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Sears class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Four plaintiffs have filed a class action lawsuit against Transformco, which owns Sears Roebuck & Co.
- Why: Transformco continues to sell Kenmore refrigerators even though it allegedly knows that they have defective linear compressors that cause them to fail prematurely.
- Where: The Kenmore refrigerators class action lawsuit was filed in Illinois federal court.
Certain Kenmore refrigerators have a defective linear compressor that causes them to fail before their promised 10-year life expectancy, a Sears class action lawsuit alleges.
These allegedly defective Kenmore refrigerators “pose unreasonable risks of property damage and personal injury via food-borne illness during normal use,” according to the 54-page complaint.
Plaintiffs James Cristofoletti, Caroline Hatchett, Anthony Latuja, and Dean Nicosia filed the Sears class action lawsuit Mar. 2 against plaintiff Transform SR Brands LLC (Transformco), which owns Sears Roebuck & Co. and the Kenmore brand.
They claim that Transformco has known about the linear compressor defect in the Kenmore refrigerators for several years, but continued to misleadingly advertise the products as reliable.
Linear compressor is critical component in Kenmore refrigerators, Sears class action explains
The Sears class action lawsuit explains that the compressor is a critical component to the operation of a refrigerator and its ability to maintain cool temperatures.
The plaintiffs allege that there are two causes of the linear compressor defect. First, they say that the tubing of the compressor evaporator is prone to corrosion, which can eventually create pinholes through which refrigerant can enter the tubing, putting excess pressure on the compressor and causing it to fail.
Second, the Sears class action lawsuit says the defective compressors have a discharge valve that is weak and prone to fail even with ordinary use.
The allegedly defective linear compressor, which is manufactured by LG Electronics, are found in the following Kenmore refrigerators models: 72372, 72373, 72379, 72482, 72483, 72489, 73055, 73105, 74012, 74012, 74013, 74013, 74015, 74019, 74022, 74023, 74023, 74024, 74025, 74029, 74032, 74033, 74039, 74042, 74043, 74049, 74053, 74063, 75049, 79983, and 79993.
Replacement compressors fail prematurely in Kenmore refrigerators, plaintiffs say
LG reportedly distributes a replacement compressor for these Kenmore refrigerators, but these replacements routinely fail before the industry standard of 10 years, the plaintiffs say.
According to the Sears class action lawsuit, the Kenmore refrigerators come with a one-year express manufacturer’s warranty and a 10-year express manufacturer’s warranty for the linear compressor.
The plaintiffs say that Transformco should have been aware of the compressor defect in Kenmore refrigerators because of numerous consumer complaints. They also note that there have been two class action lawsuits filed over the alleged LG compressor defect, both of which resulted in settlements that excluded Kenmore refrigerators.
However, Transformco allegedly failed to notify consumers about the defect and continued to sell the allegedly defective Kenmore refrigerators.
The Sears class action lawsuit asserts claims for breach of implied warranty of merchantability, violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and violation of various state consumer protection laws.
Last year, a similar Kenmore refrigerators defect class action lawsuit was dismissed.
Did you purchase one of the allegedly defective Kenmore refrigerators? Tell us about your experience in the comments!
The plaintiffs are represented by Jason L. Lichtman, Jonathan D. Selbin, Andrew Kaufman, John T. Nicolaou, and Margaret J. Mattes of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP, and Joseph S. Tusa of Tusa PC.
The Kenmore refrigerators class action lawsuit is James Cristofoletti, et al. v. Transform SR Brands LLC, Case No. 1:23-cv-01318, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
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166 thoughts onSears class action claims Kenmore refrigerators failed before warranty expired
We are having the same issue. Purchased a Kenmore Elite from Sears in 2018, it went out 8 weeks ago. Called Sears, had them come out and it was the compressor. Ordered a new one, put it in. Still wouldn’t work. So far we have forked out $800 and still have a non working fridge and I have the feeling we will have to get a new fridge. Sears should reimburse their customers for selling lemons. How can we be part of the Lawsuit? Next service call is in 2 weeks!
Our Kenmore refrigerator stopped cooling after 3 years of service. Sears could send us a repairman in two weeks, and although the compressor would be covered, the labor is not. We got a local technician out who verified it was a compressor failure and suggested we would need to buy a new refrigerator because the replacement part would also be defective. We have ordered a new refrigerator for $2700 and have thrown out a lot of spoiled food. I would like to be a part of this lawsuit.
We purchased a Kenmore Elite in April 2019 stopped working in April. Had an independent appliance company immediately say it was the compressor. Call the 800 nbr on the book sent out 3 different times a technician that said compressor is warranted but not labor and would also need a motherboard. Cost to repair would be well over $900. Was told buy a new machine. I want to be a part of this class action suit.
Just had my Kenmore Elite model 795.74025.412 bought in June 2018 fail – can’t stay cool. Called the Kenmore number and they said “oh it’s most likely the compressor, that’s covered under the 10 yr warranty. And the filter dryer is still under the 5 yr warranty. So you’d only have to pay for labor”… tech came and stated it’s the compressor without even pulling it out and looking at it because it’s a “very well known issue with Kenmore Elite fridges”… going to be almost $600 for the labor since I luckily still had the receipt which they require to cover it (even though they have the purchase and delivery dates in the computer system). Please let me know how to sign up as a member for this Class Action Lawsuit!
Kenmore elite model has been a lemon from day one. Have had multiple service visits due to leaking and compressor needed replaced two times. Sears service plan a joke. Had to purchase home warranty for $600 more to supposedly get compressor covered. Loud sounds coming from it for past years. Please let me know what paperwork is needed to support case and include me in class action. Ty!
I bought a refidgerator 795.51867.611 in 2020 it broke down after not working I could get hold of service to come out warranty service is horrible all my food spoiled please add me we had to buy another one not from sears
Took delivery of a Kenmore side by side refrigerator in 6/2019. It stopped cooling 4/2023. Model 795.51867.611. Sears was not available on the weekend to schedule service or give guidance so contacted a technician on my own to come right out. The technician diagnosed compressor failure. After much time invested, finally reached someone at Sears and they are now making us wait 10 days to get another technician out to diagnose the problem and then order part. Getting through to someone at Sears customer service to assist is painstaking, timeframe for service is ridiculous and dealing with them has just become a horrible experience. This was the 5th full set of appliances we had purchased from Sears and is certainly the last purchase ever.
Same problem please include me.
Me more 79573053411
Just stopped cooking . I called sears repair they said it’s the compressor . I bought the fridge 2017 and now it’s out of warranty coverage .
I have to buy a new fridge or thst will cost me about $1600 to get it fixed !!!
The compressor has a 10 year warranty, you should be still covering for the part.
We purchased the Sears Kenmore Elite 3/18/18 for $2643.33. The compressor failed in January 2022. I contacted Sears at that time and they said that we would have to pay for repairs which we refused to set up an appointment. I contacted them a second time insisting that they have someone come out and repair at no cost to us and they just hung up on me. We called an appliance repair company not affiliated with Sears and they said it was the compressor and suggested that we not do the repair because the replacement compressor was the same LG part that was in the refrigerator to begin with and it would again fail. I don’t understand how they were allowed to continue selling refrigerators knowing that they would only last a few years. Sears used to sell great appliances but apparently got greedy and decided to take advantage of consumers. It should have been unlawful to continue selling refrigerators they knew would only last a few years. We had to purchase a new refrigerator. Sears and LG should be held responsible and refund consumers. This was an expense we had not planned on only owning the refrigerator less than 4 years.
I Have a Kenmore Elite 795.74077.610 YUP with LG FLB075LBNA Compressor a 4,500 Fridge With an LG Compressor! If I wanted to Buy an LG I Would have purchased an LG refrigerator! LG Life is Good! Not It’s Not Good Because My Compressor like 100s of thousands of other customers have Hundreds of dollars of food Spoiling and I am waiting for the service technician to come and Charge me Up to $1,000 to Replace my Defective LG compressor with another LG Defective Compressor! Maybe the Part is Covered but I paid for the Extended warranty 3 years and its lasted 3.5 years from manufacture date 2019 We should not have to pay anything for this! They should pay to replace all the Food we just bought 2 days ago! I find it rather disturbing that the one thing I needed a Fridge to do was keep my food Cold and now Sears says they offer a 90 day repair warrantee on the repair Service so Lets See now for $1000 dollars I can keep my food Cold for 90 days and then Pay another $1000 100 days from now once they install the New Defective parts? The LED Lights are working Nice and the Special Glass Door that you knock on it it Lights Up pretty but I need My Food To Be Cold would be a nice Feature WTF? is Wrong with these people?
YOUTUBE Videos and Service Techs tell the Story! InFix Appliances Repair Richmond TX This Compressor is DEFECTIVE Non Will Last over 4 years! Maybe next time I buy a 100.000 GM product I better Check under the Hood to make sure it doesn’t have a KIA engine? My Kenmore ELITE has an LG engine? I called Sears and they said to call LG, I called LG and they say to call Kenmore and Kenmore says Call Sears and Sears Says Call LG! This Junk is the responsibility of KENMORE to Fix this Problem FREE including Service fees! I’m Just a little pissed off! I’m Hungry and My Food is All waisted!