was also the LAST time. What a toxic mess and total waste of energy. We had to open all the windows and leave the house it was so toxic. My sister-in-law runs her self-cleaning feature at least once a month, and it wouldn't surprise me that all those toxins haven't affected her somehow.....

When we replaced our stove (2014) I got one that has a feature called AquaLift - which uses less heat and water to clean the oven. I still haven't used the self-cleaning feature because I can clean it the old-fashioned way - as-needed, and I use my Sharp Convection/Microwave and solar ovens far more than the Maytag oven. I figure an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure - so I avoid making a mess to begin with, and I clean it a.s.a.p. by-hand if there is anything on the oven surface. A Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Sponge will generally do the job.

You can read about the AquaLift feature at this link to Consumer Reports as an alternative to the more common high-heat oven cleaning feature- http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2012/06/does-maytag-s-low-heat-self-cleaning-oven-get-the-job-done/index.htm  

-Grainlady

Thank you Grainlady. I agree, I probably will never use that "Self Clean" feature again - it did indeed smell very toxic all over our 2 story home. Ugh! I'll try to talk to GE but doubt I will get anywhere there. Will definitely stay on top of splatters from now on and will try your Magic sponge. Thank you!

I have had electricians and installers advise not to use the self-cleaning function of an oven. They have stated that it wears out the oven quickly and causes many problems. With the Easy Off oven cleaner for self-cleaning ovens, it is really easy to clean the oven quickly and well.

My new oven has a steam clean feature. Which is basically a shallow well on the bottom where you pour water and then turn on the oven at 500 for 20 minutes and then wipe off the junk and the excess water. I would think you could accomplish the same thing with water and a shallow baking dish.

Your oven is still under warranty, I would call and complain.

I set the oven on self clean about 2 times a year, but I don't really bake anything messy in it very often. I agree, the smell is horrendous, you need to do it on a nice day so you can open up all the windows to air it out. I've noticed that the Easy Off type oven cleaners are becoming harder to find, who buys an oven today that is not self cleaning? A few years back, they made an oven cleaning pad, it was filled with cleaning product, you pierced the pad, rubbed it on and let it set up, just like the spray on types. It was much better, less fumes than spraying but I haven't seen it available so I assume they no longer make it. I like d_gw's steam cleaning suggestion, although my oven doesn't have the steam clean feature, I'll try it with a baking pan filled with water.

I have the aqualiftsystem and it is useless. It does not use a high enough temperature to create steam and you end up cleaning your oven the old fashioned way anyway. With my original self clean oven you could select how long you wanted the feature to run. If you were a little careful you could run it at the high temp for an hour once in a while and the electricity use was not such an issue and there would be little mess to clean and the fumes were minor. Miss my old oven!

Traditional self cleaning ovens work by just getting the interior to a really high temperature, essentially burning off whatever spills and splatters are in there. The times I've used a self cleaning oven makes the house smell and leaves an ashy residue in the oven. I just wipe out the ash with a little soap and water on a damp towel. Is it perfect, nope but I'm not that worried about what the inside of my oven looks like.

I don't know that using the self clean function would "wear out" an oven but certainly the high temperatures can be damaging to electronics which are far more common in modern ovens. Unfortunately, manufacturers seems to be more worried about building pretty ovens with lots of bells and whistles, rather an appliances that last. So they might skimp on 3¢ worth of extra insulation to protect the electronics.

I just cleaned my LG self-cleaning oven after about 3 years of use. I used the Easy-Off spray for self-cleaning ovens. I warmed up the oven to about 150 degrees, turned it off, sprayed it well, and went to bed. Two days before, I put all my oven racks in a plastic garbage bag and sprayed them well with Easy Off. I set them outside in the sun for two days. I got up the next morning and wiped out the oven with just warm water and a sponge. The Easy Off took off ALL the spatters and even cleaned the baked on grease off the oven window. I turned the oven on to about 400 to get rid of any lingering smell and left it while I went outside to hose off the oven racks. They were shiny clean and with no scrubbing at all. My oven looks like it did when it was brand new and it was the easiest oven cleaning I ever did.

I double checked the GE oven manual and it says to not use any self cleaning products. To self clean they say to either use soap and water or vinegar and water. I like the idea of using the Easy-Off for self-cleaning. I don't think I will ever turn the oven one on again! Really appreciate everyone's help.