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UPDATE:
- This case was dismissed March 1, 2021.
A class action lawsuit claims LG Electronics top-loading washing machines have defects that cause the machine to stop in the middle of a wash cycle due to an “imbalanced load.”
Plaintiff Diana and Sherman Kroop claim they purchased an LG HE Top-Load Ultra Capacity Washing Machine, with model number WT4870CW from a Florida Home Depot in 2013.
They claim they started experiencing the “imbalanced load” error on their washing machine one year after purchasing the product. They also say that they contacted LG but were given the “proverbial runaround.”
The Kroops say LG told them that they never heard of the problem and explained the “proper” way to load the washing machine. However, the instructions they received from LG did not fix the error message, nor correct the imbalance defects.
The plaintiffs had to resort to using a laundromat because the defect became “unbearable” and incurred more than $27 in laundromat expenses because they could not use their washing machine, according to the LG class action lawsuit.
The Kroops also contacted Home Depot and were told to call Asurion, a warranty company, because they bought an extended warranty when they purchased the washing machine. Asurion reimbursed the couple for their out-of-pocket expenses but told the Kroops the company could not do anything about the imbalanced load defect.
The couple claims that LG still has not fixed the imbalance load defect. In fact, the Kroops say that during the week the LG class action lawsuit was filed, the washing machine could not complete a load consisting of two king-sized sheets, three pillowcases and a few towels.
“Consumers have reported that one load of laundry could take up to 5 to 6 hours due to the washing machine stopping the wash in the middle of a cycle numerous times,” the LG class action lawsuit alleges.
The class action lawsuit claims that LG has known about the “imbalanced load” defect since January 2012 when the company started receiving complaints from customers. In addition, LG issued a service bulletin to its dealers in February 2013 but the bulletins were not issued to the public, according to the plaintiffs.
Another service bulletin was distributed to dealers in February 2014 adding other LG models that were affected by the imbalance defect. Again, the bulletin was allegedly not distributed to the public.
The Kroops say LG updated the software in the washing machine in December 2013 to alleviate the problem, which would better identify the problem. Now, consumers were told to rebalance the load in the machine, rather than the product going directly into the spin cycle.
“LG knew, or was reckless in knowing, at or before the time it sold the first unit that the LG Washing Machines contained the Imbalance Defect. LG had sole and exclusive possession of this knowledge,” claims the LG class action lawsuit.
Do you own an LG Top Loading Washing Machine and experienced the imbalanced load defect? Leave a message in the comments section below.
The plaintiffs are represented by Joseph LoPicollo and John Poulos of Poulos LoPicollo PC and Bruce H. Nagel and Randee Matloff of Nagel Rice LLP.
The LG Imbalanced Load Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Kroop v. LG Electronics USA Inc., Case No. 2:20-cv-00625, in the U.S District Court for the District of New Jersey.
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322 thoughts onLG Class Action Alleges ‘Imbalanced Load’ Washer Defect
We are having this same issue with a washer we bought in Dec 2020…I have never had a washer go out this fast. I have spent already $500 in trying to repair it but I am about to give up. Will not buy LG washer again. All my other appliances are LG and so far they are doing great.
Why was this case against LG dismissed? These washers clearly have a defect which prevents them from performing the basic task of washing clothes, regardless of load size or clothing type. I have already replaced the drive assembly and the suspension rods with no discernible improvement. I have to “rebalance” the load multiple times during a wash cycle. A typical wash cycle requires 3 – 4 hours and uses more water than any machine I have ever owned. LG cannot claim this machine is high efficiency with regard to water use. I currently have 4 washer/dryer sets in use and the LG is the only machine that cannot complete a wash load inside of an hour. I never have to rebalance or adjust loads in the other machines, all of which are top loaders. LG’s lack of action to address this defect is truly negligent. No more LG products for this family.
It’s been a big lemon from day one. Wish I would have never bought it.
I have had the rebalance issues with my washer since the day I bought it. I had several repair men come and work on it but no one can fix it. It takes hour to do a load with stopping to try to redistribute clothes but still won’t work. I’m totally disappointed in LG for not standing by their product with all the complaints. Won’t buy another LG ever again.
I could go into all the details of owning this appliance but every other person has already described it accurately. Been doing laundry for decades without these issues until we purchased this washing machine in 2014, now I dread laundry day and all of our kids complain about it whenever they use it. We have to shut off the water to get it to complete a spin cycle, and even then it has to be babysat and forced to spin over and over as it errors out until we can put our clothes in the dryer. Who is responsible for all the wasted water, power, and time wasted in this lemon?
A month or so after purchasing this washer about 8 years ago, it started exhibiting the UE error. It quickly became unusable, stopping the cycle with the error even when empty. We fixed our old washer and used it when it became obvious that LG wasn’t going to repair this quickly. A week before the warranty expired, a service man finally came to fix it. He replaced the drain pump and didn’t test run the washer, as our old washer was still hooked up. Our old washer finally quit a few months ago. When we hooked up the LG washer it still had the same problem. We bought a Maytag. This washer still resides in our basement, sitting in a corner, and is used to stack clean clothes while folding them…
This thing has been driving me nuts. I have to stand over the washer and constantly redistribute the load to get it to finally finish the spin cycle. And that is after turning the machine off and on again to choose to “Spin Only”. It keeps wanting to fill the tub. I am not sure how it does it, but it actually intertwines the clothing to where you are pulling at one huge clump. I have to unwind the clothes to try to balance it and it still errors out (UE).
I have seen an online video where a man adds springs to the tub which seems to have resolved his. He also mentions oiling the shocks to get it to work properly. I have wanted to get another machine, but I shouldn’t have to this soon. This is unbelievably frustrating. No more LG for me.
Our washer has had this issue for years, going unbalanced when it seems to be operating fine, while finishing other times when it’s spinning terribly unbalanced. We received the runaround from LG, as everyone else has, and we’ve toughed it out, wasting an unknown amount of water (and time) in the process.
One thing I can say for sure, I’ll never buy another LG product; appliance, phone, television, etc… as long as I live. They can kick rocks.
Same story for me so after watching many many you tube diy fixes I’m going to replace the suspension rods along with the special damping grease and see if that works before giving this p.o.s. away
We have a LG model 5070 that we purchased in October of 2013, in 2015 the er messages started, I releveled the machine, and it still has problem with er. We can’t leave the house while clothes are washing because we never know when er code is going to affect the load.
Towels always have a problem completing wash cycle, always have to pull out towels and reload to rebalance. Washing jeans with light weight shirts also causes er problem. I don’t know how much water this machine has wasted to try to rebalance the load but it must be a lot.
The machine runs great but this rebalance problem is really annoying.
LG WT4870CW Top Load. Ran into the infamous UE/Ue problem 2-3 years after purchasing. After some research I purchased 4 new stabilizer rods but that didn’t help. Did a little more research and purchased a new “Electronic Control Board Assembly” with the updated software (14) installed. That fixed the problem for the most part. The washer is now approximately 7-8 years old, and the same problem started again. My wife and I are the only people using the machine. The easiest fix for LG would be to update the software and completely delete the balance load algorithms. The washer will not complete an empty load. Think about that, completely level machine with nothing but water in the tub reports and uneven load when in the spin cycle. LOL
They are probably using cheap parts on the control board causing premature failure.
Same problem. Takes forever for a simple load of laundry and can’t even use tub clean because it stops and goes to UE