Bottom-Mount Freezer Lawsuit Investigation Over Leaking Water
Last Updated on September 11, 2020
Important Information
Whirlpool has agreed to an estimated $21 million settlement deal to resolve a proposed class action filed in 2015 over water leakage issues with French door, bottom-mounted freezer refrigerators.
Head over to our blog to read a breakdown of the settlement and what it may mean for consumers.
Case Update
- January 7, 2020 – Settlement Given Green Light
- United States District Judge Beth Labson Freeman has given final approval to the estimated $21 million settlement mentioned below. The deadline to submit claims is January 22, 2020. Other important dates and answers to frequently asked questions about the lawsuit and settlement can be found at https://freezersettlement.com/. For specifics of the deal, head over to ClassAction.org’s blog to learn more.
- December 10, 2019 – Settlement Website is Live
- The settlement in this case has been preliminarily approved and the website is now live. Head over to the settlement site to file your claim.
- July 12, 2019 – Settlement Deal Reached; Now Awaits Judge’s Approval
- A settlement deal worth an estimated $21 million has been reached to end a years-long proposed class action lawsuit against Whirlpool Corporation filed over the bottom-mount freezer leakage issues detailed on this page. Head over to our blog to read a full breakdown of the settlement, which still requires a judge’s approval, and what it will most likely mean for owners of Whirlpool-made French door refrigerators.
At A Glance
- This Alert Affects:
- Anyone who had water leak from their bottom-freezer refrigerator.
- What's Going On?
- Attorneys are trying to determine whether class action lawsuits can be filed against several big name manufacturers over their bottom-mount refrigerators.
- What Brands Are Under Investigation?
- Amana, Jenn-Air, KitchenAid, Maytag, Whirlpool and Kenmore, among others.
Attorneys are investigating whether class action lawsuits can be filed against Whirlpool, Kenmore and other leading manufacturers over their bottom-freezer refrigerators.
They have reason to believe that a possible defect in these appliances may be causing water to leak from the freezer onto the floor. Before they can even consider filing class action lawsuits, however, the attorneys need to speak with people who had problems with their bottom-freezer fridges.
What’s Causing Water to Leak Onto the Floor?
We have reason to believe that the tube that allows water to drain from the freezer gets clogged and that this may cause water to leak onto the floor.
Most freezers have a heating element that turns on up to four times a day to melt any frost that has collected on the evaporator. The water from the melted frost then drains through a line to a pan at the bottom of the freezer. If the line gets clogged, water can back up inside the drain tube and freeze, creating a dam that stops the water from draining. The excess water can then overflow the bottom of the freezer, causing water to spill out onto the floor.
In addition to leaking water, another sign of a clogged drain tube may include a layer of ice at the bottom of the freezer.
Some complaints posted online by consumers include:
“I noticed water on my kitchen floor yesterday, after investigating, I noticed the freezer floor was iced right up. I cleaned up the ice and looked for a leak to no avail. Today the floor of the freezer is 1/4 frozen again. The fridge does have a water source, but the fridge hasn't moved in months, so I don't expect the leak to come from there. The fridge isn't 2 years old yet.”
—ShopYourWay.com
“I have a Kenmore bottom mount refrigerator model # 596.7924301 that is leaking water from the bottom of the freezer front door onto the floor and I guess into the freezer under the freezer drawers. It is only a little over a year old.”
—ShopYourWay.com
“It's a bottom refrigerator model 79575284401 and it works fine but the freezer part is leaving water on the bottom and leaking water from the seal on the bottom onto the floor.”
—SearsPartsDirect.com
“I have a Kenmore Elite bottom mount freezer refrigerator, little over a year old. Noticed water outside fridge door once or twice but no sign of water running from fridge itself. Finally discovered that bottom of freezer was covered with a sheet of ice. Removed ice about 2 days ago & there is a fine coating there again…it seems like many people have had same problem.”
—ApplianceBlog.com
What Refrigerator Brands Are Under Investigation?
We want to hear from anyone who owns a bottom-freezer refrigerator made by:
- Amana
- Jenn-Air
- KitchenAid
- Maytag
- Whirlpool
- Kenmore
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