I have had this washer since 1994-95, no problems ever. It rarely goes off balance except for tonight. I washed two 100% cotton blankets and it went off balance after during the first spin.
When I tried to rearrange the blankets, something was caught and then rip.
It wasn't even the fringe that get caught. It seemed like the blanket got caught where the two pieces of the agitator meet. I'm suprised something could get wedged in there.