Maytag recalls almost 2 million dishwashers

[bobbins]

I am not sure if this something recent or if there is already another post in the discussion forum.

"Maytag Corp. is recalling about 1.7 million dishwashers because of a fire hazard, including about 160,000 units in Canada.

Canadian and American officials say the company has received 12 reports of electrical failures in the heating element that led to fires. No injuries have been reported.

The recall includes Maytag, Amana, Jenn-Air, Admiral, Magic Chef, Performa by Maytag and Crosley brand dishwashers with plastic tubs.

The recalled dishwashers were sold at department and appliance stores from February, 2006, through April, 2010.

Consumers are advised to stop using the recalled dishwashers and disconnect the electric supply by shutting off the fuse or circuit breaker controlling it.

Consumers can schedule a free in-home repair or receive a rebate toward the purchase of select new Maytag dishwashers. For additional information, visit the Maytag website at repair.maytag.com."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/maytag-recalls-almost-2-million-dishwashers/article1590414/

 

[appnut]

Bob, the correct place to post it. I was going to post the same thing, but I CHECK AND LOOK THROUGH THE THREADS TO SEE IF SOMEONE ELSE HAS POSTED SOMETHING LIKE THIS before I post so we don't have numerous posts about the same thing.

Pretty sad. Most of these units were the actual old Maytag style with plastic tubs, but I've not seen model #s yet to see if any are of the Whirlpool design with plastic tubs. I hiope it's all the ones that were produced/designed by Maytag and not the Whirlpool design. If it involves the latter, then that could lead to actual Whirlpool design products with plastic tubs under the Whirlpool, Kenmore ... brands.

 

[iheartmaytag]

I was just popping in to post as I saw this in the morning paper. Yup, Mine is involved. With the racks that rusted through after 18 months. I may take the rebate towards a new one.

 

[washran]

are the portables recalled also?

i have a portable Maytag... are they recalled also? i love my machine

 

[laundromat]

I wonder,hmmm---

Do you think this might be the same hoax GE did back around 2001???So they could get folks to replace theirs with a discount????

 

[washran]

SAD

that would be sad... is this a way for Whirlpool to get their dishwasher on the market? I see all of the new "Maypool" has the Whirlpool guts.

 

[whirlcool]

Shoot, our NW50 the Quiet Series 300 is on the list. We bought it in December 2008 from Home Depot.

We have been very happy with our DW. It cleans very well, and it quiet as could be, and holds a ton of dishes. We have never had even one piece of anything come out not cleaned perfectly. It is the last of the Maytag JetClean series. it has the Duralast tub in it. Even after 19 months of everyday use it still looks like new.

We'll opt to get ours fixed. This is just another hit against the Maytag reputation. How much longer can this go on, you just know that it's really going to hit the WP bottom line.

 

[whirlcool]

laundromat:

You might be onto something here. I noticed that if you take the rebate, you'll ONLY receive it AFTER the purchase of a Maytag machine with a SS interior. Proof of purchase required.

Maybe we are seeing the end of the plastic tub machines form Maytag? I think it's a raw deal for the customers. If you try the link on the Maytag website to report your dishwasher, you get a "Server Not Available At This Time" message. It's probably overloaded.

Anyone know how the heating element is defective and what the fix is?

 

[iheartmaytag]

Mine is involved. Mine is a "300 Quiet Series" Quiet if you consider a freight train quiet. My '99 Jet Clean was quiet.

This one other than being noiser than the previous machine I owned, and having to have two repairs in 17 months for bad circut boards, and the lower rack rusting through in 18 months which wasn't covered by the extended warranty--it's been a pretty good machine. It does hold a lot a mentioned above, and it does clean. I just think it has a few more problems than a machine that isn't quite three years old now should have.

 

[whirlcool]

I agree with you. I wonder why yours is having so many problems, could it be a lemon?

Fortunately, we got the extended warranty on ours, not that it's going to do us any good.

But I'd be downright pissed if I had as many problems as you have had too. What are you going to do with yours, replace it with another Maytag SS interior, or just buy a different brand?

 

[frigilux]

Well, that explains my former dishwasher, which I not-so-lovingly called "Smokey The Maytag."

It would have been under this recall. And it nearly caused a fire.

 

[peterh770]

Hmmmm...

1.7 million dishwasers
12 fires
over 4 years...

Very interesting...

 

[surgilator_68]

They are replacing the heating element and brackets. I think it's more than likely that the element was getting too hot. I've seen a few that had heat damage. Or maybe it's like the Microwave recall that should have been addressed TO ALL SLOBS WHO DON'T CLEAN YOUR MICROWAVE.... simply because the only microwaves that ever has a fire were the ones that were never cleaned and full of grease and food. So maybe the dishwasher recall is for people who got the element hung up on something and it was loosened from the bracket and hit the tub. I don't really know except that we got our official communication from WPL today.

As for rusting racks, stop rinsing your dishes or use less detergent. It's really that simple.

 

[redcarpetdrew]

They're saying 'an electrical failure in the dishwasher's heating element can pose a serious fire hazard.' Possibly the element shorting internally? Sounds like the vendor of the element is having qc issues to me... At least W/P - Maytag is being agressive about it.

RCD

 

[mark_wpduet]

Yea

Some of my family members do not know the meaning of cleaning a microwave

 

[surgilator_68]

I wonder if Maytag sourced the elements from the same place as Whirlpool?

 

[whirlcool]

12 in 1.7 million? That's quite low odds of something happening to the one you own. What I don't like about this is to get a rebate you HAVE to buy a SS interior dishwasher from Maytag (one of the more expensive models) and provide proof that you HAVE purchased it. And they are using scare tactics to get you to comply. Why don't they just allow you to buy ANY dishwasher?

I checked our DW tonight and the heating elements look just fine, no close clearance to the tub, no movement in the element at all. No browning/burning of the tub.

I think I am going to call their bluff on this one. We'll continue using ours and just wait and see what happens here.
But our DW has a wall switch right above it and we have a fire extinguisher right next to it. Just in case.

 

[surgilator_68]

You aren't required to buy a new anything. Maytag will fit it free.

 

[tomturbomatic]

You don't have to give up your dishwasher. It can be fixed for free. Why is there all of this moaning and bitching? I would not want to bet my house insurance on continuing to use an unrepaired product (beyond the reasonable period of time for repairs) which has had a recall issued with an offer of free repair.

Why wouldn't the dishwashers from that period have problems? Look at the quality of the other stuff Maytag was pooping out of their factories. It is a sad tale of a company with a reputation built on their wringer washers, perpetuated by outright lies in some cases like when Consumer Reports tested automatic washers in the early 60s with 8, 10 and 12 pound loads and said that the Kenmore was overloaded with a 12 pound load but the Maytag, with the standard tub, was just fine with the 12 pound load. They got a criminally stupid president and equally bad board who knew nothing about appliances and then went out and bought old, failing companies like Hardwick, Admiral and Norge so that Maytag could have a full line of appliances. The reason those companies were up for sale was that everything about them needed to be scrapped and re-engineered for the second half of the 20th century. The dishwashers and disposals which Maytag designed and built themselves were very well made. Unfortunately that changed. You have to have excellent quality control to keep a plastic box containing a heating element from self-destructing and Maytag was getting sloppy. Cuts were made everywhere to keep the shell game going as long as possible before cusumers equated Maytag with crap. Be glad that Whirlpool bought Maytag. If it had folded there would be no recourse and one shudders to think how one of the Asian corporations would handle this situation if one of them had bought Maytag.