Certain Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Kenmore Fridges Plagued by Wiring Defect, Lawsuit Says

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A proposed class action lawsuit alleges certain Whirlpool-, Maytag-, KitchenAid- and Kenmore-brand refrigerators are equipped with defective wiring that can break or fray quickly through ordinary use, often right after the expiration of a fridge’s one-year warranty. 

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The 60-page lawsuit against Whirlpool Corporation claims the apparently brittle wires, which run through the freezer door in the fridges at issue and control the ice maker and dispenser, water dispenser and door-mounted control panel, are meant to “flex” when the door is opened and closed. However, a “defect in the materials used” for the wiring can cause them to break or fray, which can render some fridge functions useless and create an electrocution or fire hazard, the case says. 

According to the complaint, Whirlpool has known of the refrigerator wiring defect for “at least a decade,” and hundreds, if not thousands, of consumers have complained directly to the company about the problem. 

“For years Whirlpool has continued to sell these defective Class Refrigerators [listed below] to the public without disclosing the Defect, which manifests after just a few years under ordinary use as a result of simply opening and closing the refrigerator doors,” the proposed class action lawsuit alleges. 

Despite the seemingly widespread nature of the Whirlpool fridge wiring defect, the problem is “irreparable,” the lawsuit says, as technicians have supposedly acknowledged that the only way to fix the issue and restore functionality is to replace the entire freezer door, typically with one that suffers from “the same defective wiring.” Compounding matters is that replacement freezer doors, which can sell for more than $1,200 a piece, are often unavailable or on a months-long backorder, the complaint adds. 

“As a result, most consumers are forced to purchase an entirely new refrigerator,” the case states. 

Per the lawsuit, the Whirlpool-, Maytag-, KitchenAid- and Kenmore-brand refrigerators equipped with defective wiring include, but are not limited to, those with the following model numbers: 

• 106.51133213;   
• 106.51783412;   
• 10651769511;   
• 10651773510;   
• GSC25C4EYY03;   
• GSF26C4EXY03;   
• JSC23C9EEM00;   
• KRFC704FPS;   
• KRFF577KPS;   
• KRMF706ESS;   
• KRSC500ESS00;   
• KRSF705HPS01;   
• MFI2570FEZ;
• MSS25C4MGZ;   
• MSC21C6MFZ;   
• WMH31017HZ;   
• WRS335SDHM03;   
• WRS511CIH6101;   
• WRS526SIAE;
• WRS555SIHB03;   
• WRS555SIHZ03;   
• WRS571CIHZ02;   
• WRS57109638;
• WRS571C1H201;   
• WRS571C1HZOO;   
• WRS571CHZ;
• WRS571CID;
• WRS571CIDB;   
• WRS571CIDM;   
• WRS571CIH;
• WRS571CIHV;   
• WRS571CIHWO1;   
• WRS571CIHZ01;
• WRS576FIDW01;   
• WRS576CIDW00;   
• WRS586FIEM04;
• WRS586FLDB00;   
• WRS973CIHZ00;
• WRS588FIHB;
• WRS588FIHV;   
• WRS588FIHZ;   
• WRS588FIHW;   
• WRS588FIHZ;
• WRS688FIHV;   
• WRS965CIAE;   
• WRS970CIHZ;   
• WRS975SIDM;   
• WRS97CIDE;
• WRSA71CIHZ;   
• WRSA88FIHN;   
• WRSA88FIHZ;   
• WSF26C2EXY02;   
• WSF26C2EXB01;   
• WSF26C2EXF01; and 
• WSF26C3EXF01. 

As the case tells it, Whirlpool has touted the affected refrigerators as having key functions such as an ice maker and dispenser and a water dispenser. The apparent wiring defect can cause these functions to fail “within just a few years,” despite the fact that a refrigerator should last for at least one or two decades, the suit relays. 

Crucially, it is these fridge functions that form the “basis of the bargain” between Whirlpool and consumers, the lawsuit shares. 

“Plaintiff and consumers relied on Whirlpool’s misrepresentations regarding the ice maker/dispenser, water dispenser, and control panel,” the case reads. “Because of the Defect, consumers are deprived of the benefit of basic features that were part of the basis of their bargain.” 

According to the complaint, broken wires pose a significant safety risk given that an exposed live wire can contribute to electrocution or a fire. These risks are heightened in the case of the refrigerators at issue given the presence of water, which, when in contact with a live wire, can cause a short circuit, shocks or a fire, the filing states. 

Despite its knowledge of the safety risks and effects on the functionality of the fridges, Whirlpool has not warned the public about the wiring problem and continues to sell refrigerators equipped with faulty wiring, the suit alleges. The case highlights that consumers cannot discover the wiring defect until it manifests given that the wires are concealed “inside conduit or insulating material, hidden behind panels, and concealed within the freezer door.” 

The lawsuit looks to cover all persons in the United States who purchased one or more of the Whirlpool-, Maytag-, KitchenAid- and Kenmore-brand refrigerators with model numbers listed on this page that had the alleged wiring defect. 

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