A design defect in Samsung refrigerators causes the coils to freeze over, leaving the refrigerator unable to remain cold enough to keep food from spoiling, according to a class action lawsuit filed in New Jersey. The lawsuit estimates thousands of U.S. consumers have purchased the defective refrigerators since 2005, and that consumers have suffered hundreds of dollar in damages from lost groceries and repairs caused by the alleged defect.
According to the Samsung refrigerator class action lawsuit, “The refrigerators are designed and manufactured with heated coils that are intended to prevent excess frost from developing in the back of the machine. Instead of preventing frost, however, the coils allow frost and ice to build up in the refrigerators until the ice clogs and/or disables the machine’s fans, making it impossible for the fans to work to keep the machine cool.”
The alleged defect not only renders the refrigerators unusable, but also poses a safety risk to consumers because it leads to food spoilage and the risk of food-borne illnesses. Further enhancing consumers’ risk of illness is the fact that many of the refrigerators falsely display on the exterior temperature reader that the inside of the fridge is at a standard cool temperature.
The class action lawsuit alleges the defect exists in all three varieties of refrigerators Samsung manufactures, including its French door, side-by-side and bottom freezer varieties, and the model numbers:
- RF266AASH
- RS263BBWP
- RB1955SH
- RS2533SW
- RS267LASH
- RS267TDRS
- RS2630WW
The lawsuit further charges that “Samsung sold and serviced the refrigerators even though it knew, or was reckless in not knowing, that the refrigerators were defectively designed, would fail prematurely, and would ultimately result in [class members’] inability to use their refrigerators for their intended purpose.”
This is the second class action lawsuit filed in two months over defective refrigerators causing food spoilage. A class action lawsuit filed in July alleges LG’s French door refrigerator models contain a defect that causes the interior light to stay on after the doors are closed, resulting in overheating, food spoilage, melted plastic and fire hazard.
The Samsung refrigerator class action lawsuit is seeking damages, restitution and other awards for class members. A copy of the lawsuit can be read here.
UPDATE: On September 3, 2015, the Samsung refrigerator class action lawsuit was dismissed.
865 thoughts onSamsung Refrigerator Class Action Lawsuit
Our Samsung refrigerator quit making ice. That was the only issue. Since we had a home warranty, we called the home warranty company, and a repair technician from Sears came out, determined the problem, and ordered the part it needed. He returned in about a week, installed the part. Everything worked fine for about a week. No one was home the weekend of December 8-9, when the icemaker flooded the entire first floor and basement. The refrigerator has never leaked before. The water damage caused the floor to buckle and will cost $9,000 – 11,000 to repair, replace and clean. We reported the damage to the Home Warranty Company, who reported it to Sedgwick, who carried the liabilty insurance for the Sears technician. I was told to provide photographs of the damage and to get repair estimates. I submitted about 20 photographs and two estimates. This process dragged on from May until early October, when I was informed the claim had been denied because (1) the refrigerator had not been purchased from Sear and (2) because Sears said the part had failed and any damages was the responsibility of the manufacturer. I appealed the decision and about two weeks later received the same decision. I was told to contact Samsung. What are my options?