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keithb7  
#1 Posted : Sunday, November 9, 2008 8:25:41 PM(UTC)
keithb7

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I was shocked today when I smelled smoke from an electrical fire. Followed the smell into my kitchen to see my 4 yr old Kenmore smoking and arcing blue light flashes. I ran down to the electrical panel to shut off the dishwasher breaker. We proceeded to dismantle the door to find the circuit board cooked. Lots of melted wires and black soot. I am so glad we were home! How often have you gone to bed or went out for a few hours and left the dishwasher on?
I have my wife and 2 young boys to worry about. Thank God we were not in bed. That would have been much more traumatizing for the kids.

I was very surprised to learn about this known problem on the internet. There are many known cases of Whirlpool (branded Kenmore) dishwashers catching on fire. This is crazy. I read about families who have died due to these fires. What can I do here? Should I go back to Sears and voice my concerns? I paid $700 4 years ago for a higher quality dishwasher stainless lined, that I had hoped would last longer than 4 years. I feel something needs to be done to help others, as peoples lives could be at risk.

If you own a Kenmore do not leave it on and go to bed or leave your home while it is running. Better yet, remove it get a different dishwasher. Do some research and read the history. I am not sure I want this replaced with another Kenmore or Whirlpool model.
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Robert Paterson  
#2 Posted : Sunday, February 1, 2009 4:18:38 AM(UTC)
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Our 3 1/2 year old Kenmore dishwasher is apparently manufactured by Whirlpool, serial number FR3305103, Model 665.17483300, Type No. 577-0.

Last night, acrid-smelling smoke started coming from the front door, and now the dishwasher does not work.

This first link is for an official recall of dishwashers similar to this one, but with a plastic body (ours has a metal body and a stainless steel front):

Original; see modified release: Whirlpool Corporation Recall of Dishwashers

This link is for Whirlpool's official recall:
https://www.whirlpool.com/repair/index.jsp?id=R14165

Apparently, even though our dishwasher's serial and part numbers fall within the range given on both pages, it is not covered in the recall, perhaps because it has a metal body.

The defect with our dishwasher seems exactly like the one described in the recall. We are going to attempt to have Whirlpool repair or replace ours for free, since this is not a natural malfunction due to the age of the appliance or for any other reason.

We will report back after we see what Whirlpool says tomorrow (Monday).
keithb7  
#3 Posted : Sunday, February 1, 2009 8:18:41 AM(UTC)
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I went to Sears last Nov and complained to the store manager. They were all hush hush about it, said it was terrible and that they were going to fix it for me. They sent over a technician who took photos and removed all the burnt parts. They came back in Dec to put it back together however were missing some pieces. Today it's Feb 1st and they have yet to come back and finish reassembly. We have been without a dishwasher now for 3 months. Despite repeated calles to Sears, we still don't know when it will be working again. I regret not buying a new one back in Nov. Sears service is terrible.
Robert Paterson  
#4 Posted : Monday, February 2, 2009 7:08:41 AM(UTC)
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Hey Keithb7 and everyone else,

Since out metal body Kenmore is not the EXACT model in the recall, they won't repair it for free, even though the malfunction is exactly the same. They will show up in a few days and assess the problem, and if they have parts on hand (my guess is unlikely), they will repair it on the spot. The service call costs $109, which we have to pay. There was a one year warranty, and since it's out of warranty period, we swallow the cost.

This is lame: I shouldn't have to have to pay this, as it's not a normal malfunction and could have burned down our apartment.

He also said that if there's a recall, it's unlikely we'll get refunded for the service call and parts.

This will be the last time we purchase a Kenmore/Whirlpool appliance.
Robert Paterson  
#5 Posted : Wednesday, February 4, 2009 9:10:10 AM(UTC)
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Just had a Whirlpool affiliated technician come over (this Kenmore is really just a Whirlpool with the Sears brand name). The service call was $118, non-refundable. Our dishwasher originally cost us $1,048.10, including all taxes, and delivery. I know, that's expensive, but we thought we were getting the best, something that would last for a while, maybe ca. 10 years. We bought this on 9/11/04, it lasted four years, four months. Little did we know...

The technician's tally for replacing the parts comes out to ca. $400. After calling Sears, they said that they could either offer Service Parts up to $100 OR Service labor up to $150, One or the other, but not both. Obviously, this is not cost efficient.

I am attaching a picture of the burned out inside of the electronics panel on the front door of the dishwasher. Notice the charred insides.

What have we learned from this?

1. As the technician recommended, ALWAYS purchase the largest warranty, and then when it's about to expire, purchase an extension. Once your warranty expires, you have absolutely no recourse whatsoever, even if your place burns down.

2. Sears service is abysmal.

3. Whirlpool products are cheaply-made, and according to the Whirlpool affiliated technician, they are getting worse. (She admitted that she's so dismayed by the quality of modern dishwashers that she doesn't even own one, she washes by hand.)

4. It's a crapshoot purchasing what you think will be a top-of-the-line, excellent appliance. As they say, they just don't make them like they used to.

Finally, if there are others out there who purchased the same dishwasher and had the same problem, PLEASE post here. If enough people have this problem, there will inevitable be a recall of this batch of serial numbers in this model.
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wunderd  
#6 Posted : Thursday, February 18, 2010 7:04:18 AM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: Robert Paterson Go to Quoted Post
Hey Keithb7 and everyone else,

Since out metal body Kenmore is not the EXACT model in the recall, they won't repair it for free, even though the malfunction is exactly the same. They will show up in a few days and assess the problem, and if they have parts on hand (my guess is unlikely), they will repair it on the spot. The service call costs $109, which we have to pay. There was a one year warranty, and since it's out of warranty period, we swallow the cost.

This is lame: I shouldn't have to have to pay this, as it's not a normal malfunction and could have burned down our apartment.

He also said that if there's a recall, it's unlikely we'll get refunded for the service call and parts.

This will be the last time we purchase a Kenmore/Whirlpool appliance.


I just had my Kenmore dishwasher Model 665... Ser # FS070... go up in smoke on Monday (2/15/10). The front panel shorted out.

I too looked through all the recalls and there is an identical recall for the same model, same problem - but different serial numbers. Dishwasher Recalled by Whirlpool. I'm in the same predicament as Robert. Sears won't do anything, since the Ser # is not in the recall.
rgfdc  
#7 Posted : Wednesday, April 28, 2010 10:29:18 AM(UTC)
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Our Kenmore model 665-17462300 caught fire last week. Flames were shooting from the control panel. This is the third control panel they've installed in this appliance in the past nine months but the first to cause a fire. We have an extended warranty so it's only costing us major inconvenience. This model is not on the recall list and neither Sears nor Whirpool seemed too concerned. I did report to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Sears is replacing the control panel but we won't be comfortable letting the dishwasher run unattended.
gary1717  
#8 Posted : Tuesday, June 1, 2010 4:21:23 PM(UTC)
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Hello All,

If you have experienced a dishwasher fire or near fire, please have a look at the following website and add your model and serial number with a description of what happened. Perhaps we can gather enough cases to generate a recall, lawsuit or class action suit against Whirlpool.

The website was created by a home owner Steve Chamber, that this also happened to. KitchenAid Dishwasher Fire | KitchenAidFire.com | Unsafe Consumer Product | Whirlpool Needs Recall |

Please take the 10 mins. to fill in your info, who knows where it could lead. May be it will save just one life and even get us reimbursed for our losses.

I have a Kenmore Elite Dishwasher that nearly burst into flames on May 29th at 10:00pm. Luckily I discovered the smell and smoke before I went to bed. My model is 665.16279400, purchased in Nov. 2004. Circuit board burnt both knife connectors right off the board and melted a hole in the plastic case that holds the board. It also started to over heat the wiring and melt the casings of the wires.

Thanks
Gary
Hal F  
#9 Posted : Wednesday, June 16, 2010 5:57:33 PM(UTC)
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Kenmore 665.16939 SN: FM1209048

Door caught fire. Six inch flames would have caused a house if I hadn't been present. This is not listed, but it should be. If they offered to repair I would not accept it.
kristin3554  
#10 Posted : Monday, August 16, 2010 7:21:09 PM(UTC)
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Yesterday we had our Kenmore dishwasher also go up in smoke.... fortunately, we didn't have full flames as my husband was standing directly in view and with quick action pulled the door open. The smoke and smell however were unbelievable! I have 'chatted online' with Sears Recall people and have sent an email to Kenmore Customer Service... was also advised that I could call 1800-4myhome and Sears Customer Relations at 1800-549-4505... which I have not yet done - I thought I would give Kenmore a chance to respond.

Our serial number and model number are similar to many of the stories above.
665.16052400 / FS1107911. We'll let you know what we find out!
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