Class Action Says Viking Refrigerator Doors are ‘Hazardous’

A class action lawsuit has been filed by two New Jersey couples against Viking Range, LLC for allegedly selling defective refrigerators even after the company was aware of the defects.

The Viking Range class action lawsuit was filed on Nov. 27 by Ronald and Suzzanne Piemonte and Marrianne and William Willis, who both owned the same Viking refrigerator with a bottom freezer, Serial No. VCBB363, which has been the subject of two recalls due to problems with the door hinge support mechanism.

The recalls involved several Viking refrigerator models including “side-by-side refrigerator/freezers and built-in 36 inch wide refrigerators with bottom freezers manufactured between July 1999 and April 2006.

According to the class action lawsuit, the refrigerators had a “defective door hinge [that] was reported to loosen, thereby allowing the refrigerator door to sag and separate from the unit.”

Viking said there were 57 cases of doors that had detached from the refrigerator and four injuries, as a result.

The first Viking refrigerator recall was announced on June 16, 2009 concerning 45,000 units. Another recall was announced on July 25, 2013 concerning 31,000 Viking refrigerators sold from Nov. 1, 2005 through Aug. 10, 2012.

“These refrigerators posed an injury hazard to consumers due to the weld securing the pin to the pivot plate on the door breaking, causing the door to detach from the refrigerator and creating a risk of impact injury or fall,” the class action lawsuit explains.

Since the first recall, there were 39 more reports of falling refrigerator doors. Twelve of the injuries were fractures, bruises, strains and cuts. Twenty-five caused minor property damage.

Plaintiffs Allege Serious Injuries

The Piemontes purchased their Viking refrigerator with a bottom freezer in June 2002 from Oberg & Lindquist Corp., one of the defendants named in the class action lawsuit. In March 2011, they had the refrigerator repaired because it was not working properly. They called Viking to get the name and number of an authorized repairman in their area.

They were referred to United Refrigeration, also named in the class action lawsuit, which did the repairs and rebuilt the motor.

The Piemontes allege they were made aware of a 2009 recall of their refrigerator when the United repairman asked if they had the repair done. The Piemontes had no knowledge of the 2009 Viking recall until then, they claim.

United Refrigeration allegedly told the Piemontes to register the refrigerator with Viking and contact Morris County Appliance Repair, the company authorized to do the recall repairs. United Refrigeration registered the Piemontes refrigerator on their behalf, and the repair was done shortly after, according to the class action lawsuit.

On July 7, 2013, Mrs. Piemonte was opening her refrigerator when “she heard a cracking noise and immediately saw the refrigerator door falling toward her.”

According to the class action lawsuit, the refrigerator door ended up on top of her, and she was surrounded by glass from items that fell from the door and shattered on the floor. The door had completely come off the hinge.

The class action lawsuit claims she did not go to the doctor initially because she did not think she had any broken bones. However, she woke up early the next day with a throbbing headache, a ringing in her right ear, numb and cold feet, bruises on her arms and legs, pain in her lower back, and bruises on her face, as well.

Mr. Piemonte took his wife to the Morristown Memorial Hospital Emergency Room. It was confirmed that she had not broken any bones, but that her current health problems were exacerbated by the experience.

Viking was contacted on the same day to notify the company of the accident.

The Willises purchased the same Viking refrigerator with a bottom freezer in 2003 from Littell’s Appliance. The Willis’ were notified of the recall in 2009 and had their refrigerator repaired. However, they were not notified of the second recall, and began to contact Viking to find out if their refrigerator needed another repair. They left several messages and have still not received a call back, the class action lawsuit claims. Yet, they allege that “the defective refrigerator remains in their kitchen.”

Class Action Lawsuit Allegations

Viking is being charged with violating the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, strict products liability, breach of express and implied warranty, negligence, and loss of consortium, on behalf of the spouses whose husbands or wives were injured.

Plaintiffs are asking for compensatory, statutory and other damages that are deemed appropriate.

The plaintiffs are represented by Kevin E. Barber of Niedweske Barber Hager, LLC.

The Viking Refrigerator Class Action Lawsuit is Ronald J. Pemonte, et al. v. Viking Range, LLC, et al., Case No. L-3145-13 in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Morris County.