Whirlpool refrigerators class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Plaintiffs Stacy Costa, Nathaniel Guerrero and Missy Robinson filed a class action lawsuit against Whirlpool Corp.
- Why: Certain Whirlpool refrigerators allegedly have defective wires that can fray or break, causing a potential safety hazard.
- Where: The Whirlpool class action lawsuit was filed in Delaware federal court.
Whirlpool Corp. faces a class action lawsuit alleging it manufactured and sold Whirlpool refrigerators with defective wiring that can pose a safety hazard.
Plaintiffs Stacy Costa, Nathaniel Guerrero and Missy Robinson filed the Whirlpool class action lawsuit on behalf of themselves and others who purchased certain French-door or side-by-side-style Whirlpool, KitchenAid and Kenmore refrigerator-freezer combinations with defective wiring.
They allege the Whirlpool refrigerators contain defective wires that are intended to flex when the door is opened and closed. However, the class action lawsuit alleges, the wires are made with materials that cause them to fray or break quickly with normal use, rendering many of the refrigerators’ functions useless.
“Moreover, the broken and frayed wires create a safety hazard due to the presence of exposed, live wires,” the plaintiffs allege. They claim the refrigerators defective wires issue often manifests within a few years of purchase.
Whirlpool has known of the refrigerators defective wires problem for at least a decade, as indicated by consumer complaints on social media and public forums, the Whirlpool class action lawsuit claims.
“Those complaints also necessitated Whirlpool’s communications with repair technicians and service representatives about the [refrigerators’ defective wires], which further evidences Whirlpool’s awareness of the problems,” the plaintiffs allege.
Plaintiffs say refrigerators defective wires issue is ‘irreparable’
The alleged Whirlpool refrigerators defect is “irreparable,” according to the Whirlpool class action lawsuit. The only way to restore functionality to the refrigerators is to install replacement doors, which also contain defective wires that will fail prematurely, the plaintiffs say.
Consumers seeking replacement doors are often required to wait months for their Whirlpool refrigerators to be repaired, if the replacement doors are available at all. When new Whirlpool refrigerator doors are available, the replacement door may cost more than $1,200, the plaintiffs say.
“As a result, most consumers are forced to purchase an entirely new refrigerator,” the class action lawsuit says.
The class action lawsuit asserts claims for breach of express warranty, violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, unjust enrichment, common law fraud, negligent misrepresentation and violations of California, Florida and North Carolina laws.
Last year, another class action lawsuit claimed the company sells certain Whirlpool refrigerators with a defect that renders them unable to maintain a cool temperature.
Have you purchased Whirlpool refrigerators that failed prematurely? Tell us about your experience in the comments.
The plaintiffs are represented by Scott M. Tucker, Timothy N. Matthews, Zachary P. Beatty and Marissa N. Pembroke of Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP
The Whirlpool refrigerators class action lawsuit is Stacy Costa, et al. v. Whirlpool Corp., Case No. 1:24-cv-00188-UNA, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.
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291 thoughts onWhirlpool class action alleges several refrigerator brands house defective wires
I have the same issue with my Whirlpool side-by-side refrigerator that has the automatic ice maker inside the door I’ve only had it for 4 years and I’ve had problems with the ice maker for 18 months to no avail I’ve been told that I need to get a new door approximately $1,200 or a new refrigerator I am so disgusted with whirlpool and will never recommend them at this point I am considering buying a small countertop ice maker to save some money
Add me
This issue is not isolated to Whirlpool refrigerators. I recently had to replace my 1.5 year old washing machine for the same wiring issue. After 18 months of use, the wires leading to the drain pump snapped. We called Whirlpool and it was of course out of warranty. We were forced to call an appliance repair company as we had a newborn baby at home. This repair company wanted to replace the entire motherboard. Being that the washer was almost brand new, we had a second repairman come out. He repaired the wires and got it working again. Two months later it happened again. He came back and fixed the wires again. The third time that the wires snapped was the final straw. I reached out to Whirlpool one more time to do right by their product. I wrote a negative review on Home Depot and Whirlpool. They posted what seemed like a very “concerned” reply and asked me to reach out via Facebook with a case number. After reaching out via Facebook, they suggested I download their app. Mind you, the wires were snapped. Their app was not going to fix this. When this “solution” didn’t work, they told me to reach out to their customer service number. When I called, they offered me 20% off a new washing machine. I would NEVER purchase anything Whirlpool. I don’t care who recommends these products, their company is absolutely disgraceful.
We bought a KitchenAid 5 door refrigerator Dec 31, 2019 so it way delivered until February 2020. September 2023 we came home from a week long vacation to find the fridge dead and all the food spoiled. We had bought the 5 year extended warranty since we bought the entire suite of appliances. The compressor burned up rendering the fridge irreparable. It has taken 7 months of constant emailing Whirlpool and blasting them all over social media to get them to replace the fridge. I do hope this one lasts longer.
Bought a Whirlpool Gold refrigerator in October 2009. We immediately started having problems with the icemaker. Over a period of 1 year we had numerous Whirlpool technicians that tried to fix it. Finally, a technician was able to resolve the problem. We also noticed that the plastic cover on the ice and water paddles started cracking after six months. Several years ago we started having problems with the ice maker again! I have tried to fix it several times by replacing the sending eye board.
Purchased a side by side stainless steel refrigerator 2018 and it lasted 4 years.
We have a side by side refrigerator bought in 10/2019, (06/2019, manufacture date). 5/23 was our 1st wire repair for the ice maker. 1/8/24 we had the repair done again. Our service man told us the door will have to be replaced $1,200! We are going to replace our refrigerator because we don’t know what other wiring issues will come up and we can’t be gone and have a function failure with our refrigerator.
My whirlpool refrigerator is suffering the same wire harness failure. Several wires have broken. Whirlpool says I should buy an extended warranty. So many items (oscillating fans, car doors) have flexible wiring that doesn’t fail for decades, if ever.
I’d like to be part of this class action.
Unfortunately I purchased a KitchenAid 5 drawer refrigerator and within the first 6 months the internal ice machine stopped working. It took another 3 months to get parts. Then at Thanksgiving time the whole unit quit working. The repair man informed me that a new refrigerator would cost less then the wait time for parts and repair cost. So I purchased a new refrigerator but not a Whirlpool.
I brought a whirlpool refrigerator I had the same problem I had to buy parts and pay a technician money to fix my refrigerator