Ice, Ice, Maybe: Electrolux Refrigerator Ice Makers Spark Suit

Electrolux seems to be having a hard time with quality control lately. Their washing machines get moldy, according to a lawsuit filed Ohio. Electrolux dishwashers, meanwhile, are accused of catching fire in a lawsuit currently being heard in North Carolina.

It seems that the fast ice setting may be defective, often failing and causing leaks.

Now, a lawsuit has been filed in Pennsylvania by a plaintiff who claims her Electrolux refrigerator’s ice maker breaks repeatedly. She says the ice maker leaks and has caused damage to her property.

The putative class action was filed in federal court and asserts that eight models of the company’s French door-style fridges contain ice makers that consistently malfunction. It seems that the “fast ice” setting – advertised as making ice “up to 50 percent faster” – may be defective, often failing and causing leaks.

The suit claims that the defect is present in models manufactured since 2010 and may affect thousands of consumers. Plaintiff Cameron Watters says that after she bought a new Electrolux refrigerator in 2010 she got only two months’ use out of it before the ice maker broke. After six repairs the refrigerator still wasn’t working properly – and a leak in the spring of 2013 caused more than $2000 worth of damage to her home.

The lawsuit seeks to certify a class of all current and former owners of defective Electrolux fridges who bought the machines in Pennsylvania.

The suit also notes the refrigerators were sold under claims that ice would be produced faster than competitor’s models thanks to a separate cooling system in the ice maker. The company also charged more for the “advanced” product, despite the fact the system itself may be responsible for the defective nature of the products.

Is Electrolux facing a manufacturing crisis? The quality of certain products certainly seems to be questionable. For now, the case continues as Cameron Watters v. Electrolux Home Products Inc., case number 2:13-cv-01759 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Do you have an Electrolux refrigerator? Have you had problems with the ice maker? Let us know in the comments below.