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Consumers have been subject to the costs of a leaky dishwasher, along with repairs to property caused by resulting water damage, according to a new class action lawsuit filed against Whirlpool.
Lead plaintiff, Elisabeth Cleveland, contends that the company, along with its subsidiaries, KitchenAid, JennAir, Maytag, and Kenmore, knew or should have known about the defect that causes dishwashers to leak water all over consumers’ floors and cabinets.
The Whirlpool class action lawsuit says that Whirlpool has known of the defect for a minimum of eight years, in fact, but has failed to remedy the problem.
Cleveland alleges that she purchased a Whirlpool Model WDF760SADW2 in 2016. She says that she spent more money on what she thought was a high-end appliance in the hopes it would last longer and not need many repairs.
However, a few short years later, Cleveland says the dishwasher began leaking so badly it had to be taken out for repairs. In addition to discovering the defect that causes the leaks, Cleveland claims that the grout under her appliance was damaged.
“The dishwashers were and are equipped with a pump motor diverter shaft seal…oriented incorrectly, accelerating degradation of the seal and creating a buildup of debris that prevents the shaft seal spring from properly sealing the diverter shaft and sump,” explains the Whirlpool class action lawsuit.
The diverter shaft is located at the bottom of the dishwasher tub and is a part of its sump assembly. This piece of the dishwasher is responsible for holding and spraying water while the device is running, further notes the plaintiff.
“Whirlpool designed and manufactured the sump and diverter motor pump assembly with the seal affixed in an inverted position, which exposes it to hot soapy water and debris,” alleges the Whirlpool class action lawsuit. “As the debris builds and the seal degrades, water begins to leak between the sump and the tub, eventually leaking through the entire unit and onto floors and inside cabinetry.”
As a result of this defect, a leaky dishwasher can lose a substantial amount of water through the seal, causing damage to a consumer’s property.
The class action lawsuit points out that Whirlpool, along with its subsidiaries, sells a number of models affected by the alleged defect. The leaky dishwashers are reportedly sold as “high end” models and run from between $500 and $700 each.
Further, the company touts the long service life of its dishwashers, claiming that most do not need a repair for the first 18 years of service. However, the allegedly defective dishwashers often fail within the first four years of service, contends the class action lawsuit.
In addition, the plaintiff says that Whirlpool fails to honor the terms of its warranty when consumers are faced with property damage and other repairs caused by the defect. The complaint points out that Whirlpool’s express warranty states that the company will pay for replacement parts and repairs related to defects in its dishwashers; however, Whirlpool has refused to pay for damages caused by the defective dishwashers within the warranty period.
According to the Whirlpool class action lawsuit, after initial consumer complaints about the defective dishwashers, Whirlpool offered to replace a seal at the cost of less than $10. However, the company has continually upped the cost of repairing the dishwasher for consumers. Indeed, the company stopped selling the seal and instead began offering the entire sump assembly at a cost of $60 to $75, not including installation.
Now, contends the class action lawsuit, consumers are offered a full sump assembly with a new diverter shaft seal at a cost of more than $200, including installation costs. This can amount to one-third of the cost of the dishwasher, points out the complaint. Further, many repair companies are hesitant to replace the sump assembly, alleges the complaint, because of concerns that the defect is still present in the new parts, leaving consumers with a dishwasher that still leaks.
The Whirlpool class action lawsuit argues that consumers had no way of knowing that the high-end dishwashers they purchased were defective and that they faced not only the cost of repairing the machine, but also property damage.
The plaintiff says that she and other consumers would not have purchased the product had they known of the defect and the problems it would cause.
Cleveland seeks to represent other consumers who purchased Whirlpool’s defective dishwashers. She is seeking damages for the defective machines and related repairs.
Did you purchase a leaky dishwasher? Tell us what happened in the comment section below!
The plaintiff is represented by Michelle J. Looby and Raina Borrelli of Gustafson Gluek PPC, Harper T. Segui and Daniel K. Bryson of Whitfield Bryson LLP, Gregory F. Coleman, Rachel Soffin, and Lisa A. White of Greg Coleman Law PC.
The Whirlpool Leaky Dishwasher Class Action Lawsuit is Cleveland v. Whirlpool Corp., Case No. 0:20-cv-01906-WMW-KMM, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.
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99 thoughts onWhirlpool Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Leaky Dishwasher Defect
Our KitchenAid dishwasher just out of warranty started leaking. It was determined that the Diverter motor was leaking.
I had to have the unit serviced and part replaced.
For the cost paid for Kitchen Aid “quality” you would expect better quality.
Over the time we have had this washer, we have had the upper rack bearing slide replaced, Just a month ago the bottom rack had to be replaced due to the prongs breaking off. The lower rack wheels have all been replaced after they fall off into the washer and are then melted against the heating element.
We renovated our kitchen in 2015 and purchased 3 KitchenAid products, a refrigerator, wall oven, and dishwasher. All three appliances have needed service multiple time since installing 5 years ago in June. The latest is the dishwasher (model KDTM354DSS) that had this exact issue noted in this lawsuit, and because we did not know right away, it caused damage to the subfloor, tiles, and cabinets. Calling around, we find that the whole pump assembly will need to be replaced and most service techs are suggesting we just buy a whole new dishwasher, because these were manufactured with a design flaw.
I would like to join any legal action against this company for designing a product that caused thousands of dollars worth of damage to our home.
I purchase a whirlpool dish washer it leak and start rust outside cover. Now it don,t work.
Same for me . Dishwasher must of been leaking for some time thought it was kitchen faucet. Changed faucet, still seeing water . Called repair man cost me $182.00. Noticed my hardwood floor had back spots, lifted up boards .. ALL BLACK MOLD.
Had to replace my whole kitchen floor.
Ended costing me $3500.00
All because of my leaking, malfunctioning Whirlpool Dishwasher.
State Farm insurance claim for water damage caused by clog and I ran dishwasher. It turns out the dishwasher was leaking for some time and insurance will not cover damage done slow leak out of DW, I will personally have to pay for damages from Whirlpool dishwasher leak. Count me in!!!
I had my dishwasher worked on 4 times at $75 service call each time. Replaced Seal. Then came home to a stream Of water flowing from under DW and just running across my Laminate Floor which caused it to buckle and ruined my cabinet trim and cabinet walls.
Behind the DW the insulation was wet for some time and black mold was present. The wall behind the DW was ruined, complete tear out was required.
The DW was a complete POS.
I don’t know how manufacturers can get away with making such crap products and, they are allowed to keep making them. Then consumers have to suck up all the costs to try to fix their crap products and the damage it has caused to homes.
It is only years down the road, after the fact when everything is said and done, fixed and that crap product is replaced. Why spend so much money to keep repairing a POS. Common sense is to just replace it and pray the next one is better. But the consumer has wasted time, money, and went through hell and had to renovate when they shouldn’t had too.
Manufacturers need to be held liable for:
All Costs
Time
Labor
Stress
Lost Time from Work
Cost of New Appliance
Cost of New Renovation & Supplies
Cost of all Labor
Reimbursement of Previous Repairs
Please add me.
Same as others. Mine started leaking slowly a while ago. I didn’t notice because it sits lower than. I found out it was leaking when the ceiling in my basement started getting wet. Cabinets and subflooring ruined from being damp for so long. Replace the seal ring with an $8 part off eBay and no more leak. Extremely frustrated
I purchased a Whirlpool dishwasher 3 years ago. I recently called an appliance repair person for a separate issue – dishwasher leaking from the bottom of the door. After inspecting our dishwasher, he informed us that our dishwasher is also leaking from the diverter motor underneath. He stated that water is leaking from the seal in sump and that we need to replace the diverter motor with sump for seal. The technician said that replacement part with installation would be $450. He said the part was on back order and that it would take a few weeks to get the part. He stated that he often sees this failure mode on Whirlpool dishwashers and recommends just getting a new one as the cost of repair is almost as much as the cost of purchasing a new dishwasher. I certainly would not want to replace this part, and have the dishwasher start leaking again in three years. The technician also stated that the water leaking onto the floor is damaging the flooring underneath the dishwasher.
Our 3 year old Whirlpool dishwasher has been leaking for the past 6 months, don’t know what to do about it except put towels down. Had one repair but it didn’t hold. Frustrated, can’t afford a new one.
We have a Kitchenaid dishwasher about 4 years old. Leaking from what we think is the sump assembly and caused a lot of water damage and mold growth on our kitchen island. Just got an estimate for repairs and clean up and will be in the several thousands of dollar range!