Magnetic refrigerator door question

[paulg]

Howdy. Just want to get the experts' opinion on this one.
We have a 15 year old Kitchenaid (WP) side-by-side refrigerator. I've noticed just lately that I have to ensure the refrigerator door is shut a little more now than when it was new.
Just last night I found that the refrigerator door was slightly ajar. That is a new symptom albeit a minor one.
QUESTION: Has anyone found that magnetic door seals on "modern" refrigerators lose their punch as they age? Freezer door seems to still have some pull to it.
Comments welcome!

Side comment: When I bought this refrigerator I thought the ice-maker would crap out in five years or so. We use a lot of ice. After 15 years this ice maker has never quit making ice. I'm impressed. Just sayin'

 

[turbokinetic]

Hi Paul. My parents have a side-by-side in their garage. It does the same thing - you have to ensure to press the door closed firmly.

The issue is with the hinges of the doors. At the lower hinge,  a plastic cam underneath the door allows gravity to help the door close. The hinge rusted and became tight in my parents fridge and the cam either became dislodged or broke (can't remember).

 

I would check this if I were you.

 

To give you a better idea, here is a link to a door close cam. Note well I didn't look this up for your fridge so don't order it unless it happens to fit your model.    https://www.appliancepartspros.com/whirlpool-door-closure-kit-r0181181-ap4247867.html 

 

[sfh074]

Had a GE side by side from the early 80s ....

that did the same thing. You would shut one door and the other would pop open.The magnetic strip in the door seals lost the majority of its magnetism. Really odd .... but I replaced the seals with new ones and fixed the problem. A year or two later lightening ran in and killed the poor fridge. $80 worth of new door seal down the drain.