John Deere Reviews

Transmission was replaced on the John Deere LA 135 lawn tractor after 290 hours. It would not go up hill.

Bought a Deere L125 Lawn tractor, the engine seized and I had a friend's engine from his LA145 put into it. All's well until now. My tractor won't go up hills of any size. I had to pay my friend $600 for the engine from his and another $400 to the dealer to put it in. Now, unless the ground is level, I can't go anywhere.

At only 200 hours operation, the fuel tank on my X475 developed a crack and started spraying fuel under the tractor. This crack in the fuel tank is obviously a very dangerous condition. Since JD no longer had the exact replacement tank (I wonder why?), I had to pay an additional cost for a new fuel sender + harness + labor. So bottom line, I had to fund their design mistake. The total was $670.00! I've logged a complaint with JD. We'll see what they will do for me. I also intend to file an official complaint with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. JD should own up if they have an issue. Every company can have an issue. It's what you do about it that matters. $670.00 in unexpected repairs, ruined lawn where it was spraying fuel over an area of about an acre.

We purchased a John Deere LA 135 the day the warranty ran out I was mowing didn’t like the cut or the chatter from the mower deck. I pulled the deck off thinking the blades were bad but they looked good and sharp. I removed the guards from around the mower deck blade pulleys. I found cracks around all the bolts that fastened the pulley to the deck. Could not get a satisfactory answer from the dealer so I repaired it. Low and behold the other side has the same problem.

I purchased a John Deere L120 from the previous owner of my home. I asked him how he mowed the 1+ acre yard which was very steep and he said the riding mower worked fine. I should have researched this site first. The mower ran up and around the yard 1 time and then refused to move.

I bought a John Deere 100 series tractor 3 years ago at Lowes and have 150 hours on it. It has the 48 inch deck and I paid around $3000. It will no longer pull a hill after it warms up. I have found out this is a common problem with this series of tractor. I also was told from a John Deere dealer the tractor was not worth fixing. Upon talking to other mower repair places, they have 12-14 tractors in with the same problem this year. I also was told it is around an $800 repair to fix the transmission. I can't believe John Deere can't and won't stand behind their problem. The problem is I don't have money lying around just to buy a new tractor. So, John Deere saying it wrong is like a deer should say it runs like a deer that’s been shot.

Two years ago, I bought a used LT190 from a local dealer (non-Deere) who took this mower in on trade. I ran the serial number through our local John Deere dealer and found that there had never been any problems with it. It had 155 hours on the meter. I started noticing that after the mower was warmed up, it had difficulty going up inclines, however small. I now have 259 hours on it and the problem is getting worse. I've since learned that this is a common problem with the Tuff Torq K-46 transmission. Since Deere has put this same transmission in several models over the years, knowing full well by the number of consumer complaints that there is a problem, it seems reasonable that they should be held accountable for this. 259 hours is not a lot of time! I cannot afford a new mower or $1,000 to buy a new transmission. I was buying a Deere based on name and reputation.

I have always liked John Deere. I have had several big tractors over 80HP, they were great. In fact, I still have an 85 HP that has never failed me. So when I saw the L series lawn mower at Home Depot, I didn't hesitate to buy one. I did ask about service on it and the clerk pointed out the sticker of our local dealer on the mower. So I purchased a 2002 L120 with the 48-inch deck. The rest of that season, it did fine, was a little hard to start, but nothing to cry about. The second season was when things started happening. The deck spindles started failing. No grease fittings. When I talked with the dealer, I was told the replacement spindles had the fittings but that mine was not covered by any warranty since it was over a year.

I bought a new John Deere LA130 mower 3 years ago. I paid $2,300 for it. The transmission went out. I'm trying to get enough signatures about this issue to bring a lawsuit against this company. What happened to the phrase, “Nothing runs like a Deere?” My wife and I used our savings to buy this and now we have nothing. How can Americans be treated like this, thinking we're spending our hard earned money for something that's suppose to be the best in the world and ending up with nothing.

I've been reading a lot about buying from a John Deere dealership, instead of discount stores. I have a 6 year old L120 with 318 hours that I bought from a local JD dealership a year after my father in law bought the same model from Lowe's. Which he has over 400 hours on? Both of us are mechanics and have taken excellent care of them. However I have had numerous problems with mine, and he hasn't had any problems thus far. So much for that theory. It started when the electrical plug on the PTO started breaking. Little did I know that the bracket holding the clutch from spinning had worn out, (faulty) and that in turn allowed too much play in the PTO, which eventually took out the clutch, and put excess pressure on the main bearing, which in turn caused the main seal to leak oil. I will probably purchase another mower verses repairing this one, due to the cost. However it will not be a JD!

We have owned our riding mower for 2 years and maintain it well. It is stored in winter. We are finding large pieces of paint peeling off around any area that has an opening. The paint is bubbling and dropping off. We notice it is starting to rust where the paint is gone. Who or where can we get something done before we have an old rust bucket.

I purchased a l165 lawnmower from this dealer. It had 8 hours on the clock. I asked why it was returned to the dealer and the salesman said it was too small for the man yard - red flag. I asked, "what type mower did he buy?". He didn't, he got a refund. I have owned this mower for almost two years and I have got to use it about three are four times. It will not crank. You run the battery down trying to crank it. After several trips to the dealer and several calls to John Deere, I'm stuck with a mower that mostly in the way it has fourteen hours on it now and I cut my grass with a Murray mower. I waited along time to get a John Deere. Now I wish I bought something else.

My dad owns a John Deere 757 Zero Turn Mower. He has changed the oil every season and keeps it clean. While cutting a small yard (about an acre), I did not have any problems. When I loaded it on the trailer and drove about 30 minutes down the road to cut my parent's house, it sounded different on start up. I tried to turn on the blades and it did not have any power. I shut down the engine and noticed the left side was not getting any gas.

John Deere L120 engine would run for about 1/2 hour then quit. I changed filter several times, kept doing same thing. Noticed when I changed the filter, I heard a gurgling sound in the gas tank. We re-drilled the small breathing hole in gas cap. It had fumed over and plugged the small hole. It runs fine now. Now, the mower deck belts keep jumping off.

What is sad is that I just junked my John Deere 110 from 1970. I used if for 12 seasons and only broke one belt and re-did the deck bearings. The transaxle seals were shot and the old Kohler 181 series engine needed $500 in parts and machine work. After reading up on newer tractors, I see that the entry level 1970 quality tractor cannot be purchased at any price. I'm looking for a new old John Deere.

I bought a John Deere L118 riding mower from a JD dealer who is no longer in business. After 4 seasons and about 100 hours the transaxle is bad. I have a rolling lot of about 1/3 acre which I was told by the dealer was no problem and even sold me a blade for pushing snow off of the driveway (I used it 2 times). I have read many complaints of these mowers with the K46 transaxle failing and being undersized for the mower. When I called the dealer I was told they could replace the transaxle with the same type for $800-$1000. This is half the price of the mower and the dealer told me that this repair actually totals out the mower and to buy a G300 which is a much heavier model and is about $5000. I feel that the transaxle should be replaced because they are undersized, evident by the numbers of complaints. I bought a John Deere because they are supposed to be awesome and even bought at a dealer to avoid "box store" lower quality merchandise.

I purchased an L120 riding mower in 2003. What a piece of junk! Lets start with the electrical system, first the dealer replaced the PTO wiring, then the reverse safety switch. When that didn't work, they then replaced the entire wiring harness! Ever since then, the tractor will not recharge the battery. Then the deck. I have replaced every spindle because the original spindles froze up. Then the deck broke and had to be welded. Also the springs which engage the blades has been replaced three times. Now for the steering! Each spindle bearing has worn out and needs replacing.

John Deere g100 transmission went out after three years. I bought this new.

Custer County ImpI purchased a z445 zero turn riding lawn mower as a mulching mower from John Deere expecting it to be the best because of name and price but am I disappointed. The local dealer has picked up my mower so many times, I gave them a key to my garage, trying to fix the problem. I purchased this mower strictly for its mulching capabilities and brand recognition, hoping to have the best. Wrong! I have to mow every other day with a height of no less than 3" and go over the yard at least twice. The dealer that sold the tractor to me has increased the rpm to above record standards which will probably reduce the life of the engine. I am so disappointed and helpless because I do not believe the local dealer is at fault but I don't know what to do. I have not received what I paid for.

I bought a 100 Series LA115 in June of 2009. The tractor currently has 19 hours on it and the crank is burnt and the rod is broken. I filed a complaint with John Deere and they claim it was consumer neglect due to lack of lubrication (not true) and will not cover a new motor under the warranty. I purchased this tractor from Lowe’s and if I had read this forum before I purchased it, I never would have bought one. John Deere looks for any excuse not to cover their product under warranty. I paid $1600.00 for this tractor and it’s less then a year old and all I have now is a piece of **. They want me to pay $1000.00 to have a new engine put in. Not happening. I also had a craftsman mower for 16 years and did not have any issues with that. From now on I'll stick with Craftsman. I would be very interested in a class action suit if anyone can get one started.

My problem is the same as John's from Faribault, MN. I bought a new John Deere L120 mower and this is the beginning of the fourth season and the hydrostatic transmission is shot. I thought the name John Deere meant quality but, boy, was I wrong! The warranty is expired and the cost to repair is almost as much as the purchase price and not many people work on John Deere mowers. Very disappointed and angry! I can't decide to get it fixed or replace it with another brand. I hear that if I get it fixed, it won't last long before it happens again. What a rip off!

I purchased a new John Deere L120 from a dealer and have had nothing but problems with the hydrostatic transmission. It was replaced once under warranty but has failed again (warranty now expired). As I have seen with the other complaints by other owners, this problem is not unique to me. I wish something could be done about this. The repairs are almost the same price as the original purchase price of the unit! What a screw job!

I own a John Deere X320 and pull a 850lbs lawn roller with ease and this tractor is built like a tank. I think the problem that people are having is due to using too small of a tractor or mower for the job they have to do. There will always be issues with any brand and that is what a warranty is for, so get the extended warranty when making a large purchase and the extended warranty is very inexpensive to buy. Also, you can't just abuse or mistreat a machine because it's a Deere and they need maintenance too. My X320 comes with a 4-year 300 hour warranty and I expect that it will live long past that even with the heavy work load that I ask of it. My advice to anyone buying a mower/tractor is do some research on what machine you will need for your specific yard/work before buying, not overworking a machine then complaining about it.

My lawn mower is 12 yrs old. Never had a problem with it. Mowed my entire lawn, parked it, took my daughter to her art class, was gone for 10 minutes, came back and lawn mower was up in flames. Totally gone. The whole front of the engine melted to nothing, hood, etc. Had to put out fire. Junk. Burnt ground around where it was sitting.

I bought a John Deere Gator new, and from day one, it has had a knock in the rear end that got louder and louder. Also, it brakes on the front end slap and makes noise. I was told John Deere didn't know how to fix them. I got a man to fix the rear end, and it was going bad. But John Deere would not do anything about it but came and got it every time and charged $80.

Both of my John Deere is dealer bought lawn tractors about $6,000 each. The transaxle on the one is a joke, I was told it that the tractor was designed for a person less than 200 lbs when I started to have problems, but nothing was said by the same dealer when I was looking and bought the tractor that there was a weight limit of the operator of 200 lbs. The hoods are like egg shells after a couple of years, one cracked when a cold can of soda was placed on the hood. The gasket for the gasoline tank cap doesn't hold up and you have to buy the $15 cap instead of the gasket. So the ones you buy at the dealers must be same low quality that Lowes and Home Depot sell. When I was at the dealer last week ordering a new hood they had the same model number on the sale floor as Discount stores. So JD must also stand for Junk from Dealer. The costs of the hoods are over couple hundred plus each.

This message is for anyone who is having trouble with the transmission on the John Deere mowers. The company that makes the transmissions (Tuff Torque) offered to add a drain plug to the k58 and below transmissions for $25 but John Deere refused. I find it odd that the more powerful John Deere mowers with stronger transmissions are offered with a drain plug and a schedule to change the oil from John Deere but they seal the weaker ones so you cannot change the trans fluid which gets dirtier and more used than the engine oil due to the mechanics of a hydro.

I purchased a John Deere garden tractor G100 series from an Ace/True Value in 2007. I had trans-axle issues with it since day one. Dealer rebuilt the tran-saxle every year under warranty, there were not too many problems there. So, as soon as it goes out of warranty, guess what? The trans-axle is shot. It will be $1700 to repair, one third the price of the tractor new. I will not get it fixed, and will never buy a John Deere again.

Just to complain a little more with all of you and your John Deere stories, I want to add a little fuel to the fire. The only John Deere I've owned was an 8630. Just a little bigger than a lawn tractor (laughing out loud). Anyway, the reason so many people are having troubles with JD lawn tractors is not because small JD tractors are junk, it's because they've sold out their name.

Like another of your complaints, we have a John Deere JS63. Our gas tank cracked on a seam near the engine. It is an extreme hazard, as gas can go onto a hot engine to start a fire. It is $40 for a new tank. It is located under a cover and should not crack under normal wear and tear. It has to be a defect, since other people are having this problem.

The transaxle on my 2002 John Deere L120 is starting to make noise and slip. After I mow a while, it will barely go on level ground, so forget about the small grades we have in our lawn. It's better after it cools down, so I can mow in shifts. I googled what the trouble might be and was shocked to find how many owners are having trouble with John Deere's with the K46 transaxle. Most of their machines were much newer than mine. One man had replaced his K46 with a stronger K66 with good results. He then started making up kits to sell with all the parts necessary for the upgrade. I think the kits started selling for around $1000, including new bigger wheels and tires for the rear.

I bought L188 John Deere Tractor for approximately $1900.00 three years ago. This model has a hydrostatic transmission. I also purchased the dual grass catcher, a bumper and a sun top. We have an average yard of less than 1 acre. There is a small hill in the back yard. The third summer we started mowing, the mower just would not pull. It sounded like the transmission was slipping. After inquiring at the Home Depot store and speaking with other small engine repair shops, we find that this model is notorious for this kind of problem. The estimates we were getting for repair work was around $1500.00. About the price of a new one! I went to the John Deere dealer in town and he told me I made my mistake by buying at the Home Depot because their mowers are not true JD parts! How was I to know? I was also told that this model mower with the hydrostatic transmissions was only recommended for less than 15% grade. It didn't specify that in the book anywhere. Now I have a practically new mower with all the extras that I can use as a paperweight. Not to mention all the T-shirts and hats that I will not wear anymore. I received no help from Home Depot or John Deere. I do not feel like I got nearly my monies worth of mowing. It would cost me approximately $1500.00 to repair. Obviously, I will not have it fixed.

I purchased brand new Z245 50 days ago from Home Depot. I have had it serviced several times in its 7 hours of life at Ray's Lawn & Garden. I have mowed with it 4 times at less than an acre and have had nothing but problems with it. Let me preface this by saying I was very excited to get this mower, even spent over $700 on add-ons. Anyways, first, some parts were missing right off the bat and Home Depot ordered them for me, it was nice that Home Depot did this and did not make me go through the dealer. Then the battery was dead and would not charge, Home Depot swapped this out for me as well. Then when I tried to mow for the first time it was not cutting right so I had it looked at and one side of one of the 3 blades was not even sharp, the machine did not cut an edge on it at all, it was completely un-machined! I took a picture and then sharpened it myself on a grinding wheel.

We bought a John Deere Z245 mower from Home Depot. I service my equipment regularly and had changed the oil at the end of the 2008 mowing season. I always check the oil and gas levels before mowing. During the 2nd mow of the season (only 4 hours into the new oil and oil filter) the piston rod broke and knocked a hole in the engine block. Oil went everywhere and the engine locked up.

I purchased the Zero-Turn John Deere Mower in May 2007. I purchased it at Lowes of Corbin, KY. The mower has 120 hours on it. It is having transmission problems. Of course the warranty was up in May 2009. I have heard several people with the same problems. After speaking with a manager at Lowes, I was informed they have had numerous problems with this particular mower. We spent $3,000.00 on this mower and always had high respect for John Deere products until this happened. John Deere should do a recall and solve the problems with these particular mowers.

The opportunity of a lifetime is waiting for any attorney willing to take on John Deere. After five years of continual problems with my John Deere L130, my transaxle is now shot. I cannot afford to replace it, but if I do, my total repair costs will be approaching the purchase price of this machine. In my search for answers regarding the many problems I have experienced, I have discovered that apparently most owners of any of the John Deere "L" series tractors have the same problems I have had, engine smoking and backfiring, blade spindles burning up due to lack of lubrication (since no provisions for lubrication are provided on the stock spindles), front axles breaking, blade/drive clutch failure, uneven cutting, and of course transaxle failure.

I purchased a John Deere lawn tractor thinking I was buying the best. I have owned it for five years and maintained it religiously. Out of the blue, the transmission went out with only 120 hours on the tractor hour gauge. I now am looking at a minimum of $500.00 to repair it, but if you listen to the experts, it is going to cost me more like $1,000.00 to upgrade the transmission to one that will last more than 50-100 hours. I think this is an absolute disgrace and John Deere should be held accountable, especially when to look on the Internet and see hundreds of complaints about the same problem and some poor people with less hours on their tractors than mine.

I purchased a John Deere L118 riding mower approximately four years ago with less than three hundred hours on the engine, the hydrostatic transmission needs replacement. The case is full of loose parts and metal shavings! I bought a JD, so I wouldn't have to worry about another Sears Mower giving up on me after 8-10 years. The quality of the tranny on this JD is extremely poor. With two of my three children in college, I simply can't afford to buy another mower and the replacement part and labor is over $800.00.

I bought a L145 at Lowe’s. The second summer I owned this junk, most of the paint had fallen of in large chunks, transmission is shot completely and I have replaced both front axles. There is more, but what a hunk of junk. Response from John Deere is absolutely nothing except they would be glad to sell you all you need to repair it. I will not only never own a John Deere again but will openly tell all I can to discourage anyone from ever buying any John Deere product.

I guess it should be "nothing runs like a deere" but should be "nothing dies like a deere." I bought a John Deere L110 tractor. It has 200 hours on it. After the first week, I needed a new flywheel. Now I need a new transmission. I had a Craftsman for 10 years without any major problems. I'm sure John Deere will not read this and respond; they are the most insensitive and rude company I have ever dealt with.

I have a under warranty John Deere premium grade lawn and garden tractor that sometimes emits a huge amount of smoke when started. John Deere knows what is wrong but won't correct it.

I purchased a mower in 2009 at Lowe's in Sandusky, OH. It worked fine when mowing on the level ground. Our front lawn, however, is on a slight down-slope away from the house. The mower always stalled going up the slight up slope. I have tried tinkering with the carburetor, but without success. This year I cannot get it to mow at all.

Never purchase a John Deere tractor from anyone except the dealer. Here we go. I purchased a z425 zero turn 23hp at Lowe's in March of '08. Everything was maintained, oil, air filter. I even had the valves adjusted at 250 hours as specified by the John Deere. Well, within 35 hours of John Deere of Covington, Louisiana did their valve adjustments, I had a valve stem bend and knock a hole through my engine.

The PTO shaft broke inside the gear box at the snap ring. The new PTO shaft does not have snap ring where it broke on the original shaft, John Deere redesigned shaft to make it more robust. They made me pay for shaft and bearings which equaled $445.00 in parts. John Deere admitted there is a problem with this shaft in a letter that they printed out for me but said there was nothing that they could do about it.

Nothing runs like a Deere, nothing falls apart like one either. I have had the low cost 42inch riding mower for two years. It breaks every time I use it. The very expensive commercial Deere’s may be good, I do not know. But this Deere of mine was designed by an idiot. The belt is completely exposed. You go over a twig or small branch and it breaks the belt. I have been through 5 belts in 2 years. I have had the belt fall off over 15 times. All it would take is a simple low cost belt guard. Now, the thing that holds the pulley has broken.

First of all, I like your product. In fact, I recommended it to my son and my wife's brother to purchase a tractor and a riding mower, which they did. I always had a Cadet and switched to John Deere a couple of years ago. I brought my riding mower in for service, over two weeks ago for a tune up. I couldn't believe what it cost for what work was performed. They changed my oil and filter, changed my fuel filter, replaced spark plug and air filter, sharpened blades, and also leveled deck. Why? I don't know. They also greased and checked the tire pressure and condition of belts and pulleys. Total for all parts was $36.50, and labor, $176.00.

Hydrostatic transmission went out on my John Deere L120 with 400 hours. Never abused, would expect to last many times longer, transmission not like regular John Deere but sealed, so can not change oil. Home Depot product not as John Deere product. Replace transmission cost $720.00, but not worth it, can buy new Murray or other brand for not much more. My last Murray lawn mower never stopped, just got tired of looking at it.

I bought a $600.00 self propelled lawn and I have had it about 2 years and the repair shop tells me that the transmission is out. My opinion of John Deere is a little lower than it was. It should have lasted longer than 2 years. The repair shop said that the mower still looked new. My wife got mad because I bought John Deere mower and paid that kind of price for it. She went and bought a Murray mower.

The John Deere LT 13 hp 38" never had the get up and go as it should have. It took twice as long to mow a lawn because of lack of power.

I have owned two different lawn mowers; one rider that the transmission went out on just owning right over two years and a self-propelled push mower that was only over two years old and the transmission went out and you have to replace the whole transmission on both of those. The transmission cost over half of the price of a new one. They are junk, don't ever spend any money on any John Deere product. I never will buy another John Deere product.

On 8/24/2009, I sent a letter detailing my complaint to John Deere about my L-120 lawn tractor. All I received back was a phone call from a supervisor named Joanne, who essentially brushed me off, accusing me of overusing the tractor and thus being the cause of its mechanical problems, rather than acknowledging that John Deere was responsible for its faulty equipment. Since I purchased my L-120 John Deere lawn tractor in the spring of 2003 for $2330.94, I have had to spend $1852 on repairs.

My tractor is not working well, model no. 5310 John Deere year 2008. My nearest dealer's address is Rampura Phul.

I bought a new John Deere 2008 Diesel Gator XUV850. After two years and only 69 hours, it shut off. I took it to Hendrix where I bought it for them to fix it. They told me it had been underwater since there was water in the motor. I also have a 2009 5225 Tractor. I had them pull the filter on it and it was wet. I live near the coast and when there is lot of moisture in the air, my porch floors are wet. I have been checking my air filter on the tractor and it is wet at those times.

I bought a new John Deere 5603 tractor in 2007. I have had numerous problems with this tractor: hydraulic leak, front end loader quit working two times, bolts loose in top of cab, lights worked on three times at farm, lights worked on two times at dealership, clutch now bad and PTO hard to engage. Tractor is still in warranty but they tell me John Deere might not cover fixing PTO problem. Tractor only has 542 hours on it. Would you be a satisfied customer? Do I need a lawyer to help me with this problem?

I have a 2001 John Deere Sabre 25 hp garden tractor, and I don't think the head gaskets should go bad at 420 hours. I change my oil and filter every 10 hours, using Mobil One Fully Synthetic Oil. I am a very fussy person, and paying in excess of $400 for head gaskets burns me.

We bought a John Deere riding mower in 11/08 and have nothing but problems with it. We have replaced 3 belts on it and had the mower deck replaced. Now 2 weeks after that, we need another mower deck and they say it is our fault like always. My husband had to have a John Deere. I said you are paying for the name and boy I was right because now, they want $700.00 to fix it because it was our fault. They made no mistakes putting the new deck on it. I found out that if the deck is not balanced right, it will break again and it did.

I purchased a John Deere L-111 from a JD Dealer in late 2005 (so it didn't see much action that year). And by now (8/2009), the transmission has been replaced and I have to replace the mower deck because the welds failed at the rear mounting brackets. This tractor has been garage kept and only used to mow a level residential yard (about 1 acre), and should not have had these failures. Fortunately, the transmission replacement was covered under warranty, and the mowing deck failure is being split 3 ways (dealer, JD, and me) so it's less expensive. But I still think that a mowing deck should last longer than that. Someone said these were substandard decks and they'd been discontinued, in favor of a heavier metal version. I still consider myself lucky to be helped out like this, but it shatters my image of John Deere as a quality product.

I had a John Deere 318 serviced for routine service and also had a relay switch replaced. The final bill was several hundred dollars over what they originally stated it would be. When we complained, they said if we couldn't pay, they would just sell our tractor to get their money. We had to borrow money to pay them off so we could get our tractor back.

I bought an L120 riding lawn mower from Home Depot and have had nothing but trouble with this mower! We have put an extensive amount of money in repairing, replacing, and constructing make-shift parts to keep it running! I called and complained to John Deere, but no one tried to help or even had sympathy for us. A Do-Cut Store that deals with John Deere said they have had many, many customers with the same problem as that of us.

We purchased a brand new John Deere L120 Lawn Tractor in 2005, price was $2,800. This was to be the "last lawnmower" we would need as it was a Deere and nothing runs like a Deere. Our previous mower was a Sears Craftsman purchased in 1991 and it is still going strong for its new owner. The L120 machine was used exactly as it was advertised for - cutting grass and light yard work. When the 2-year warranty was up, the motor began to leak oil. I called John Deere - the warranty had expired so they would not cover this. John Deere wanted a high price to transport my machine as well as wanting to charge a very high cost for parts and labor. In the end, we had an authorized Briggs and Stratton dealership fix this machine. Their cost was reasonable.

I have a John Deere 102 series that is three years old. In the last eight months, the paint on the main deck and finders is separating. The paint is peeling off in large sheets like paper. We have gone to the dealer and all they can do is replace the pieces for $500, so we called customer service and got no help from them. Someone was supposed to call us back and no one ever did.

The L-120 series is a pretty sorry lawn mower. The decks will not stay adjusted, you bump anything and you have to readjust the mowing height of these decks. The plastic hood mounts are broken. This is just cheap, sorry quality.

I own a John Deer rider La 150 (54-inch cut, 26 horsepower). I lost my husband with cancer in 2004 and struggle living on my own. So I thought I would invest in a good mower, and I have heard such good things about them from people in my area, since it's agricultural. So I paid a good sum (almost $3,000 ) for this mower, and I've had nothing but problems with keeping a belt on it. The belt is either slipping off or breaking. And to this day, I'm again waiting for the guy to pick it up with a new belt. I am so sick of this mower. I don't know what to do anymore. It has been altered so many times to try to get it straight and it isn't yet. I called John Deer and complained. They told me to call the repair people. I'm sick of paying for repairs also. If someone could help or tell me what I need to do at this point, it would be much appreciated.

In 1995, I bought a John Deere self-propelled push mower. The mower served me well and still runs, except the self-propelled mechanism barely works. So it is basically a push mower. The dealer I bought the John Deere from is Finnerman's in Centreville, Michigan. They always did an excellent job servicing my mower, and I was happy with John Deere's quality. In June, I decided to buy another mower, and I decided to pay more for a John Deere expecting quality and service. I paid $486 for a JS25 self-propelled mower. On the third time I used the mower, I hit the tip of the blade on a metal sea wall and the camshaft was broken. I had a 30-day guarantee to return the mower if not satisfied. I was prepared to pay to fix the mower when to my surprise, the cost for repair was $330, almost the price of a new mower.

I use my mower about twice a week for a couple of hours a week. As I was cutting grass, I noticed a small winding sound like a bearing going out. I called the Athens JD Dealer and they had two spindles and an idler pulley in stock for my L118. I went over to pick them up. And they advised me I would need 8 10mm bolts to mount them with, because the ones they use are designed to break after installed in the removal process, and seven of the eight did break.

I bought an L118 from Home Depot in 2005. I use it to mow about an acre of lawn and plow snow off of a 75-foot driveway in the winter and hauling the 10P utility cart around the yard for general use, nothing that it wasn't designed for. I keep it maintained by the manual. I was mowing last weekend and the transmission made a horrible clunk. I pulled onto the driveway and got off only to find oil pouring out of the bottom of the trans. Something came apart inside and blasted through the case. JD won't help. The dealer, of course, wants me to come in and spend $800 to fix it. I spent $2,000 on it to begin with.

I bought a z425 John Deere from Home Din Quincy, Il. In June of 2008, I have had nothing but trouble from this mower since I brought it home.

I grew up with the John Deere tractor. My dad and his brother farmed 2 quarter sections of land with John Deere Model "D" on steel in the 30s. Later on, they acquired a John Deere Model "A" row-crop tractor. I just about froze to death on that thing in the spring and almost melted in the summer, but I sure enjoyed that John Deere! That was a tractor! A four-cylinder "tractor" sounded like a car! How could they call it a tractor? So, I am a John Deere man!

John Deere has no customer service for their popular mowers, either on-line or by telephone. My L130A blew its mower deck belt. My operator's manual, which I took with me to a dealer, covers five models, L100-L130, but does not list or cover the L130A. Evidently, the two 130's have different decks (and none of the photos in the manual matches the L130A). The parts dept. checked my manual and sold me the wrong size.

It is so sad to have bought a John Deere tractor, thinking it might have been something close to the quality of the tractors of my youth. Everything on this tractor is cheap, crummy plastic, junk that breaks or needs replacing very quickly.

I bought a new JD LT 160 in 2003 and the Tuff Torq transmission went out. The dealer replacement is over $600. I can't get the K48C transmission from Tuff Torq, but I can get the K71 for $199 that they use in the Simplicity. What ever happened to JD quality? Am I just paying for the name? I'm out of $600 plus my time installing it on a $2500 machine that JD won't stand behind.

I have a John Deere L20 with almost 100 hours on it. After about 60 hours in mow time, all bearings are out in the deck, both spindle and idler. I called John Deere and they won't stand behind their product! I also have a Craftsman, which has had an ugly cut from day one and it is 8 years old but still works.

My mom bought it new in 1978 and I inherited the John Deere Riding Mower, 8 hp. It has been rugged and dependable and has been to the shop only once in thirty years. Of course I have been very happy with it, and today I happened to scroll onto the long list of angry purchasers of recent John Deer machines. Thank God your website has spared me the grief and frustration of paying top dollar for a piece of new low-class John Deer junk.

L120 tractor was purchased at Home Depot and the transmission is failing. It's a $1,000 repair for a $2,000 tractor.

I purchased a John Deere L130 riding mower in late 2005. Twice now, the front axle split in half, starting at a small injection hole in the axle. According to the dealer, this has never been a problem with the L130 mowers before, implying that I must have run into a house or something to cause the axle to brake. From reading other complaints about the axle, it's clearly a manufacturer defect, cast iron crap. A new axle cost me $74.51 each time. Last year, I had to replace the deck because the anchor bolts holding on a pulley ripped through the deck. Clearly, it was my fault; I must have run over a skunk or something. I noticed that the replacement deck had thicker gauge metal than the original. A new deck cost us over $600. What ever happened to John Deere's reputation of good quality and taking responsibility for poor workmanship? Now, it's always the consumer's fault. I keep a very nice smooth lawn so there is no reason for these problems to occur. It's not like I'm trying to mow over a forest or something.

My husband and I purchased a new John Deere X304 lawn tractor in March 2009. The second time we used it, my husband hit a rotten limb that was hidden under some leaves. He thought he had bent the blade on the mower but it turned out the deck was warped! The blade wasn't bent broken or damaged! I have been mowing this yard over 20 years with many different brands of mowers, have hit stumps, large rocks, tree roots, brick, etc., etc. The most I have ever had to do was replace the blades, never this much damage. I don't know what kind of cheap metal they are using to make the decks of these mowers now, but I do know John Deere is not the company it used to be. Their products are no longer dependable and they don't stand behind their warranty. In the brochure they hand out, it says you can return the product within 30 days if you're not satisfied. Well, we will see. So far, they only say they will have to talk to the company. I bet they are racking it up with repair bills these days, seeing as they are building sorry equipment and charging out the wahoo to repair it.

John Deere LT133. I have had my Deere for about 4 years I believe. The only problem I have was the front cowl hinge. Cheap plaster and just opening and closing, the cowl cracked the hinge from the bumper. Fortunately, it was only a $40 part. I found a new one on eBay. Being that the hinge gets a lot of use, would think they should have used metal. Also, be sure to do good maintenance. Oil change - either keeps gas tank full or totally empty in off season. Water builds up and will cause engine to misfire. I had a Deere 111 for about 15 years. Rear gears finally went out but it was a great machine. Of course it was built of metal and stronger than today's models.

I purchased a John Deere L100 in late 04 because my cheap rear-engined 8 hp Murray rider finally gave it up after 8 years (much of the first years riding over some pretty dusty, rough terrain). I was at a new house with a bigger, nice, smooth sodded yard, so I figured I would get a Deere, albeit an entry-level unit from Home Depot. I say all of this to go ahead and address what some of the other postings talk about, in that some expectations are too high. Well, when a $500 Murray lasts as long as it did with a lot of abuse and not a lot of maintenance, a $1,500 John Deere should last twice as long with very little abuse and very good maintenance.

I purchased a John Deere L-120 lawn tractor at the Home Depot store. I have had nothing but problems since day one. On the very first use, I discovered that I would need to make a second pass over my lawn in order to achieve an even cut. This problem was never resolved and I can only achieve even cuts with the blade set at the 2 inch height. After one season, I had to replace all three spindles, the idler as well as all three blades. My mower is now back in for repairs. I was told that an electrical component has gone bad and that this part, plus labor, will cost an additional $350.00.

There is a problem with the engine of the John Deere model no. 5310. Its power is breaking down during work.

I just read many complaints on John Deere lawnmowers and noticed most were bought at big box stores (i.e. Lowe's and Home Depot). That tells me that (what I have always said) the quality of the things that are made for these stores by big name manufacturers is lower than that made for their regular stores/dealers. I was a self-employed plumber and saw this all the time with faucets and other items. I would not go to these places and purchase things for my customers to avoid callbacks. As far as JD goes, I have owned a 425 lawn and garden tractor since 2000. No complaints and have used it very hard. Only things done to it are normal oil changes and maintenance. I will only buy John Deere lawn equipment and only from their dealers.

While operating my 2003 J. Deere L130 lawn tractor, it suddenly, without provocation, caught on fire. Visions of being blown sky high by the gas tank was first and foremost in my mind. I have not had any answer from J. Deere as to what may be the cause. Zero! The dealer charged me $116 to inform me the engine was a total loss...but could not tell what started the fire!

We purchased a 2005 John Deere Trail Buck 650 and asked for one that wasn't on the showroom floor but were denied this request. This machine has always had problems with sensors, shifting, gears popping out and not going in and keep getting stuck. We have spent thousands of dollars for repairs and it never goes off road. This machine was brought back from John Deere in January 2008 and dropped off in our driveway stuck in gear and with a dead battery.

I bought a john deere riding mower from Lowe's in 2006. In 2007 I had an engine fire that required service from one of their dealers. Since then I have had 2 more engine fires. The second fire in '07 I put out with a fire extinguisher. Now its oct. of '08 and now another fire, but this time the wiring is all melted and the carb needs to be replaced. John Deere said they could not help me because it's out of warranty by 8 months. I guess they consider engine fires as a normal occurrence with their product.

Bought a new JD L120 lawn tractor in 2004. Two years after I had it the front spindles were shot. I work in a machine shop so I fit oilite bushings in the hub bushing and replaced the spindles - that took care of that problem. You can't have steel spindles in a steel hub without something wearing and in this case the spindles. I now have an electrical problem - the battery is not being charged up. Thought it was an old battery but after replacing it with a new one the same problem persisted. I now keep a trickle charger on at all times until I can figure out the problem. The front deck gauge wheel brackets are way too flimsy, have replaced one set already and straightened out the old ones. Would think that you would get a better built machine even though not real expensive. Guess they want you to buy the garden tractors which are built much more heavy duty.

Have a second-hand LT133. Use it for a small yard and a several acre plot. This thing just had a deck belt snap. First repairs in the 2 years I've had it. Blades need sharpened - needs a tune-up, but the thing keeps going. Bought at an authorized dealer - serviced there before. Plan to upgrade to larger unit. Considering Deere due to reputation and experience with this unit, but will think twice on that after reading these posts. I would be interested in the ratio of engine failures on the posts based on manufacturer. I have a 13 hp Kohler and it seems fine after several hours of heavy work and cutting. Past makes me think Deere is still good - but maybe depends on models.

I have a John Deere self propelled walk behind lawn mower JC63C with a 6.5 H.P. Briggs and Stratton engine. This particular mower has had two fuel tank replacements of tank part number AM134926. The origional tank and the replacement tank have leaked at the mid seam and another location on the bottom of the tank.

I bought An LT118 almost 2 years ago. They have replaced the front pulley 3 times. Bagger falls off all the time, if I hit a bump, the hood sometimes falls off on one side, it has a bad vibration when mowing and now the tie rods need replaced. I am now having problems getting anything done in atimely matter. 3 weeks now and still not fixed. Guess they are waiting for warranty to run out. I am considering small Claims.

In April, 2008, I made the mistake of purchasing a John Deere LA120 riding mower from the John Deere dealer in Stephenville Tx. The mower has a little over 14hrs on it and the mower deck is broke in several places making the mower useless. The dealer and John Deere refuse to honor the warranty claiming that I hit something. Granted, the area that I use the mower for is not a manicured lawn but I have been mowing this area for the last 8 years with a Murray riding mower and never replaced anything but blades and belts.

Bought JD L120 lawn tractor from Home Depot on 7/2/04. In 2007 the belt broke and tore the wiring harness and destroyed the transmission cooling fan (I was told the cooling fan would get destroyed everytime the belt breaks!). Had it repaired for $148.30. It ran once and wouldn't start. I was so mad I left it there till 2008.

Purchased an LA100 from Lowes. Cut great for a few mowings, then started cutting uneven. Time for first servicing anyway, so contacted local JD dealer, Countryside, for mobile servicing. Cost was going to be 199.00 for servicing. They show up in a tractor-trailer getup that couldn't make the turn to get in the driveway to start, so took mower to the truck. Have to leave so spouse supervised. They were done in 30 minutes and bill was 98.00. What wasn't done? Since then the mower has been [terrible].

I purchased a John Deere JS40 2 years ago at my local Loew's. I used the unit once and found that the front wheels were not assembled properly,(the washer's were on the wrong side of the axles.. I took it to a local repair shop(Loews does not service the equipment themselves).

I purchased a John Deere LT120 3 years ago. I have since replaced the electrical harness, 3 spindles on the deck, front axle and the clutch 4 times. Now there is an oil leak. I have $2300.00 is the purchase price and a little over $1200.oo in repairs. And to think, I thought John Deere stood for quality.

This section said people could report good reactions also,so here is my story. I bought a J/DEERE 345, liquid cooled riding mower (used with two hundred hours on hour meter) in year 2000, 48 deck. This was a 1995 model, all i did was put a new battery in it. This is now 2008, and all i have ever done to it has been spark plug change every 2/years and change engion oil, changed hydrostat oil and its 2 filters once.

On 8/11/08 I filed a complaint and am now filing another one for the same John Deere lawn tractor 190C 2006! Previously, I filed a complaint because the front tire fell off. The dealer put in a new bushing (JD didn't use a bearing for the tire). I asked the dealer how long this bushing would last, and was told it was a design flaw of John Deere and that I would be lucky if it lasts a year! Was told that I could try to keep the tire greased, but it probably wouldn't do any good. Talk about cheap! In less than 30 days my JD 190C is NOT working again! The same problem occured that happened 8/11/08: fuse blew as a result of the wiring harness getting wrapped around the front pulley. The dealer originally said it was operator error when the mowing deck was put on. I don't think so as the problem happened again and we never even touched the mowing deck. The last person to handle the mowing deck was the dealer themselves, and the wiring harness dropped down again and wrapped around the front pulley and the wiring harness broke. If the wiring harness dropped down the 1st time, you would think the dealer would fix it so that it would not drop down a 2nd time. We will never buy a John Deere lawn tractor again! They are made cheaply and are very unreliable!

John Deere LA135 Limited Edition 42 inch riding mower. After hearing all the problems with the spindle housing reported here, I decided to make sure they were properly greased on my mower after ~30 min of usage. When I tried to grease them all the grease came out around the grease gun nozzle. I removed the grease fitting from the spindle housing and snapped it into the grease gun, what I found is that only 1/10 of the grease went into the grease fitting the rest came out around the grease gun nozzle. The grease fitting was defective on both spindle housing in that the nipple was too short such that the grease gun nozzle could not lock around it.

HOME DEPOT talked me into buying this John Deere 42 in. lawn mower that is noting but a problem from the start. The mower is a auto hydro trans. and has gone out and the John Deere Company said they have no parts but would like me to buy a replacement mower from them. The cost of another $3000.00. I said no thanks.

I have bought a John deere from both Home Depot and a John Deere Dealer. The first one I bought at Home Depot and it was a total piece of junk. Ran terribly, belt kept coming off, nuts and parts fell off. And wasn't worth crap at cutting grass. After fighting with several Home Depot stores I finally got my money back. Was told that the ones they sell at Dealerships were a much higher quality though they cost twice as much. Okay I was stupid twice.

I have bought a John deere from both Home Depot and a John Deere Dealer. The first one I bought at Home Depot and it was a total piece of junk. Ran terribly, belt kept coming off, nuts and parts fell off. And wasn't worth crap at cutting grass. After fighting with several Home Depot stores I finally got my money back. Was told that the ones they sell at Dealerships were a much higher quality though they cost twice as much.

So now I have to decide whether to spend ~$750 to get a replacement transmission (same unit as the original with a piddly 90 day warranty). Who knows how long that one would last? Or do I write the L130 off as a bad decision and buy something with a shaft-driven transmission, like a Cub Cadet or Kubota. Another JD is out. My hills aren't going away anytime soon, and I had hoped the L130 was the last mower I'd ever buy. Class action time??

I bought a model 125 lawn tractor in june 2006from the dealer and it worked fine for the first season.June of 2008 a pulley went on it,dealer replaced part under warranty and was told to check tractor all over.Two weeks later a real problem happened,the engine blew up (Connecting rods came out through the case)with ONLY 45 HOURS on the tractor.

Last year I bought a JD L130 series riding mower. I bought it with one year interest free no payments in October 2007. The tracter has a total of 32 hours operation on it. It was at the 32 hour mark when I was mowing that the mower started making some noise and then the belt came off. After some examination, I saw that the middle spindle had completly seperated from the deck and had fallen through. When I got the tractor back to the garage and took the deck off, I noticed that the middle spindle was missing two bolts. Either they were never installed or they were not properly installed. The JD dealer told me that those bolts are designed never to come out. I am guessing that he insinuates that I took them out becasue he said he would not cover that item under warranty and the cost to replace the deck now is at $1100 dollars, half of what I paid for the mower. I am going after JD on the basis of the Unform Commercial Code on implied warranties and sellers remedies.

no where in the operaters manual does it state not to operate this tractor on an incline. dealer told me also 95 percent of the buyers will never operate this mower on an incline so its not a problem. this should be a class action lawsuit for selling dangerous junk like this to people. i also obtained a copy of a service bulletin that was sent to dealers about this problem so john deere knows the danger. no damage but i cant use my tractor on an incline so what good is it after paying big bucks for garbage. no where in my operators manual doe sit state to not operate this tractor on an inline.

We bought a John Deere 190C automatic lawn mower from Lowe's a couple of years ago. Right as the 2 yr. warranty was expiring, we started to have nothing but problems with our Deere. First one of the pulleys broke so we had that fixed. After the warranty expired (within one month) the belt kept popping off and the tension was tight. Finally we thought we fixed the problem with the belt coming off, and then it kept blowing fuses and the PTO wouldn't work.

In October of 2004 we purchased a John Deere Gator HPX. It ran pretty good for about a year and a half but for a $10,000 vehicle we expected more. We have spent over $5,000 on repairs since then. We were always told there was nothing they could do for us. Finally we were able to get the name of the regional rep, these guys don't like to have their names out there..pretty spineless!! They are willing to buy our gator for what I could sell it to anyone else and then sell us another.

I purchased a Deere Tractor GT245 in 2005 at nearly $6,000. It ran good and cut good. At approx. 65 hours and 11 month later it refused to start. Gas poured out of the engine and on to the floor. I had the dealer pick it up and they claimed there was too much oil in the crank case. The changed the oil and filter and also sharpened the blades.

I have heard many times that nothing runs like a Deere so I took the plunge and purchased a John Deere JS45 front caster walk behind mower from my local Lowes store. I mowed my lawn one time and later found a surpise.

Purchased a new John Deere model JS-40 self propelled mower on March 19, 2007. The the mower worked good for the first season, although in Florida you have to cut greass 12 months of the year. This season the mower failed to perform properly, left front wheel broke, enging failed to start.

John Deere 130 lawn tractor, piece of junk. 34 hrs, bearings gone, runs poorly, son in law has identical mower and bearings fail consistently, John Deere unresponsive, needs class action lawsuit as these mowers are plagued with problems anf poor workmanship.

I experienced identical situation as Richard. Richard of Elkview WV (06/26/08) I purchased a John Deere L-118 Lawn Tractor with hydroststic transmission in 2004 for $2000.00. In 2006 I noticed that the mower was having trouble on inclines. I also realized that the transmission would not hold on an incline, but would take off and roll freely. This is 2008 and the mower has less than 100 hours but will not go up an incline but does ok on flat surfaces. Because my lot is not perfectly level, the mower is practically useless.

I find it very disappointing that John Deere will not sell replacement parts to customers. I went online, found my part and started the ordering process only to find out that they refuse to ship to me and that I would have to go get the part from the dealer. I own this mower, my husband knows exactly what is wrong with it, the part we need, etc, but we can not get it anywhere but the dealer. The part isn't even a John Deere manufactured part (manufactured by Warner Electric). How inconvenient. I won't buy another John Deere, that's for sure.

since purchsing the L130 at my local Home Depot 4 years ago I have had numerous problems with the mower. Belts, deck pulley's, bearings, and now the electric clutch has gone out. This is a very expensive part. My real complaint is that had I know that any of these machines sold by Home Depot or Lowes are not John Deere products the manufacture has merely purchased the right to use the J.D. name. This does not seem right to me. Anyone familiar with the J.D. names expects a quality product and this is nothing but a high priced piece of junk.

Currently I am trouble shooting why the engine will not start. The service reminder is flashing 200 Hrs. but last serviced the engine at 195 hrs. Here, I thought John Deere was the one of the better mowers only to find out it wears about as well as any K-mart special. Never again. I will struggle to keep it running until it finally dies as I don't have the $$$ to pay for a new mower.

I purchased a johndeere L120 back in 2004 for 2400.dollars at first it did great for about 6months then the hubs on the rt side,sitting on the tractor looking at the frt tire.the solid hubs were eating away at the axle. so i took it to johndeere in shelbyville to get it fixed. they fixed it twice. under warranty. the second time the put ballbearing bearings in them. they last about 1 and ahalf mowing seasons. and I have been relaceing them ever since.so i will never buy another one.

The Transmission won't pull rest of tractor and mower

Plastic GEAR on camshaft broke along with plastic Gear on water pump.WHY would anyone use cheap gears in Quality equipment???

Approximately four years ago, I purchased a new John Deere Garden Tractor, Model G110 for $4000.00. I needed a larger tractor because I have a large lawn, with a steep grade. Approximately 3 months after I purchased the mower, I experienced problems with it. After it runs for a while, it begins to backfire, looses power, and the engine dies. I have had the mower in the shop 10 times over the past 4 years with exactly the same problem. I have been forced to mow with my small back-up mower. Which does the job fine, but takes a long time.

I purchased a X-300 lawn mower about one year ago. It came with a two year warranty. About 5 weeks ago the engine failed. It would not run at all. I paid about $2,600.00 for the mower. I purchased it from my local John Deere dealer. I have purchase a fair amount of John Deere equipment from him in the past, including a 65 horse power tractor. My dealer told me that the cheaper models that are sold at Lowes are not of John Deere quality and that the X series are built of John Deere quality. I paid twice as much for a mower that he told me would run for many years.

I bought a John Deere L130 in 2005 and it did just o.k. cutting grass until this year. I always had to go over the grass twice, because it would not cut evenly. But, this year, the spindle went bad and broke the belt. I found out at that time, that you have to go to a dealer to get parts, which I did not like, and the nearest dealer is about 60 miles away. But I got lucky and found an aftermarket that would work, which cost me about $80.00. I got my mowing finished, finally, then when it came time to mow again, my mower threw another belt, and I believe the other spindle is tearing up, and I barely got started mowing. I

In June 03, I purchased L130. First year of cutting was trouble free. The next season my one spindle went bad. I pop out the bearings from the spindle, pretty simple. my dealer told my I would have to buy the whole unit they did not sell this bearing. well the next spindle failed and was able to find bearing on line for 6.00. Since then I replaced bearing 6xs.

I purchased two 30kw generators plus two automatic transfer switches on 23rd March, 2008 and took delivery and arrived in the Bahamas 29th April, 2008. Installed both units upon arrival, upon starting one of the units the engine ran rough and did not smooth out. My electrician immediately called and spoke with Alex and got some instructions which assisted in causing the engine to run smooth. This same problem occured soon again. I personally called and spoke with Alex only to be told that he would get back to me reasons being that he would have to meet with his boss and be instructed by his boss as to what his next move would be (30th June, 2008).

I purchased a John Deere L-118 Lawn Tractor with hydroststic transmission in 2004 for $2000.00. In 2006 I noticed that the mower was having trouble on inclines. I also realized that the transmission would not hold on an incline, but would take off and roll freely. This is 2008 and the mower has less than 100 hours but will not go up an incline but does ok on flat surfaces. Because my lot is not perfectly level, the mower is practically useless.

I purchased a John Deere 115 in 2006 and initially it ran well. By the end of the first season, the engine would sputter when I pressed the reverse button and attempted to back up. By the end of the second season, I would have to keep the reverse button depressed continually while backing up. Now the 20 amp fuse blows within seconds of starting the mower.I've replaced the battery and the solenoid, but still continue to have the same problems. I thought that buying a JD meant quality (I could have purchased two Murrays for what I paid for this JD, and they went 4 years before problems started to happen). Contacting JDHQ was a joke. They just want you to pour more money into the JD pockets (I think I've given enough). And to the JD employee that said consumers should purchase their mowers from JD Dealers, I only have one thing to say. If John Deere puts their name on a machine, they should make it with quality. None of this two tier pricing. If I buy it at Lowes or Home Depot or a JD Dealer, it should be the same quality. If you look closely at the parts, they are stamped from third world countries. I think JD is just cutting corners and that their employees do sub par work.

My husband and I purchased a new John Deere LA100 riding mower ($1499) from Lowes in May, 2007. One year and one month later, the right spindle on the mower deck completely separated from the metal of the deck -- the bolts pulled through the metal. My husband took the deck to the authorized service dealer, Parkway Tractor, in Asheville, NC. This trip is an 80-mile round trip from our home.

I purchased a JohnDeere Lawn Mower in Late 2003 for $1,500.00 based off of the fact that me and my wife are disabled and we trusted in the claim of quality by johndeere and we could not afford to continue to buy or repair such. Almost since the first use we have had nothing but trouble with this mower which is a Saber Model. It has been back and forth to the place of purchase several times and they have came to my house to work on it as well to no avail, it still remains broke down as it useally does each time it is used it seems.

Riding Mower model 102 brake failure after one season of service (20 month old when incident occurred). I was asked to pay $69.99 for Warranty repair of a major safety component!

In March 2005 I purchase a John Deere L111 lawn tractor from Home Depot for around $1700. I have experienced a lot of problems with it. After 75 hours but unfortunately 3 months out of warranty the right deck spindle seized up. (They come without grease zerts designed to break). After removing the deck and closer examination it was apparent that the left spindle was dry and should be replaced as well. When I went to the dealership for parts they have the opinion that the parts are manufactured cheaper for the big box stores. Nonetheless I purchased 2 new spindles (which came with grease zerts what a surprise) and installed them. After installing the spindles I noticed the right spindle is sitting at an angle.

In April I bought what I thought was a new 100 series John Deer lawn mower. When I got it home it aready had oil in and time on the hour meter. From the first time I used it when lowing the cutting deck it made a terible noise and shook real bad. I kept checking the level on the deck thinging that was the trouble. I used it three times about fifteen minutes each time. Final I called the JOhn Deere headquarters and they told me to take it to dealer nearest me, which was; Coufal-Prater in Cameron Texas. I left it and when they called me they said it had pieces of string which looked like boot laces wrapped around the top spindle and it burned the belt up.( it cost me about $93.00 dollars our of my pocket to fix it)

i called sales man darrin and told them to pickup machine and fix, april 7 2008 pickup loader, changed filters [fuel], after 2 months and 3 changes of lift arms still not fixed to this date may 30 2008. gave then notice today if not fixed machine is being refused! replace with new or money refunded, today by 5;00. i want notice in writing.

I purchased my mower from top a John Deere dealership about 9 years ago. It was sputtering and dying. OK, I called for service. They returned it a few days later. It ran exactly the same. 3 service calls later - still runs awful. Here is it a year later and now it won't run more than 10 minutes. They replaced brand new parts I already replaced and charged me over $400.00 to do it. Then they tell me they don't have time to run the mower for 30 minutes until the engine sputters and dies. in other words they don't have time to service it properly. Great! Lets take the widow to the cleaners. The little lady won't know the difference anyway. I have a John Deere Lawn Ornament surrounded by 6' of grass. The bills still come in my deceased husband's name despite me telling them for the past 9 years he died right after the purchase of the mower. Insensitive and caloused.

i purched a gx540 johndeere lawn tractor may 25 2006 and it had a 2yr warranty. it wouldnt start may 7th 2008so returned to dealer for warrant service. they said the choke had come undone so when i picked it up they charged me 30.00 for anew air filter which i thought was outragious but i shouldnt have had to pay for anyway. so this will be my last johndeere product.

question -talk about false advertising---how is john deere allowing lowes , home depot etc to sell a mower with the john deere logo on it when the dealer says these mowers are not made by john deere ....!!!!!!!!!!!!!yes thats right john deere dealers tell people that the lowes and home depot john deeres are an inferior quality---think its about time that we start notifying our attorney generals on this slick trick...................

John Deere L120 riding mower, purchased in 2003 at local Home Depot, barely lasted out the 2 year warranty, after which the transmission failed, causing the mower to shut down after mowing for a few minutes. This was a very poorly designed machine. The transmission, a Tuff Torq model K46AC, looks tiny and undersized compared to other comparable mowers. Why not a bigger transmission?

My husband purchased a John Deere mower L-100 a little over 2 years ago. Last season he was experiencing some trouble with it but just put it up till this April and loaded it up to take it back to the dealer. We did not purchase the extended warranty but still thought it was worth fixing since it looks like a brand new mower. The problem started with the deck. The bolts were not tighten from the factory like they should have and it worked loose. Both the shafts were worn out, the bearings are bad, and then the cam shaft is bad in the motor. The mower itself probably has less than 50 hours on it. The repairman said to my husband after telling us it would take $900 to fix it,

We purchased a John Deere 340 lawn mower on Sat. Apr 12,08. First of all the equipment sits on their lot in the weather all year long. The tractor had extensive sun damage and old gas sitting in it. We were told to take it home for the weekend and bring it back Monday for repairs and detailing. My husband used it Sat. evening for a short time, then later when he tried to start the mower it wouldn't start. Sunday he replaced the fuel filter, spark plugs, and it still wouldn't start. Mon. 4/14 he returned the mower to Jim Reaves and explained the problems, and asked them to order us a brand new mower. Jim Reaves was hesitant to comply, but finally agreed. The new mower was to arrive in a week.

I bought this JD L120 from a local dealer not to long ago. It has 64 hours on it and have had nothing but trouble. First, at 10 hours a pulley went bad. I took it to the dealer and they said it wasn't covered. Price was only $11 but was a hassle. Next the fan blade over the rear end broke and had to pay for that too. Another $20 bucks. Later the mower decides it doesn't want to start.

I have a 15-20 year old John Deere riding lawnmower. The tires are in desperate need of replacement, I do not have the owners manual, all I have is the name of the mower printed boldly on the front of the mower itself. STX.38 Hydro. I want to know why I can't go to the official John Deere website and find a parts listing for that type of mower? They manufactured it. I need to know what size tire to buy, to replace mine. All I got everywhere I went on their site was model# not found not accurate part #. etc. They say Nothin' runs like a Deere So obviously, they expect their products to last, so they should have an easier way to access part #'s for their older model products.

First of all, Ive been using John Deere turf equipment for over 2 years now. John Deere are very good equipment. The problem I have is SERVICE. Anybody can sell equipment, but can you deliver a service after selling the equipment. The golf club spent R4m on John Deere equipmet. 2500E - The reel motor broke down twice. Firstly Afgri sent me 2 second hand motors and say Just check witch one works This was for a warranty claim... Now really, is that right?

March 22, 2008 I purchased a brand new John Deere riding mower. Didn't work from day one. First off, the battery was totally dead, wouldn't start. Now, it's unusable because of a defective seat switch. I've called John Deere numerous times, Lowes has called John Deere, always the same answer, that they're not responsible. I have a One Year In Home Warranty that they also will not honor. They state that it's only for maintenance only. No where does it say that.

I was within an inch of purchasing a John Deere lawn mower/tractor earlier today at Lowe's and I didn't because I wanted to do a little home work on it first - and I'm glad I did. When it comes to putting stock in customer reviews, I'm not so much concerned about equipment troubles as I am with the lack of good customer-service. Any company can have a run of bad luck from time to time with a certain piece of equipment- thats just part of the business world- but the customer service needs to stand up for the customer needs to help them get their problems worked out and apparently John Deere is not one of those type of companies. I just want to let the John Deere people know (and I know from reading some of these complaints that the people at John Deere do actually view this site and monitor these commments) that the bad comments here regarding lack of good customer-support cost them my business (for whats it worth to them).

I have a John Deere L120 riding mower with 109 hours. The mowing deck middle spindle's top completely broke off from its bottom. I bought another for around $45 from a JD dealer. At least this one has a grease fitting. After injecting it with grease I began to install it on the deck. Guess what! Screw holes in the spindle were not even threaded. Now I'll have to spend another $7.00 in gas to take it back for a replacement. Good grief. I wonder where the spindle was made? Maybe the entire JD mower was made there too.

I bought an X304 back in March 2007, and the machine works fine. My issue is that John Deere decided to increase the warranty from 2 to 4 years in November, 2007. Since my riding mower is in the same model year, I asked for them to grant me the 4-year warranty. They said no. I am curious if anyone else feels the same way as I do.

Just wanted to say that I bought a John Deere lawn tractor(Lt133) way back in may of 98 and have had little to no problems with it to this day. Great machine. The people at the dealer were really polite and helpful. I will buy another one from them when I kill this one someday! Thanks.

I have worked for John Deere for some time now. I am tired of hearing people complain about the products. Most of the complaints are about big box store bought products, not from a dealership. You got what you paid for; they are built for cost units, not premiums that dealers sell. Second of all, if you purchased an extended warranty through the box stores it has nothing to do with Deere, so again that's your problem. Maybe you should have researched that a bit more. If you had gone to your local dealer they will tell you that the units are built to cost units, not premiums. You the consumer need to think about it for a second; its like paying $30,000 for a new car or $11,900 for a new car.

I had bought a new John Deere tractor. To my understanding I was the first time buyer. After 149 hours and still under warranty, the power reverse clutches went out. When I called the dealer, he said the warranty didn't apply to this. Then found out I was the third owner, but it sold as new with warranty. In talking with other farmers in the surrounding area, they also had the same problems with this model 5525. I would like a response.

Product: John Deere Lawn Tractor, Model L120 Purchased: 5/29/03, Purchase price: $2200.00 Issue: During the 07 cutting season the unit started experiencing a loss of power. The main drive belt was replaced since it showed signs of wear and was somewhat brittle; no improvement. The unit was taken to the dealer and they determine the transmission was shot and replacement would be about $500.00. The dealer also said they have seen a lot of problems with transmissions on the L series of tractors. The unit has only 240 hours, approximately 50 hours per cutting season. A call to the John Deere Customer Communications Center was fruitless; the agents response to all of my questions was that the unit is out-of-warranty. Needless to say I will not pay $500.00 for another 240 hours of operation. I have owned many lawn tractors, mostly inexpensive, low end. The decision to purchase a John Deere was based on my desire to purchase a unit that last many years. Having a major component failure at 240 hours is unacceptable. The cost of purchase is over $9.00 for every hour of operation. To further exacerbate the situation I can purchase, through the dealer, the transmission for the same $500.00 to self install. I would consider replacing it myself if John Deere would provide one at dealer cost and not an inflated price. Nothing breaks-down like a Deere.

I purchased a John Deere (JS25) from a local Lowe's Home Improvement store in April 2007. From day one, I had trouble cranking the mower. I used the mower for a couple of months. (Everytime the mower was hard to crank, but I loved the way the mower cut and handled, so I didn't stress over the difficulty starting the mower too much.) I contacted Lowe's Service Advantage (additional warranty I purchased) in late '07 to file a complaint and get the issue fixed. They referred me to a local John Deere dealer. The dealer had the mower for 3 weeks, and in that time they tore the motor down and said that they could not find what was wrong. I contacted John Deere who, in the beginning, was helpful and instructed me to have the dealer issue a DTEC order with John Deere that would allow the dealer and John Deere to communicate with one each other about the mower.

I purchased a John Deere riding mower in July 2004 from Home Depot in Vero Beach FL at a cost of $1,799.00. I used the mower for 2 months with no problems. In 9/04, this area of Florida was hit by two hurricanes in two weeks, and due to damage to my residence, I was out of the house for 8 months, and had hired lawn service during that time. This in turn caused the 50 hour required service to be done later than John Deere Inc. beleives to be responsible.

I have the John Deere LT133 lawn motor tractor. The entire hood system is plastic; it shattered as I was just lifting the front when the tractor got stuck in the mud., The lawn tractor is junk. The motor deck wheels fell apart within months of purchase. I paid over $2400.00 for it.

I bought a 5302 John Deere 65hp Tractor in 2004. It was in the shop numerous times for leaking head gaskets, leaking hydrolic arms and lifts, and general shoddy performance. They supposedly ground down the heads and put new hydrolic armature lifts on it but it never worked right from the very beginning. Finally after plowing one day and stopping for lunch , just as I got to the house I heard this loud, KABOOM! My tractor blew up!

Deck on tractor is total junk. With less than 150 hrs on mower spindles have been replaced multiple times, pulleys have been replaced multiple times and now deck has hole warn in it.

I purchased a john deere 4410 tractor new in 2003 from Foley Implements. The tractor only has 277 hours on it and I have had it in the shop numerous times some with big surprises. Under warranty it was there several times. Now that the warranty is out the PTO went out for the tune of over $600 all electrical. Seals on the front end of the 4wd are leaking and now the tractor won't work. Had it hauled in and had a estimate for $2900.

at a cost of nearly $500.00. Ten months later the new transmission is slipping as bad as the one we replaced. Local dealer says no warranty since we installed it ouselves..

Broken axle, body resting on tire, can't move it to repair shop.

Complete Garbage Hydro-static tranny has no power to back up. This started at day one of having the tractor home. Dealership claimed to replace traning but no change. if it gets stuck then the rear tires do not move.

I own the John Deere L120 , approximately 4 yrs. old . The deck on the mower is in terrible shape. At the end of last year the middle spindle completely froze so I took the deck off to check the rest of it out. In doing so I found that one of the other spindles were worn out also . But this is not my only complaint . I found that the paint on the deck is coming off everywhere, bolt holes, on edges and also just in random spots. I had to take the belt covers off 2 yrs. ago to sand and paint them. I am now in the process of repainting and repairing the deck.

I purchased a John Deere L120 riding mower 2 years ago. Now have only 95 hours on it; always stored in shed. The mowing deck started to make lots of noise. Turns out the three blade spindles are completely worn out. I was very surprised to see that the mower ships with spindles that cannot be greased - they are throw away items. The replacement spindles at $45 each now have grease nipples. I just can't believe that saving 5c per nipple was appropriate on a $2400 tractor. This will be my last JD product.

My John Deere STX 38 lawn mower was a real disappointment.

The mower is only two years old with 205 hrs of use. The power take off that runs the mower keeps failing and causes the mower to be out of service for weeks till repaired under warrenty. Called John deere company and got no satisfaction. The power take off is about to malfunction again for the 4th time so instead of having it fixed with my money I traded it in for a SIMPLICITY MOWER. John Deere is not the product that it was before. Now they make the mowers for Home Depot and Lowes makes them cheaper and less reliable.

John Deere L120 Riding Lawn Mower is a lemon. I've had nothing but trouble with it. All the spindles have worn out. Replaced two belts already. A wiring harness. Now the blades won't spin at all and suspect the electic clutch has gone bad. Also, have had to tighen too many nuts and bolts that have come loose or come apart and completly fallen out especially in the steering column.

I had a John Deere lawn mower for 15 years, and finally the Briggs and Stratton engine quit forever last year. So, I thought I'd repeat my luck and buy another John Deere JS20 with a 6.75 hp Briggs and Stratton. I went to Lowes, picked it up, took it home, read the Quick Start instructions, checked the oil, poured in the gas, added the gas "freshener", and started it on the first pull. I mowed two and one-half rounds in my back yard, heard a fierce clatter and found that the engine blew up. Totally frozen.

John Deere Credit has listed a contract that I am not signatory to on my credit report and also indicated is that the payment is delinquent. The contract was signed by Lance S. who was my ward over 20 years ago. I have helped Lance and his wife with some payments but because of a divorce, neither he nor his wife have made payments for the last few months. Lance has contacted John Deere Tractor to come and repossess the tractor. I did not co-sign for the tractor and in no way conveyed any intention to John Deere Credit that I would assume this debt.

We have the lt130 lawn tractor. The spindles keep wearing out and they supposedly upgraded to a greaseable spindle. This past summer we replaced the upgraded spindles 3 times. Our warranty runs out in March of next year, and they have informed us that we will be paying the cost of replacing these spindles everytime in the future. They will not replace their mistake with these spindles for free or offer to find a solution. The last time the spindles went bad, a pully also broke off and they replaced it with a different pully and installed it crooked.