Anne Bucher  |  August 15, 2017

Category: Consumer News

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Man taking food from refrigeratorLast week, LG Electronics USA Inc. was hit with a class action lawsuit alleging some of its refrigerators have a defect that causes widespread compressor failure.

LG refrigerators contain a compressor defect that allegedly renders the refrigerator unable to keep food contents cold. According to the LG refrigerator class action lawsuit, the compressor failure may be caused by a failure in the ice maker and/or fan.

“LG promised consumers that its Refrigerators would give them ‘peace of mind’ and be long-lasting,” plaintiffs Robert Montanye, Jason Saber, Jim and Jeni Oney, and Kelley Haggard allege in the LG refrigerator class action lawsuit.

However, they claim that a defect in the refrigerator compressors causes the refrigerators to fail prematurely, causing consumers to be faced with spoiled food and damage to their kitchens due to water leaking from the refrigerator.

“These food losses can cost hundreds of dollars or more for consumers,” the LG refrigerator class action lawsuit alleges. “Incidental damages, e.g. damage to warping of wood floorboard trim and hardwood floors due to leaking water, cost even more.”

When consumers call LG for repairs, the repairs allegedly fail repeatedly and the customers are required to pay for labor costs each time a repair is attempted, the LG class action lawsuit alleges. The large number of compressor failures related to the LG refrigerator defect has allegedly resulted in a backlog of replacement compressors, forcing consumers to wait a long time—sometimes more than a month—for repairs.

According to the LG refrigerator compressor defect class action lawsuit, the compressor defect typically manifests within the first two to four years in the life of the refrigerator. Although the defect manifests early in the useful life of the refrigerator, LG’s limited warranty reportedly does not cover the labor costs beyond the first year for compressor replacements. Therefore, consumers often have to pay for all of the costs.

Labor costs for compressor repairs and replacement often cost more than $500, the plaintiffs allege in the LG class action lawsuit. They claim that thousands of consumer complaints about the LG refrigerator defect have been posted online, many of which can be viewed on LG’s website.

The plaintiffs allege that LG knew of the compressor defect in the refrigerators but failed to disclose it to consumers in order to increase their refrigerator sales.

“LG had a duty to disclose the Compressor Defect based upon its exclusive knowledge of the Compressor Defect – a material fact that, had it been disclosed to consumers (including Plaintiffs), would have resulted in consumers not purchasing their Class Refrigerators,” the LG class action lawsuit states.

The LG class action lawsuit seeks to certify a nationwide Class, New Jersey Class, New York Class, Texas Class and Utah Class of consumers who purchased an LG refrigerator with the alleged compressor defect. The plaintiffs assert claims for violations of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, breach of express warranty, breach of the implied warranty of merchantability, unjust enrichment, and other consumer protection statutes.

Last month, a California woman filed a class action lawsuit alleging LG refrigerators have defective temperature control systems that cause food to spoil and ice to melt.

The plaintiffs are represented by Benjamin F. Johns, Alison G. Gushue and Andrew W. Ferich of Chimicles & Tikellis LLP.

The LG Refrigerator Compressor Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Robert Montanye, et al. v. LG Electronics USA Inc., Case No. 2:17-cv-05882, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

UPDATE: The LG Refrigerator Compressor Defect Class Action Lawsuit was dismissed on March 29, 2018.  Top Class Actions will let our viewers know if any new lawsuits with this complaint are filed.

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882 thoughts onLG Class Action Says Compressor Defect Causes Refrigerator Failure

  1. Sarah says:

    Unfortunately bought an LG refrigerator February 2021. Compressor stopped working May 29, 2021. Had to throw out everything. Been working out of a cooler. Home Depot says call LG. After several phone calls only A&E will service my refrigerator. Last week A&E replaced the motherboard, technician said that was the problem. After 26 hrs refrigerator was still sitting at 80 degrees inside, not cooling. Now A&E won’t come back out until they get paid from LG for the motherboard replacement. Frustrating!,,,,,

  2. Brenda Kimble says:

    Our LG LFX33975ST just went out this past Thursday or Friday noticed Friday. Spent hours upon hours on phone with many repair places and LG. It seems it is the compressor. I will not have a technician until 7/2/2021 to 100% confirm. What does one do with out a refrigerator that freaking long??

    1. Steven Suarez says:

      Buy an old used one off of your local market. $100-$200 will get you one you can put in a garage or outside afterward.

    2. Laura Woodberry says:

      We bought a new house April 30th. June 2nd we had a warm refrigerator and puddles on the floor. Home warranty covered it and he replaced the evaporator fan and sensor pack.
      Now June 23rd we come home to puddles and another fridge/freezer full of ruined food. This time it’s the compressor.

    3. Joan says:

      Well there sure seems to be a pattern here with the LGs. Bought mine in 2017 and got back from a vacation June 24 2021 to the refrigerator no longer working. Had to throw out all of the food.
      I am buying a small Whirlpool refrigerator for the basement which we will use until we can find a reliable refrigerator to replace the 4 year old LG.
      Tough lesson learned I guess. Will buy from local mom and pop appliance store who stands by their products and does the repairs if needed.

    4. Joan says:

      We just had an LG repairman fix our 4 yr old refrigerator today (7/8/2021). We arranged this through the phone number found on the refrigerator door. LG gave us a complimentary warranty for this repair so there was absolutely no cost to us. Time will tell how long this new compressor will last, but the repairman says he has not had any issues with the new compressor once installed.
      If the repair lasts another 4-5 years then I guess our faith will have been restored in LG.

    5. Joan says:

      well I have to take back my ‘positive’ response from a few hours ago on the repair of my LG refrigerator.
      it has been 6 hours since the service guy replaced the compressor.
      the refrigerator is totally not working at all.
      now we are back to square one……calling both the service guy and LG again.
      so disappointing.
      only good thing is this is not costing us anything for the attempts to repair.
      still hoping it will be fixed so we do not need to buy a whole new refrigerator
      but if we do need to replace the refrigerator……it will NOT be with an LG after this experience.

    6. Joan says:

      ok hopefully this will be my last comment…..our refrigerator has finally been successfully repaired. The LG repairman came a second time and replaced the condenser (the previous day he had replaced the compressor). It seems we have success as our refrigerator is now working properly. Fingers crossed it will continue to work for a good long time.

      1. Pat says:

        Keep an eye on it – we replaced the compressor and condenser about 4 weeks ago – 2 weeks ago it broke down again. New compressor coming.

  3. Darrel L says:

    Bought an LG in 2017, started to have cooling issues in 2021. Was able to get an appointment within a week, and today it just got the compressor and upper evaporator coil replaced. Tech said it was a leak, and the compressor replacement was just a courtesy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ He promised I wouldn’t need to repair the fridge again. Fingers crossed since there’s only 1 year left in the fully covered warranty. Overall experience with customer support and the repair was positive, but I still wish it didn’t break in the first place.

    1. Allan says:

      Darrel L,

      That sounds familiar we’re experiencing the same problems with our LG refrigerator. I called Home Depot because I had a 5 year warranty and LG customer service and a now waiting for a technician to arrive in a week or so. Fingers crossed that they can fix or replace. My question is Will there be an additional warranty???

  4. Nancy Vankeulen says:

    My LG compressor went out mid April. The help number inside the fridge, 800-243-0000 appears to be fraud as they all appear to be from another country but have American names. There was a rooster crowing in the background on one call. They said they provided repairman a letter of authorization on 4/23/21 but didn’t. Now (May 3rd) they say their system is down for an upgrade and no ETA. I also called 866-558-2559 and on hold 36 minutes then disconnected. On hold again and no one ever picks up. This is a joke. How do we hold LG accountable?

    1. John says:

      we purchased our Kenmore elite from Sears in 2015 same issue with compressor went bad not once but twice in 2 years–Sears after numerous calls replaced in 2017 with a new fridge but would only replace with same–4 years later stopped cooling again–luckily when we moved we decided to get a home warranty to avoid any labor cost from past issues–tech from warranty company pretty much said LG is a POS

    2. Wendy says:

      My repairman says this is their strategy to keep putting customer off. Evidently some class action suit resulting in them having to make warranyt 5 years. But they make it very didficult. In Nov 2020, I spent about 12 HOURS on the phone calls trying to make them repair. They finally did. It failed in May. They have a acted horribly. They double-talk, and lie. They phrase things very shrewedly. I am just fed up, which is what they want. I will buy a new fridge. But I will not buy from big box store. Home Depot did NOTHING. The compressor is under warranty. They should have assisted. I will buy from independent business who will service what they sell.

    3. Carlos Rodriguez says:

      i very sorry that you love to buy Korea made trash, i live in the USA i buy American made products, i have a Whirlpool refrigerator purchase on 1998 it still work, remember buy American made products.

      1. Paul Rawlings says:

        I hate to tell you this, but LG and all the companies that claim to be made in America get most if not all their parts from China. They may be assembled in the US, but the reliability is largely determined by the quality of the parts and design. LG has a problem with their compressor design. The compressors are built in China, but who knows where they are designed. LG is a Korean company, but they probably do assembly in the US. I had problems with a Kitchenaid dishwasher assembled in the US. The motors only last two years and it takes 90 days or more to get a replacement because they come from China. We are almost totally dependent on China for any thing that requires manufacturing

        1. Paul Rawlings says:

          Kitchenaid is made by Westinghouse.

        2. Marlene says:

          I purchased a French door bottom freezer in late November 2019. I didn’t install the unit until may of 2020 because I was rebuilding my home due to a flood. I called LG sep 2 because the less than two year old. fridge stopped dispensing ice a would not freeze water bottles for three days prior to my first call. They said it was a compressor problem and that someone would get back to me in 24 to 48 hrs about the repairs. NOT. I called again two days later and was told someone would contact me that same day! NOT it’s 7 days now: I call today yet again and no relief. Everything in the freezer lost 4 days ago and fridge hot today! Spoiled food, no refrigerator and no response from LG Really!

  5. John Ryda says:

    We spent $2600 for a Kenmore Elite fridge that has an LG compressor. It’s only 4 years old and both the freezer and fridge stopped cooling. The service guy was just out and said it would cost over $2,000 to rebuild the POS with no guarantee that the fix would last and his suggestion was to put it out in the trash!! It still looks brand new but doesn’t work worth a damn. Telling all my friends to never purchase an LG product – Never Ever Never!! Very painful experience.

    1. Carlos Rodriguez says:

      only American Appliance no Korea Trash

  6. MARGIE SHINN says:

    My LG comprsser has went out twice know. I have had to pay for my refrigerator to be repaired twice. I also have lost food. We have been without a refrigerator for several weeks and Big Sandy Super store says call LG and LG says call Big Sandy… can someone help me? I had no idea about the lawsuit that I apparently missed.

  7. POLOKO says:

    wHAT IS THE SUITABLE COMPRESSOER MODEL AND SIZE FOR THE LG GR-267EJF

  8. Robert LaRoche says:

    How do I file for a claim —

    1. Caterina Alessio says:

      Please let me know if you find a solution. My 4 year old kenmore pro suddenly needed a compressor replacement. Couldn’t get anyone from Sears. Had to call local tech. Charged me so much. He said this should have been covered by Sears

      1. Caterina Alessio says:

        Sears worst customer service. Had me on the phone listening to jazz music for mor then half hour. Finally she returned to give me a website so that I can file a claim for perished food. Website sucks!

    2. M Antonio says:

      I believe the Class Action Lawsuit against LG says they have to pay for parts and labor if fridge is less than 5 years old.

      Our LG fridge just went out again in less than five years. We’re supposed to have a service tech come out today (took 4 days to have them come) now they’re the place they contracted with said they might not come.

      This has been such a waste of time and spoiled food. I will never buy another LG product!

      I just went on Twitter and described my experience. They’re foolish as they’re being trashed on Social Media and rightfully so.

  9. David A Garcia says:

    I just ran into the same problem and was hoping to find some answers before calling LG. Sometime yesterday both sides of my fridge stopped working and I noticed water leaking in the early afternoon. Things were starting to spoil, ice cream melted all over the place, meat and other foods that were just purchased are more than likely lost.

  10. V .Rajendra prasad Suryapet district says:

    Lg refrigerator worest service side by side door
    Since 9months suffering

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