WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) - Whirlpool faces a class action lawsuit that complains wiring in its refrigerators won't bend and instead cracks and snaps when doors are opened and closed.
Whirlpool Corporation is facing a class action lawsuit filed Feb. 12 by Stacy Costa, Nathaniel Guerrero and Missy Robinson. The plaintiffs allege that the company knowingly sold defective refrigerator-freezer combinations under the Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid and Kenmore brands.
According to the complaint, these appliances contain faulty wiring which controls key functions such as the ice maker and dispenser, water dispenser and control panel on the doors.
The wires are supposed to bend but are instead prone to break or fray quickly under ordinary use, often shortly after the one-year warranty expires. This defect not only renders some functions useless but also poses a safety hazard due to exposed live wires, the suit says.
The lawsuit further claims that Whirlpool has been aware of this issue for at least a decade but continued to sell these defective products without disclosing the problem.
The defect typically manifests within two or three years of purchase despite refrigerators usually lasting between ten to twenty years. The plaintiffs argue that this defect is irreparable as even replacement doors suffer from the same issue.
The case is in Delaware federal court. Scott Tucker and other lawyers at Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith are representing the plaintiffs.