I am wondering if you would find it normal for a defrost timer to break twice in 6 months?

We purchased our fridge in 2005 and had the defrost timer go just over 2 years later. We didn`t take an extended warranty because our salesperson was confident that we wouldn`t have any problems with this GREAT product. Well, the $30 part ended up totalling $180 after service call, time and taxes were added in. I was annoyed to say the least. But not nearly as annoyed when the same problem reoccured again this week, less than 6 months later. After calling Sears, we were told that we will have to pay the service call ($70) regardless of the fact that the part is guaranteed 1 year!

I am wondering if this is acceptable. The fridge is not even 3 years old and we have had the same problem twice. Do you have any suggestions or advice? Would it be easy for us just to replace the part ourselves?

Thanks!

If your defrost timer is bad, I would replace it with a wr9x330ds timer, a much more reliable unit with similar defrost periods. It is located inside the control panel. Be aware, this timer has a much more robust synchronous motor that makes a humming noise that might be magnified by the control panel housing. You will need to bend the terminals to plug it in.This timer has a pre-wired motor,but verify the motor runs when you plug it in. Or you can use a fully adjustable electronic timer Edt10. You will need to adjust it to your old timer specs. probably around 21 minutes defrost, 6 hours on. The cost is around $40

The wr9x330ds timer is made for GE refrigerators, but it is a universal type that I use on most brands as long as it will fit in the space and perform the same. This timer is very reliable. In my opinion, your original timer is not as reliable as proven by service data that I keep.
For exact performance per the old original timer, you can go with the electronic one, but in that case, I would put a 1000 joule surge protector on the wall outlet for the fridge.