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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
This class action is without merit.
Take a look at what’s left of my kitchen floor and you will change your mind in a hurry.
That would not change my mind. A 1 in a million failure doesn’t evidence defective product on a massive scale. Provide some clear and convincing evidence of your assertions and I will mediately change my beliefs and opinion regarding this lawsuit.
Do you work for whirlpool? do you own one of these dishwashers? Unfortunately, I do and it is only 11 months old and caused a lot of damage. I hope it never happens to toy or yours.
I own two of these exact models, and neither have ever leaked a drop of water after years of use. I have examined the claim and know the mechanics of the dishwasher, from a graduate engineer’s view point and I opine that this is a corporate shake down. No company can make millions of units of a product and have 100% perfect quality control without a single failure of any of those units. So you happen to get that one in 1 million unit or someone or something failed. Any mass produce product will have a small percentage of failures which have nothing to do with the engineeringOf the product it’s design or production. The the shaft sealing part that is supposedly failing in mass numbers can be fixed for $3.00 and anybody of common intelligence can do it themselves if they at least know how to listen and watch a YouTube video. This part will wear out overtime there is no such shaft seal that last forever.
We just bought a brand new Whirlpool dishwasher (model: WDF520PADM9) on Feb 5th 2021, had a professional install it. The model cost around $600 after taxes and two parts (plug and hose). On the first run after the installation, we noticed the floor mat next to the dishwasher was soaking wet. I stopped the dishwasher and tried to soak up all the water with a towel and then waited for the installer to come back out.
Turns out the bottom seal of the dishwasher had a piece that was damaged and the water was just pouring out of the bottom. I called Whirlpool and they said the earliest they could send a technician out was a week away (called on a monday and they said next monday was the earliest appointment). I then had to call the repair company and they were able to move the monday appointment up to Friday. Friday comes and the technician shows up around 1 pm, works on it for a while, then has to go back to the shop to get a part. He was here till around 5:30 or 6 pm and eventually said he wasn’t able to fix it, and that I should call Whirlpool. It was a Friday and Whirlpool support was closed for the weekend.
Now I’m here on a Monday, called Whirlpool and they say that they can send another technician out on Friday to work on fixing it. . . This is ridiculous. I told them that we just went through this “repair” process and it did not work. The technician was not able to repair it. I said that I would like a new dishwasher delivered and for them to haul away the one that doesn’t work. They said they wont do that. We are in escrow (selling our home) and we are suppose to close escrow tomorrow and this replacement process has been a nightmare. Not to mention our family with a newborn baby has been without a dishwasher for 10 days now. . .
We had the bottom part in this lawsuit rusted out. Model WDT780SAEM1, costed at least $2000 in all new flooring that we didn’t notice until it was too late. Also, paid for several plumbers because we thought it was the faucet.
Purchased Whirlpool dishwasher in 2013. Began leaking from bottom of dishwasher after 4 years. By the time leak was noticeable on the floor out the front of the dishwasher, the floor and adjacent cabinets had water damage. Called a repairman. He advised that source of leak is a pump shaft seal that is a common issue in these dishwashers. Stated that the $10 part used to be able to be purchased separately and was a simple repair – one that often had to be repeated more than once in the life of the dishwasher – but now the company only sells the entire pump, which would run upwards of $300. He said if I was willing to wait, he would see if he could find a suitable seal replacement for me. He was not able to do so. I stopped using my dishwasher for the most part as I expected to need to spend $$ on the expensive repair or a replacement dishwasher. Further research today, revealed a source for a replacement seal and DIY videos on the simple repair. As your lawsuit suggests, this is a common issue with these dishwashers that the company has failed to resolve AND they continue to make it more expensive and difficult to make what is a simple DIY repair when the part does fail.
Kenmore elite dishwasher purchased 2017 $1,000 leaking now from diverter motor seal. Damaged surrounding drywall and wood Sears repair service was called and advised a repair costing $550 was necessary. Part on back order Charged 89 for visit Decided to delay repair and make decision on new
My Kenmore Elite is leaking from the “Diverter”. We have mold, drywall, subfloor, wood floor, cabinets etc damaged. Diverter part on manufacturer back order. Part estimated availability is 1-2 months. Master Protection Warranty ends in July. Sedgwick is the property damage company handling the claim. They said they need 2 inspections and will hand my claim over to Kenmore Elite for evaluation.
I paid $899.00 for this dishwasher thinking it would be a quality one to last.
Purchased 2017 kenmore Elite dishwasher Is now leaking from diverter seal defect Damaged surrounding drywall and wood. Sears repair service examined and offered repair of $550
I purchased a Kitchenaid Kdtm354dss October 15, 2015. It recently stated leaking from the motor pump assembly area. This ran through my subfloor to a finished basement damaging the ceiling. My problem with the dishwasher is exactly what is described in this lawsuit. How does one get involved and when will this be resolved. I am assuming I need to buy a new dishwasher now as it is unusable and then hope for some for of compensation at a later date. Any comments are greatly apprciated.
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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.