New refrigerator door gasket is wrinkled and doesn't seal

Refrigerator & Freezer Repair
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1

I bought a replacement refrigerator door gasket for my KitchenAid KBRS22KWAL02 refrigerator. The replacement part number is AP3092359 (2188454A). When I first took the gasket out of the box there were no wrinkles. By the time I installed the gasket on the door, and before I was even able to close the door for the first time, I saw wrinkles have formed on the right and left sides (both vertical sides). Now the gasket will not create a good seal. Please see attached images to see what I’m talking about. Any ideas what has caused this to happen?

Also, the gasket is very flat and not puffy. Is there way to make it more puffy so that it seals better?

Thanks for any response.

-Jay
Refridgerator Door Gasket 001_small.jpg (13.3 KB)
Refridgerator Door Gasket 003_small.jpg (8.5 KB)

2

Heat it with a hair dryer (or VERY CAREFULLY with a heat gun), and watch the wrinkles vanish—wish this worked on human skin!

3

I had the same problem. Thanks for the advice. Trick with hair dryer works. My door seal is now perfect.