I had 4 thermostats replaced, after using the self-clean in my Kitchen Aid wall oven. I called Kitchen Aid several times, and they said they didn't know of any reasons as to why this was happening, nor did they give me a solution. The last service person said this was a common problem, and that the fan had to be replaced with a larger one. This solution came from a "service pointer" from Whirlpool (December 2008). The original fan was too small, and had to replaced with W10176670.
Consumer Complaints & Reviews
Our Kitchen Aid Wall oven was installed in 2008. In October 2011, we had a power outage that lasted a few days. The 3 year old wall oven did not come back when power resumed. The display panel is gone, and a replacement plus labor will cost $300. We have experienced additional problems with 3 other Kitchen Aid appliances (lights not working, faulty parts). Customer service was unresponsive and tries to sell warranties.
Like what happened to thousands other people, my KitchenAid Superba oven (Model No.: KEBS177DBL7 / Serial No.: XJ3101002) refused to heat up after I used the self cleaning feature for the first time. Of course, it was the infamous blown thermostat. I contacted the KitchenAid customer service, providing links to other complaints about the same issue and asking just for a new part. They said that even though I am a valuable customer, they can't help me since the oven is out of warranty. Fine.
Then, I asked to be redirected to a supervisor, who finally called me back. I told her (the supervisor) that everybody knows about this problem so KitchenAid should issue a recall. But she just kept on telling me that the oven is out of warranty and she can't help me. I said, "Fine. I will join the army of unhappy customers in the Internet and will just spread the word about how badly KitchenAid design their products." She again said that she can't help me. Oh, well, apparently, KitchenAid doesn't care.
We remodeled our kitchen in 2000. We hired a firm to do the design & remodel. We had a KitchenAid wall oven installed. I've used the self clean function several times with no problem. The last time I cleaned the oven was Christmas Eve 2003. We were cooking Christmas dinner for friends and family the next day when we discovered the oven wouldn't turn on. It's now Feb 16, 2004 and I still do not have a functioning oven.
The repair shop has told me the fan in the back was inadequate to cool the oven and would need to order the 'Fix' kit. At first we were told it would take approximately 2 weeks to get the part. The repair shop has since called Whirlpool (the manufacturers of KitchenAid) directly and have been told it's on National back order! Apparently there's a major flaw with this oven and they cannot keep the part in stock. I've contacted Whirlpool and was told the oven was too far out of warranty (it was 3 years old) for them to do anything for me.
I've contacted the interior design firm we hired to do the remodel and they've contacted Sears Contracting where they bought the oven from. Sears has told them the same thing, it's too far out of warranty for them to do anything. In another week I will have been without an oven for 2 months with no end in sight. This oven is only 3 years old! The warranty may be only 1 year but the oven should work far beyond that.
Christmas dinner was looking like a disaster. We had a prime rib to cook and no oven to cook it in. At the last minute we placed it in the BBQ, luckily it turned out okay. I have been unable to bake for almost 2 months now. I normally bake every weekend or every other weekend. My daughter is in college, she's complained we haven't sent her any homebaked cookies in what feels like forever. Dinner choices are limited to what can be cooked on the stove or on the BBQ. Dinners such as lasagna have to be purchased precooked and heated in the microwave.
Whirlpool's customer service is very poor. For a high end appliance such as their KitchenAid line you expect much better than this.
