The Whirlpool Corp. is facing a new class action lawsuit filed against it by a customer from Illinois who says a dishwasher defect, which the company refuses to correct, has damaged his home.
Complaints about the diverter shaft seal, which comes installed in several of Whirlpool’s brands and models, have been made for at least the last several years, but the company has done nothing to change the design, issue a recall or extend the warranty, the class action lawsuit says.
Among the brands that have the allegedly faulty diverter shaft seal are Whirlpool, Whirlpool Gold, KitchenAid, JennAir, Maytag and Kenmore.
“Since at least 2015, as part of its marketing campaign, Whirlpool has boasted to consumers about the durability of these ‘high-quality’ dishwashers, claiming that ‘No One Has Fewer Repairs 18 Years in a Row,’” the class action lawsuit says. “However, Whirlpool designed, manufactured, distributed, marketed, and sold the dishwashers with a uniform defect that can and has caused [them] to leak and damage consumers’ cabinetry, flooring and other property.”
Lead plaintiff Christopher Redmon says he purchased a KitchenAid dishwasher in 2017 for $799, and in June of this year it began to leak, sending water running across the kitchen floor and pooling under his kitchen island.
“When Mr. Redmon inspected the dishwasher, he discovered that the water had soaked the insulation, caused rust and corrosion underneath the dishwasher, and discolored the grout of the ceramic flooring below,” his class action lawsuit says.
Lawyers for Redmon say Whirlpool has to have known about the dishwasher defect that caused the leak in Redmon’s home because customers have been complaining about the same malfunction online for at least eight years.
The class action lawsuit contains numerous citations of posted complaints on websites, including AppliancePartsPros.com and Shopyourway.com. But Whirlpool has continued to manufacture the dishwashers with the defective seal assembly and, rather than recall it or extend the product warranty, sells replacement kits for owners to do repair it themselves, Redmon claims.
The core of the dishwasher defect problem, according to the class action lawsuit, is the appliance’s pump motor diverter shaft seal is “oriented incorrectly.” The seal is part of the dishwasher’s sump assembly, which is housed at the bottom of the tub and collects and disperses water during a wash.
The way the dishwashers are manufactured exposes the seal to hot, soapy water, which degrades the seal over time and leads to increasing leakage, the class action lawsuit claims.
Whirlpool, Redmon claims, refuses to replace or repair the defective dishwashers “and instead offers to sell a full sump assembly with a new diverter shaft seal attached to it to the customer.” The cost of the replacement kit is between $60 and $75, but the cost to have it installed by a professional costs about $200, Redmon says. Those costs are left to the customer to pay, the class action lawsuit says.
Redmon is seeking the court’s approval to pursue the case as a class action lawsuit. Though he does not specify how many potential Class Members could join the litigation, he claims thousands would be eligible. The Class would be limited to customers who purchased one of the dishwashers in Illinois.
The class action complaint accuses the Whirlpool Corp. of breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, violations of the Illinois state consumer fraud and deceptive trade practices law, negligence and fraudulent concealment.
Do you have a Whirlpool, KitchenAid, JennAir, Maytag or Kenmore dishwasher that’s had a faulty diverter shaft seal? Has the leaky seal caused damage to the flooring or cabinetry in your kitchen? Tell us about it in the comment section below.
Lead plaintiff Redmon and the proposed Class Members are represented by Edward A. Wallace and Tyler J. Story of Wexler Wallace LLP; Gregory F. Coleman and Rachel Soffin of Greg Coleman Law PC; and Harper T. Segui and Daniel K. Bryson of Whitfield Bryson LLP.
The Dishwasher Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Christopher Redmon, et al. v. Whirlpool Corp., et al., Case No. 1:20-cv-06626, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
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48 thoughts onWhirlpool Slapped With Class Action Lawsuit Over Dishwasher Defect
Whirlpool model WDT710PAHZ1, manufactured 2017, likely purchased in Kentucky, but the dishwasher came with the purchase of our home so no receipt. Our diverter seal also failed, causing a slow leak. I’m glad I found these class action lawsuits so I could purchase a Bosch instead of repairing the Whirlpool.
My dishwasher also a Whirlpool less than 6 years old, cost over $600. is leaking and needs repair.
First and foremost, I put forth the this statement to the monitors of this forum, thanks for deleting my genuine, authentic, sincere, and carefully considered engineering opinion of replies and comments, NOT! If you are only retaining the comments and replies from non-design engineers that do agree with or buy-in to your agenda, then your forum, is nothing short of a joke, just like the plaintiff’s unsubstantiated class cause of action against whirlpool. Is this forum meant to be a echo chamber of myths, fables, and untruths?! If it were substantiated and factual, then a class action claim would be warranted but the subject class action is meritless! Prove the contrary, please. If the plaintiff can prove its position using a control, significant sample size, material science, credible engineering, and statistics, then my position will immediately change to support the legal action. Whirlpool may just settle to rid itself of this nuisance claim, where the actuaries will calculate the shake-down amount, consider it part of the cost of doing business, and move on to continue to manufacture pretty good products in aggregate. They would not be as successful as they are if they were churning out defective products. Consumer choice demands their products, otherwise, GE, LG, Samsung etc. would have all that market share. God bless America and Whirlpool.
You know my dishwasher came from Mexico so I don’t think you know what you are talking about and my GE is made in good old Kentucky get your facts straight
Model # W10632081A
After the first year it started pouring water across my floor. I shut the water to the dishwasher off. I have not used it since.
W10632081A live in fla have had this happen with water all running on floor. I don’t use dishwasher that often didn’t no why it leaked but stopped using for this reason
I have the same one and it started to leak a year after I bought it. I shut the water to it off and haven’t used it since.
I would like to know more
Please add me. I have extensive water damage to cupboards and whole subfloor is rotted. It was leaking for some time and I didn’t know it. Whole kitchen has to be gutted, black mold everywhere.
Yes, me too!
Model: WDF760SADM1
SN: F50604421
5 Years Old
I’ve replaced seals on the door and it did not stop leaking. I checked the connection from the intake and it’s wet. It I don’t know if it’s the pump or anything else besides that. If there’s some kind of recall on this stuff, I’d like to know. This appliance isn’t old and it should be causing these problems already.
Off topic, we bought the whole set for our kitchen and the ice maker in our fridge has had to be replaced already too. I know when it’s time to replace our applicable system I won’t be buying anything by this company. They make cheaply made garbage.
The seal on the inside of the diverter shaft is the main cause of the leak not the one that’s pressed into the sump. The internal shaft seal is not secure and will fall out of place causing motor damage and structural damage to your kitchen.
Whirlpool Model WDT720PADM2 needs to be added as well. We have spent quite a bit trying to get the leaking to stop. Replaced the seal, spinning arm, pump and service calls. I’m done! It pours water out the front during certain times of cleaning.