You will find that nothing is simple any more when it comes to most appliances and microwaves in particular. In most micros some sort of complete disassembling involving the outside case is necessary and few people will be foolish enough to give you pointers. The seal says "No user beyond this point.... Qualified personnel only, blah, blah,blah.

Unless this is a very expensive unit, the service call repair cost is likely way beyond the cost effective choice of buying a new item.

That leaves one other choice: use it with no light for now.

Requiring a service call to change a simple light bulb is ludicrous. I'd pull the plug, pop the outer case off and have a look ... all the while being careful not to touch anything other than the cover screws and the bulb. There are some components that can retain a high-voltage charge even when disconnected from power.

Thanks guys. I called Sears and taked more to them because I was getting frustrated with this. Come to find out it's a hallogen bulb. The cost of a new bulb is 59.00 and that's not including the labor. Why in the world do they make a microwave where the bulb goes out so soon and then require service/repairman to fix at a very high cost? It makes no sense. I like the microwave, but will never buy another Kenmore. I just count it as a learning experience.

I'm microwaving in the dark. Only an idiot would pay $100.00+ to repair the light. This should have been an easy fix to the consumer but they have a racket going on it seems with a high cost fix requiring a repairman. That's just the craziest thing I've ever heard.

Also I attempted to fix it on my own but upon attempting to take the casing off I noticed they used special screws where you'd need special tools to unscrew. They got you every which way you turn.

They don't want you to be able to fix a simple light problem yourself. They have it rigged to where if you really want to replace a simple light, you need to pay them labor and high cost parts. Geez Sears. Definitely lessons learned. The unit is just over a year old. Unbelieveable.

I agree it should be easier to change the bulb but to be honest, would you really pay $60 for the bulb even if you could change it yourself? (By the way, that seems awfully high for the bulb - I bet you could find it cheaper elsewhere.) Most MW bulbs last a long time but you happened to be unlucky. These days, people don't pay to repair MWs - they've become disposable items.

One thing you could try, is to go to repairclinic.com. They not only sell parts, they also give free repair advice. They might be able to advise you on how to change the bulb yourself.

I just went to repairclinic.com to see what they say - for all microwaves they advise you not to open them up yourself - that you can still get an electrical shock even when the unit is unplugged. Oh well, at least your MW still works - you'll just have to microwave in the dark.

I have been using my Sharp microwave "in the dark" for months now since the light bulb burned out. When it first went out, I looked inside the oven to try to figure out how to replace it, but there was no obvious way to do so. I opened up the manual and was shocked to discover that it required a service call. The manual did, however, helpfully point out that I shouldn't worry because the light bulbs are designed to last for the life of the oven. (Note to microwave oven manual writers: if I'm reading the section on how to replace the light bulb, it's because the light bulb has not lasted for the life of the oven and needs to be replaced!)

I've had my Sharp Carrousel mw for 18 years now; guess that's ancient these days. Never anything wrong with it, and the light bulb is still lit. So it's certainly possible, just not profitable to install a long-lived bulb.

after using the microwave in the dark for a few months, one rainy day we decided to remove the globe and go to buy a new one.. power off, 8-10 screws removed, cover off and then screwdriver to remove the blown globe later... not able to buy easily !!!! found one online which I will order.
WHY WHY WHY is the globe not inside the microwave oven under a removable cover like most other microwaves ?
I will be wary of sharp next time I buy, and be checking where the light is