Sub-Zero Appliances

I put a new Sub-Zero 550 in this house 12 years ago, and it's been used by a family of four. It has been nothing but problems--just a nice-looking but poorly engineered product. The door hinge bearings made of cheap plastic for $30 a set have cracked and caused the door not to close properly. It has failed 5 times.

Freezer door seal split.

These prices are just parts. I am a certified Frigidaire repairman and can fix almost anything. A repairman would have charged hundreds each problem.

Piece of junk. I bought my house in 1997 with a brand new Sub-fancy-zero-all its professed refrigerator already installed. Thought, by the reputation it had (I have no idea how the rep started), I was now owner of an awesome refrigerator. Its been nothing but problems from about 3 years into it and I'm OCD about cleanliness and not to overload the frig!

Thank God I have my old (1987 Frigidaire) as back up in the garage for when this Sub zero piece of junk can't handle a celery stick to stay fresh in it! I have had mold problems, temp control issues, loud noises, fan dysfunction. You name it! What a joke! And to try and find someone to fix these issues costs me more than a new decent refrigerator. Unbelievable. Class action suit please! Disgruntled owners please go to this web site: http://szrotl.com/thankyou.htmhttp://szrotl.com/thankyou.htm.

We built our dream home in 2005, complete with a fabulously designed kitchen with Wolf-Sub-Zero appliances and a wine cellar. In the kitchen, we have an under the counter WSZ wine cooler.

There are many things wrong with those other Wolf-Sub-Zero appliances from the poor functioning of the 5 burner stove to the cracking of the porcelain on the double ovens. Wolf is aware of the design flaws but, has blown us off and wants us to spend thousands for replacements. Our latest appliance failure is with our built-in Sub-Zero 424HAG/S-LH wine cooler that appears to have a leak in the freon unit since it no longer cools and flashes: Service. Not only that, but the unit has ruined the wood floor underneath. They took it to the shop yesterday and claimed it would probably not cost more than $500 to repair. We have already paid $118 for a previous service call. Our heads are spinning!

According to what we have read in Consumer Reports, Wolf-Sub-Zero does not have a good repair record. These appliances are supposed to be "top of the line" and are extraordinarily expensive. We have had many appliances throughout our lives and quite frankly, never owned any that performed so poorly. We never had such an expensive refrigerator go bad either.

It appears that everything is made with planned obsolescence in mind. The company does not seem to stand behind its products. We are very unhappy, believe that we have wasted our money and could never, ever recommend Wolf-Sub-Zero to anyone in good conscience. Our years old Miele and Asko products all work beautifully. Do not waste your money on Wolf-Sub-Zero! Look for other manufacturerswould be our advice.

We have paid to have our model 550 refrigerator repaired several times. We have installed 3 coils, a thermostat, a compressor, three re-charges and a thermocouple. They installed a floor heater to prevent ice build up (a heater inside the refrigerated portion). We just had it repaired today, and 10 hours after the service, the inside temperature is 50 degrees, warmer than before it was repaired. Is there a class-action suit?

I bought Sub Zero model 590. The freezer side continues to freeze up and runs down from the top left side to the bottom. It freezes the whole way down then if you open the door, it starts to unfreeze and leak over your floor. This problem has happened 8 times and the service repair is amounting to a total of $1,860.33. They keep replacing the same parts. Now they are telling me it will cost another $507.37 in parts.

We purchased a Subzero Model 550 Bottom drawer freezer in 1998. It has been nothing but trouble. Interior lighting switch mechanism ($100). Plastic (!) door closing cams (parts and labor $120), 3 major water leaks not from overflowed drip pan. Leaks have damaged my wood flooring and wood paneling on the side. Looks horrendous. Service repairman says that insulation in freezer drawer doesn't last that long and when the humidity gets high in the summer, the freezer will leak. He says we should run our air conditioning more in the summer. The latest is the $950 evaporator replacement.

Oh and I neglected to mention that the metal surfaces that touch the rubber door seals are painted and all the paint is peeling off. Repairman says lots of customers complain about this and one customer put white contact paper over the peeling paint which worked well. You should not have to repair a $5,000 refrigerator with contact paper or have your wood flooring destroyed. I tell everyone who will listen to never buy a subzero refrigerator.

I purchased a Sub Zero, model 550, refrigerator in 1996. The unit has never been problem-free. The factory-authorized repair company has been out to my home many times from the beginning and has replaced the heater and fan and nothing seems to work. They told me last year that they devised a new piece to put in the bottom of the unit that may help the problem. It is not guaranteed and costs $500.

It would seem that there should have been a product recall on a product that has so many design problems. I finally spoke to an honest person that told me the problem stemmed from Sub Zero attempting to meet the Energy Efficiency standards by reducing the heat needed to keep water from freezing as it moved down the drain. I have huge blocks of ice forming on the bottom on the frig and I stopped attempting to defrost the drain as it does not defrost. Mold forms inside from the constant moisture, which is unsafe. How can a unit need a fabricated part to work that was not part of the original design?

This problem was known at the time I purchased the unit. I was not informed by the authorized repair company as I am sure they wanted the servicing business from Sub Zero and were probably prevented from disclosing the truth to the customer.

This situation definitely qualifies for a class action suit. Information was kept from customers about a defective product. Sub Zero had the names of all purchasers who sent in warranty cards and called for repairs due to these defects and was never compelled to replace or cover a real fix for this unit.

The fridge door cannot be opened, and there is always a pool of water. I have cleaned the rear drain three times. This 700 model fridge / freezer is only two years old. The noise is also terrible. I had to open the freezer drawers when I went into the kitchen to stop the fan. This is the most expensive load of rubbish I have ever seen.

We bought a home two years ago and one of the reasons was because it had a beautiful custom kitchen with a Sub Zero refrigerator / freezer. This Sub Zero looks beautiful as it is integrated into the cabinetry however, it has just given us so many problems. In the first year we lived here, we had the repairman fix it, 12 times in six months. We had to shut down the refrigerator and use a stand alone refrigerator in our garage. The temperature will sometimes go up over 40 degrees and they don't know what to do about it. I've called Sub Zero but got no satisfaction. The refrigerator is approximately 14 years and is now out of warranty and it is so disheartening because a new one is way out of our price range and we have no other options as the space is too small to fit an off the rack refrigerator. There are no other options except to purchase a new one, but we wouldn't because we don't have that kind of money to waste and the product is awful. I would never recommend anyone to purchase one.

When we purchased our home in 2005, it came with a Sub-Zero model 532. In the 5 and 1/2 years we have lived here, we have had 17 service calls. We have a home warranty plan and the service people they contract are let's say, not the best. However, this giant hunk of worthless metal has had so many issues, from a mold problem which took two years to monthly bleaching (yes I had to empty the entire fridge and wipe it down with Clorox water until Sub-Zero admitted there was a problem and a "dryer" was installed). The most recent, which made me miss 8 days of work in the past month and loss of approximately $1000 worth of food I had to discard, was a terrible humming noise. They replaced the fan, the thermostat and the seals but it still will only get down to 45 on the top fridge and my veggies are freezing solid in the crisper drawers.

I caution anyone even thinking of investing a penny in one of these albatrosses to look at something more reliable and less expensive to maintain. Sub-Zero does not stand behind their products, they do not admit defaults in their products and they do not inform you of problems such as "molding due to design flaw". They are a bad company with bad products.

I have model 700TC/I. I would love to understand why lighting in top refrigerator was changed from two (2) common available bulbs that cost $1.50 each to four (4) especially made bulbs which was only available through Sub Zero and cost $42.53 each. I realized the effect on their profit margin but would like to think that since I could change the original bulbs 28 times for the price of one new bulb that there had to be another reason.

Glad I have a forum to tell how much I hate this piece of crap, monstrosity. It's a money pit. I wouldn't have bought our house if I'd known what we would have to go through with this built-in refrigerator. It is the most unreliable fridge we've ever owned. At first, trying to get it repaired was a nightmare. The serviceman recommended by the company failed to fix anything right and kept trying to get us to buy a new on for thousands of dollars.

I have a a sub zero refrigerator with bottom freezer # model #650. I had the refrigerator door open fully and then opened the bottom drawer to get something and the whole refrigerator fell forward. I had stepped away for a moment to put something in the sink when the whole refrigerator fell forward. The weight of the door and the bottom drawer must have been too heavy to keep the refrigerator balanced.

When I called the person who installed it, he said that the balancing legs had dropped about an inch in the back causing the refrigerator to become unbalanced. It had been installed properly with a cleat fitting neatly under the back end of the refrigerator. Sub zero should be very specific about installation instructions. It is not enough to just slide the refrigerator in and have it held in place by slipping it under a 2x4 wood cleat.

Someone could have been killed if standing in front of it. The fact that the door was wide open and stopped the refrigerator from falling completely over. The corner of the door was wedged into the floor and held the refrigerator from falling and crashing to the floor. Before someone does get killed your instructions should have warning signs regarding the danger of improper installation. Fortunately, no one was injured by a stoke of luck having moved away from the refrigerator a second before it came out of the wall space.

After two years, my compressor fan is out. Sub-Zero was zero on helping me find a place that would come out. I would tell them each time I was told that Sub-Zero did not pay them enough to come out and find out what was wrong. Finally, I am the one that found Stines in Sulphur, LA that came out and diagnosed the problem and ordered the part.

I bought a floor model and was told it had the same warranty as a brand new one, after all it was only one year old. Well, the warranty is basically void because it was on the floor. If it was only one year old, why drop the warranty? I feel like I have been had by Sub-Zero and by Tri Supply in Beaumont, Texas where I bought it. All food has gone bad. Up until Stines came, the refrigerator was useless.

After 13 years, compressors, evaporator coils and fans have all been replaced. Both are still not cooling properly. Should I just give up? All foods are constantly being replaced. It is just frustrating.

I puchased a Sub zero 680, and 700 fridge units for my custom kitchen mid 2004. I had to replace the compressor on the 700 after only 2 years (among other issues and svc calls for it) and the compressor, compressor fan, and other service issues/calls over the 5 1/2 yrs I've owned it. I have been asking Sub Zero to replace the 680 (which is not being manufactured anymore) because it is now outside of the 100% coverage, and they are playing games. They don't seem to understand that it is not normal to have all of these problems. They keep telling me if I jump through hoops to maintain, and prevent problems like today, the svs tech came out and said my drainage tube is clogged, due to no fault of my own, that it is "normal" I just have to remove the racks and drawers and flush bleach in the tube regularly. That will keep it from clogging, and incurring a service call! Not what I signed up for!

Even if they replace the unit, my cabinets will not fit. So why are they giving me a hard time? Its the least they can do. And that won't really make me happy to have wasted thousands on cabinets I cant use! In the end, they over promise, and under deliver. And when things fall apart, they try to avoid replacement. Like I am looking for a handout. Substantial loss of time, revenue and damage to my pine floor due to leaking. Still dealing with the same unit!

Sub-Zero admitted that they have a problem to the extent that the model I have which is a 550-an older model that is now discontinued, cannot work properly. But Sub-Zero would not agree to replace it. The refrigerator is built and no other model on the market will fit within the housing, meaning the entire area has to be refitted, which is at great expense.

We currently have Sub-Zero Mod 601R/601F dual refer/freezer unit. I will tell you right now that we would not trade these units for anything at double the price or more. In fact this current unit is our second one purchased. The first unit came with our purchased home in 1993. It was at least twelve years old at the time and I have to say that after 14 more years of reliable service we had to replace a compressor that was covered by an appliance repair contract. The current unit is now approximately three and a half years old and again just keeps doing what a Sub-Zero does best.

In reading some of the negative comments from other postings on this site, I have to wonder what was said to the service rep since some of the problems could have been corrected in as little as five minutes. As an example, the one about slamming shut when the door is 45 degrees open and slams open when at about 50 degrees open, duh. It sounds like the service rep is venting his frustration with the owner.

After it's all said and done, there is nothing in the complaints that would discourage me from continuing to purchase Sub-Zero refer/freezer combinations in the future.

We bought a Sub Zero 500 series 13 years ago and were told this superior product was built to last 20 years. We are just starting year 13 and are on our 3rd service call. Of course we are just past the 12 year warrantee and now need a compressor, filter, etc. which was covered up until a few months ago. The bill is about $2K to fix. So their premium product lasts barely 12 years if you spend hundreds and thousands to continue to repair. This product is a rip off.

I have a Sub-zero 736TCI which is brand new. The heavy door on it slams closed at about 45 degree angle open and then slams open at about 50 degree open. When this happens, everything inside goes flying around. They have sent out two installation crews, one repair shop and I have spoken to their in-house tech specialist. Everyone says there is nothing that can be done and that I need to keep one hand on the door at all times. I spent $8000 on this fridge and would not recommend this to anyone. This is clearly a bad design flaw which the company so far is unwilling to stand behind and make right. Do not buy this product.

I purchased this house two months ago and have had problems with the heat pump since I moved in. The fan will stop running, there are times when smoke comes out of the top. It looked like the motor was on fire. I called First American Home Warranty and they called out Sub-Zero to do a service call. They came out on Friday (Jan.16) and told us that the heater was not running efficiently and it should be replaced because it cannot be repaired. They also told us that the unit should have been placed on a platform and that there were fins missing and coils running from the unit to the wall of the house that was exposed and should be covered. Now, they are claiming that they never said that the unit needs to be replaced nor are they saying that there is a problem with it.

This company distributes stainless steel bottles under the name Subzero. Labeling makes claims to inaccurate statements regarding safety...The bottles were sold at Walgreen's and BonTon stores. Our bottles are rusting inside! These products have to stop being sold to consumers.

I own a 632 platnum sub zero refer and this would be my second one at that!!! My first was a 632 stainless and I never had a problem with it excelent product built to last. That particular cabinet stayed in the home I sold 3years ago and I know the people who bought my home. The refer is still working and doing its job the people who own it now are very happy with their appliances since I also had a 36 duel fuel wolf n hood everything still works.I bought a bigger home and installed another 632 platnum 48 duel fuel wolf n pro hood wolf I love my appliances and wouldnt trade them for anything else although my oven window had a broken seal but was replaced within 3 days at no cost to me. everybody loves my Gourmet Kitchen and the food it helps me prepare.I cant wait to get the new BI-48 I love its boldness and will look nice in my home!!!! Thank you SUB ZERO for outstanding products !!!!!

Our model 700 BR required repair. The parts were covered under warranty. Sub Zero gives exclusive contracts for warranty repair. This allows the repair company to charge a labor rate that is unreasonable. The repair technician was here for a total of 2 hours and six minutes and we were charged $698 for labor only. This is $335 per hour, more than most attorneys charge. This rate is over double what other reair companies would charge. The difference would certainly cover the cost of the parts.

Over charged by about $350.

I bought a new SubZero 36" 736TC integrated refrigerator. From the moment it was installed and turned on 10 days ago, it was noisy. I complained to the vendor and to the Subzero. The authorized repair service said the noise was normal. I went to a showroom two days ago where there was one installed and running and it did not make noise. Subzero will do nothing about it. They say if the service man says the noise is normal then there's nothing they need to do. But it's not normal!

I've called two other SubZero dealers and they both told me they have never heard noise from a SubZero or had any complaints on this model. I cannot even run the refrigerator when I'm home. It is the sound of a microwave oven running ( all the time!). I spend $6,500 on this and I have no refrigerator in my new kitchen.

Our Sub-Zero Model 550 Refrigerator-Freezer has given us problems similar to those expressed by Ramona of Sauk City WI (01/01/06). We inherited it when we bought our house in December, 1999, by which time the unit) was 6 or 7 years old. Today (6/25/2008), eight years later, we've had a service person out three times so far this year and several times in the past eight years. We've installed a floor heater to create a barrier between the refrigerator and the freezer. We've had both thermostats replaced, etc. Nothing serious, the repair guy says. What's serious? Replacing the compressor!

The upside is that Sub_Zero is the "only" manufacturer that has two compressors, one for the freezer, one for the refrigerator. Apparently, that's a plus because if one dies, the other will still be working. we've no plans to replace the Sub-Zero brand, but we'd like if Sub-Zero had the integrity to use thermostats were not designed to fail every year or two. Manufactured "god-knows-where," they fail far more frequently than American-made thermostats had in the past, according to one service person.

After reading about Whirlpool refrigerators burning down a house, KitchenAid refrigerators not standing behind their product, and all the other refrigerators - I really appreciate all of your comments. I had a Subzero Refrigerator since 1982, and it finally quit in 2005. Of course, I always cleaned the vent from all the dust every six months and didn't have a water dispenser on the door. Even though it is very expensive, I think I'll get another Subzero--after reading about all the other refrigerators, the food costs of over $500 lost, and all the noise coming from them. Thank you all for letting me know!

This is a running list of the problems that I have had with my 2001 Subaru Forester. The buttons on the stereo get so hot that it is difficult to change the radio stations. The factory CD player (400$ to replace) stopped working in 2003. The driver side visor has been replaced twice and is broken again. It is very fragile and appears to only work if you don't ever move it. The rear hatch leaks hydraulic fluid. The front lights have burned through the wiring and have had to be replaced. The gear shift area does not light up to show what gear you are in at night. The clock has not worked since 2003. The transmission slips. This car does have 84,000 miles on it now and appears to be slowly falling apart. Customer beware!

Subzero model 550 refg purchased in 1993, had nothing but problems. Froze up in freezer compartment. Service man ran wire to use heat off compressor to remedy. Then appliance froze up in refrigerator part. 4" block of ice formed across bottom shelf. Service man sent out again. This happened SEVERAL times, costing me time off work, only to have the problem reoccur almost immediately after service man left.

Complained to appliance store where purchased, Kennedy Hahn, also complained to Subzero direct. Only remedy they would offer was yet another worthless service call. Problem went on for 13 years.

Finally this spring, 2005, company rep came to house. Unit moved out and found frozen to WALL!!!! Water had been periodically leaking badly accross the kitchen floor all during this time. Rep from Subzero would not make any offer other than to "let me buy yet another" refrig. to replace this. No money offered, nothing all during this time. Appliance store would not answer my phone calls or letters of complaint. Refrigetator cost $4000 !!!!! and was nothing but junk!