Complain about a product or service

KitchenAid Dishwashers

KitchenAid • Cooktops • Coffee Makers • Dishwashers • Hot Water Dispensers • Microwave & Range Hoods • Mixers • Range Hoods • Refrigerators • Stoves & Ovens • Wall Ovens • Washers & Dryers --- • Whirlpool

Susan of Wilmington, NC November 1, 2009

We had our new KitchenAid dishwasher for 5 years. We have had major repairs on it four times. The total of these repairs almost total's the cost of the dishwasher when we bought it! What has prompted me to write today is yet another brakedown this morning, which will be the 5th problem in 5 years. So far, we have had:

* Two electical issues that were quite expensive (panel related) * The heating element snapped for no apparent reason other than being faulty (took weeks to get the part in) * Dishwasher stopped draining. And today's issue is that it just fails to start even though the lights are all on!

Additionally, we paid for the extra quiet version (most expensive) of KitchenAid dishwasher because our kitchen is open to the great-room. It has become more noisy each year where now we only run it during the day when we're gone or over-night. Also, the soap dispenser does not open properly many times and we find that the "completed" load hasn't had any dishsoap because of this fault! Lastly, repairmen who actually work on KitchenAid are hard to come by making the whole process even more difficult. My reccomendation to anyone looking to purchase a new dishwasher is DO NOT BUY A KITCHENAID!

Robert of Coraopolis , PA October 28, 2009

Purchased a new Kitchen Aid dishwasher in 2006. Not sure of the model number but the fuse and the circuit panel have gone out numerous times. Called company and said might take up to 3 weeks for this to be repaired. Would cost about 150 dollars. # weeks without a DW,

Im thinking about just getting a new one but would never purghase another Kitchen aid product again. Customer service said they would give me 15 percent off a new model. Anyone can get 15 percent off just by asking, no thanks KA

Tara of delta, BC October 24, 2009

We recently bought a new home that came equip with beautiful new stainless steel appliances all by Kitchenaid. We were very happy with the quality and performance of our appliances until yesterday when the faulty wiring in our dishwasher almost burnt our house down. I turned the dishwasher on before I left to take my children to school, when I arrived home ¾ of an hour later the house was filled with the smell of an electrical fire; it was coming from the dishwasher. The dishwasher was still running and would not shut off; I had to turn it off from the breaker. Needless to say I was very frightened. I would have normally been at work at this time but had chosen to work from home that day. Thank goodness!

We alternatively run our dishwasher at night before we go to bed; I thank God that this was not the case as I can only imagine the potential tragedy that may have occurred. I am very angry that the quality of this product has put my family in jeopardy. This is a very expensive dishwasher, 1399.99 not including the tax. I would assume that paying more for an appliance would ensure that it would perform safely and last longer than five years.

A call to Kitchen Aid customer service to report the problem yielded little satisfaction as I was basically told "too bad". We have been informed that the repairs will not be covered under a warranty that expired 3 months ago. We had it looked at independently of the place of purchase and have been told that, in fact we will likely need to by a new one, as the damage is so great to the electrical system that the cost to repair it would be excessive, and they could not be sure it would not happen again. Normally we would have looked at buying a Kitchenaid or Whirlpool appliance but after this experience the poor quality of the product, its inability to last more than a few years and its dubious safety will have me seriously considering other brands.I hope that this is an isolated incident with this product and that it does not happen to another family who may not have the lucky ending that we did

Les of Calgary, AB October 14, 2009

We have about 5year old kitchen aid dishwasher and about year ago plastic clip attached to nylon string broke sending my two year old to the floor. Luckily, I mange to cushion the fall. In about 4 months ago normal wash cycle stop draining water and now none do. I have checked drain hose and motor prop and found it be ok. I think its control module. I was searching the net to find answers to my problem and found this page, to my disbelieve that so many people have problems with this pricey dishwasher. I think its time to trash this unit before its gets too pricey and dangerous to my family and I. I will too, tell my friends and family to stay away from kitchen aid / whirlpool brands

Cindy of Phoenix, AZ October 12, 2009

Kitchen aid Stainless Steel Dishwasher top of line (expensive) KUDS02SRSS0 Model type 577-0 was purchased exactly 3 years ago Sept 8, 2006. The same problems listed with other people on this page..door balance linkage and lanyard snapped both sides nearly broke my leg as it crashed down...very heavy. Trying to get parts--expensive shipping more than parts. Why would someone put cheap plastic part on something that will get much human activity naturally opening and closing machine to unload and load.

never has held soap or gel well either as listed by others. Tried natural soaps, liquid back to cascade etc...doesn't work and the plastic soap door sticks won't always open when run a load....why plastic in a 1800 Dishwasher? Don't get it. I know they want to make money on parts but this is ridiculous and dangerous. I am surprised the people listed have not written to their respective Attorney Generals of their states....I am going to here in AZ.

Debbie of Dunrobin, ON October 7, 2009

I bought two high end Kitchenaid superba dishwashers for our new house 5 years ago. I have had nothing but problems with them ever since. 3 months after installation we had to have both motors replaced. The clips that hold the upper drawer in the higher position broke after a year, and the spinning water dispenser on the top fell off on one of them. They have leaked many times, and my dishes never come out clean. I have to prewash them if I don't want the glasses to come out with grunge all over the insides (very embarrassing when you offer a guest a drink and have to check all the glasses to find a clean one) It took us 4 months and many broken glasses to figure out how to fill the top glass drawers so that nothing got broken.

And just this week I got a nice scrape right down my shin when the spring on the door broke and the door fell open. We have custom wood panels on the front and we paid a lot of money for the two duds, so we have been reluctant to buy new ones. We live in the country and have hard water, but we have always lived in areas with hard water and have had many different dishwashers that have cleaned the dishes with no problem (we had a maytag one that lasted 10 years with hard water and cleaned the dishes perfectly)

Ellen of New Hyde Park, NY September 26, 2009

When we remodeled our kitchen about seven years ago, I purchased all higher end appliances for my kitchen. I initially wanted a Bosch dishwasher as it was one of the best dishwasher out there but since I have had very bad experiences with dishwashers in the past, I figured I'll pay more for the KitchenAid SS dishwasher, their top of the line integrated one. Within three years, the door came crashing down on my leg because the spring that everyone is coming about must have broken.

I see that I'm not the only one with the problem! It still works but everytime I open the door, it squeaks and I have to lower the door down so it doesn't crash. I'm just waiting for one of the other problems to arise then I'm definitely changing it to the Bosch I originally wanted. From all these comments I've read, I'm never going to order a KitchenAid appliance again.

JENNIFER of HENDERSONVILLE, TN September 22, 2009

My dishwasher door has become extremely dangerous. I have 4 small kids and pets, the door will just come unlatched and crash down with such force that it would seriously hurt someone. My dishwasher is elevated about 12 inches off the floor which makes it even more dangerous and it has cabinet facing on it that makes it very heavy. We have repaired the pully's 3 times since 2007, ordering new ones or putting them back on after they popped off. This last time they broke, the door crashed down while the dishwasher was running and the entire right side of the seal at the bottom broke off. This problem needs to be addressed by Kitchen Aid.

Rhonda of Junction, TX September 15, 2009

I purchased the KitchenAid Dishwasher #KUD102FRSSO for my new home 10/06. The door has been creaking, so I used some WD-40 thinking it was a dry hinge. However, yesterday the door came open with a fury and was so heavy it almmost took off my external fixator device on my right broken arm! It came falling to the end of it's hinge. It has no resistance to the open movement. I see now on the numerous complaints that this is a common malfunction of this model. It doesn't sound to hopeful that Kitchenaid will be of any assistance at this point but I am going to try to figure it out.

Tony of San Jose, CA August 31, 2009

I purchased KitchenAid Dishwasher KUDP021RBL3 on July 2007. After less than 2 years, the switch lights started blinking. For a little while, the machine still worked but now it stops working. I checked online and there seems to be a lot of complaints about the electrical shorts on the control panel for their dishwashers. I rarely use the machine. I may have used it for 12 or 13 times over the 2 years period. I called the warranty help line but they refused to fix the machine under warranty. This is the first time I'm paying extra to get a brand name like KitchenAid. I understand that 1 year warranty has expired but I never expected their product to crap out this quickly. I also read quite a bit of complaints about their dishwashers on the net. So, buyer be warn. You are not getting what you paid for.

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.

Share		Follow us on Twitter.

Terms of Use Your use of this site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use

Advertisements on this site are placed and controlled by outside advertising networks. ConsumerAffairs.com does not evaluate or endorse the products and services advertised. See the FAQ for more information.

Company Response Welcome If complaints about your company appear on our site, we welcome your response. Please see the Response Form for more information.

For more information, see the FAQ and privacy policy. The information on this Web site is general in nature and is not intended as a substitute for competent legal advice.  ConsumerAffairs.com Inc. makes no representation as to the accuracy of the information herein provided and assumes no liability for any damages or loss arising from the use thereof. 

Copyright © 2003-2009 ConsumerAffairs.com Inc.  All Rights Reserved.    The contents of this site may not be republished, reprinted, rewritten or recirculated without written permission.