I'm sorry your malfunctioning toaster is making you feel like burnt toast - I couldn't resist lol. Have you changed the crumbs on the bottom - sometimes a lot of crumbs build up, so you have to take it over to the garbage and open that door and tap out the crumbs. It you haven't had it long, maybe take it back to the store. Maybe the number is accidentally turned too high. I hate it when I burn my toast - sometimes its not toasted enough and I'll push it down forgetting to push reheat and I burn it. Have you ever tried to scrape off the burnt part because you don't want to waste the bread - I have. If you've tried everything, treat yourself to a nice new one and have a 'rage quit' as my teenage daughter would say and throw the old one on the driveway.