John Deere Reviews

I just wanted to bring this to the attention of those out there that have had problems so you can consider why John Deere wouldn't want you to be able to service the transmission on these units and my guess is, so that they fail and you have to buy a new one out of warranty. I have heard a lot of people including a friend that if the trans goes out under warranty, John Deere will blame it on abuse or negligence, so buyer beware. Also, take note that the dealerships use the drain plug on the higher end or higher dollar units as a selling point or a bonus of some sort which shouldn't be used and as a matter of fact, they should want us to be able to change the fluid in them to make them last longer. The fact that they don't offer a drain plug in the lower end models when it is so cheap to do makes me believe that they do want them to fail after they are out of warranty to make more money or that when they fail under warranty, they can blame the customer.

If you buy a lawn tractor at Lowe's or Home Depot, you're not buying a John Deere tractor at all. You're buying the name. The tractor isn't manufactured by John Deer but it's made in China with cheaper parts and has poor quality. Then the John Deere name is put on the machine because JD has contracts with other stores to sell their products. The problem is, JD can't handle all that production at their plants. So basically, it's all outsourced except for what they're selling at their dealerships.

So my advice is to buy from dealership and buy a model bigger than you think you need. Another piece of advice for anyone that's had hydraulic, transmission, or engine problems, I strongly advise you to take oil samples from faulty mechanisms. If your JD is still under warranty and you use oil that meets or exceeds OEM specifications, then the dealer must honor a warranty. It doesn't matter if there's metal shavings or whatever else from the machine floating through the oil.

The metal will shard into the oil if its faulty from the start. A lot of people seem to be getting hosed. I'm very satisfied as a John Deere customer when it comes to agricultural equipment but you wouldn't catch me mowing my yard with a tin can JD yard tractor in a million years.

I was ready to buy one of these kits until I read further in the blog. The kits, presumably because of short supply and resulting higher prices, ended up around $1700, only a little less than the cost of a new machine like mine. Then there was so much demand that they sold out. I wish I had found the blog sooner. I bought the L120 from a regular John Deere dealer and haven't asked about the cost to repair it yet, but like lots of other owners, I'm quite disappointed in the quality of this John Deere product.

From the blog mentioned above, the repair will be $600 to $800 just to put the machine back into original condition. Replacing it with the same quality machine does not make dollar sense if it will not last. So the bottom line is to step up in quality to get something that will last. I'm guessing this means an outlay of $4000 to $5000.

When I took the mower to the dealer for an unrelated issue, I asked that they check the blades and make sure I sharpened it correctly since it wasn't sharpened before which was obviously a defect/quality control issue. The dealer did not cover this under warranty and charged me to sharpen the blades again without informing me first. Personally, I think this should have been sharpened for free as good faith due to the quality control issue. Then after getting that fixed, the parking brake sensor was looked at because it failed to work and the mower was moved forward with the parking brake on which ate up the tires, my fault, kind of, but the sensor is there to make sure that doesn't happen. The dealer said they looked at the sensor and it seemed currently “ok” and refused to replace it or the tire that it chewed on. Then they charged me labor for the time it took to look at the sensor! Then the most serious issue, the left hydraulic pump went out. This mower has 7 hours on it!

After 30 minutes of mowing, the left pump would fade out slowly until you had to dial back the right control so you would still go in a straight line until it would slow down to 1 mph and make a whining noise. I push mowed the rest of my yard when I just spent 4K on "nothing runs like a Deere". When I took it to the dealer, I explained this issue to them and when I got the call that it was "fixed". They said they adjusted the tracking, which I didn't ask for since the tracking was fine for me and I can turn a bolt myself and billed me for the time to adjust it, but the pump was fine. I called 2 extra times and said “Are you sure you checked it out good because I can tell you there is something wrong with the pump.” The service manager seemed somewhat annoyed and said, “Yes the mower appears to be in great shape,” after they let it run and mowed with it for over an hour and I was lucky they didn't bill me for that time, they did me a "favor". They did charge me for adjusting the tracking though even though I didn't ask for that, I refused to pay for work I didn't authorize and they wouldn't let me have the mower back until I paid basically. Anyways, I brought the mower home and again, in 30 minutes, the left pump failed on me causing me to push mow the rest of my yard again this week. I am a residential customer, I don't own a trailer, I have to drive a half hour to pay to rent one, then 45 minutes to the dealer, then take the mower home, then take the trailer back, then repeat the process because the dealer can't fix this lemon of a mower.

I would rather be happy with Deere for years to come like my great grandpa always was, my grandpa always was, and my dad has been, not cursing them every time the name comes up and remembering the money that was taken from me for an unreliable unit.

This mower had less than 90 hours, a piston rod snapped and John Deere refused to warrant the engine stating lack of lubricant. They said there were metal shavings in the bottom of the crank case. I know how I take care of my equipment and believe me I had fresh oil in the motor and John Deere is a terrible company for refusing to honor the warranty.

The mower is a cheap piece of crap and I will never buy another product from them again. We spent over $20,000 dollars to have a new motor installed. Now during the 2nd mowing of this season the mower will not charge up the battery and it's been in the shop for 3 weeks and I will spend more money on further repairs. I literally hate John Deere. If anyone is interested in a class action suite against them, I'm in.

The common theme seems to be that the only relief offered by John Deere is (at most) $200 toward the purchase of a new, more expensive John Deere product. No thanks! At a minimum, I would like to see John Deere step up and admit that they used a transaxle that is not durable enough for the intended duty, and replace, at no cost, all of these transaxles with new ones designed for the intended purpose. As a mechanical engineer, at first I thought I might have been overly critical, but after reading hundreds of other complaints similar to mine, I don't think there is much doubt that this is an inferior product being perpetrated on the buying public.

Anyone want to join me in a national campaign to promote my new slogan? anyone willing to take on Goliath? They present themselves as a company that cares but only care about the multi-thousand dollar combines they sell to debt-ridden farmers. The little guy, the homeowner, is not their concern. Please, someone from JD contact me! I'd love to get a response (doubt it!).

It turns out that no one had a great answer but three reputable mechanics said that all of the Deere tractors bought at Home Depot, and Lowe's, have much less quality parts installed on them, example, valve stems are made of aluminum, versus steel. The engine cylinder walls are not cast iron lined. This is not legitimate for a company to sell the same tractors and supply cheap internal parts on the tractors that are being sent elsewhere than the dealer. Absolutely a lie that will cost consumers a lot of money because of a phoney purchase caused by the backwards run John Deere. And if anyone from John Deere cares to differ their opinion.

I went to JD again. I can drive there with my eyes closed. I have spent so much time driving there. I was quoted over $2,000 to fix it. That’s what the mower costs new. I just as well buy a new one. Perhaps that’s their plan. But I would rather eat the grass than get another Deere. I now have to get another mower until I can fix the Deere somehow with used parts or something. I may have to use it as a very slow ATV or pull a swisher trail mower deck around. Buy Japanese, Chinese. Just do not get a Deere.

I can't believe the above tune up tied up my mower for over two weeks and shouldn't have taken any mechanic no longer than one hour to accomplish the above repairs. Service invoice was dated 4/20/2010, make/model is 2008JD A125A, equipment number is 23792, and serial number is GXA125A072898.

Most of the repairs are attributable to the PTO clutch which, I learned, had a weak bracket that caused wiring shorts and broken wire connections, leading eventually in my case to the need in 2009 to totally replace the PTO clutch and switch at a cost of $388.34. John Deere has replaced the weak bracket repair shops were using in the past with one that does a better job, but in the meantime, I have had to pay repeatedly for repairs involving damaged wires and broken wire connections that caused my PTO clutch not to function.

They sent me pictures of the cylinder heads on the gator which showed three stages of rust which proves that this has happened over a period of time, but they still say I had it in water for it to have water in it. My gator was used as a golf cart. This is a condensation problem with poor air filter intakes on John Deere’s part, but they only cover it for two years. Wow, I got stuck. It will cost me $5,000 to buy a new engine, and if the problem is not solved in two years, it will be the same way and now I am worried about my tractor. Next year, I will be buying a new engine for it.

The mower is less than 1 year old and it is not worth anything now, so $1,500.00 down the tubes. We took the mower the first time to a dealer and it was fixed. Now they picked it up, called and told me what was wrong and we needed to pay for it. I said no, so I told them to take it back to my house and they did. They sent me a bill for $60.00 for picking it up and bringing it back. They are about 3 miles from my house (boy, gas costs a lot). I refuse to pay the bill. Stay away from John Deere and that is what we should have done. Now I have to pay $50.00 a week to have my yard mowed. John Deere does not care about it nor their customer service. I will be buying a Exmark next year, which is what I should have done all along.

This is a poorly constructed piece of equipment, and we will never buy another product with green and yellow logos; i.e., that's made by John Deere! They are only in it for the money and could care less about helping the customer who bought an inferior product! Shame on them for stealing from the working poor. We thought we were getting a well-respected riding lawn mower made by John Deere. I guess I was wrong! Thank you for your time and consideration regarding this matter.

The mower deck paint is very flakey and has had to be repainted three times since 2005. In 2008 the idler arms had to be replaced - we were constantly adjusting them until nothing more could be done. Our mower deck has three blades. We purchased a replacement spindle in late April 2009, as the spindle was becoming loose. It was installed in June (when grass season started here) and now in August this spindle again needs replacing. The 90-day warranty has expired so once again we are told, “Tough luck - it's not covered.” This week we have had to replace a second original spindle as it broke off completely above the mower deck. The replacement spindles bolt that holds it up has fallen out and the nut that holds the blade on would not stay on. The third spindle is becoming loose and will soon need replacing.

Our lawn is normal, nothing extreme about it so there is no reason for three spindles to require replacing in 4 years of normal wear and tear. Also it is impossible to grease the new spindles as it is set in such a way that a normal grease gun cannot access the recessed nipple. After fixing the second spindle, the steering gear disintegrated and needs replacing. This machine is only 4 years old and has had regular maintenance - it was not used in any extreme manner. I have complained to our local John Deere Service center - all they want to do is sell me a new and improved machine - as if this would ever happen again. I will never purchase any John Deere Products ever again and I have spoken out to anyone who will listen to stay away, far away from any John Deere products as they are not reliable and in our case junk.

So, I recently emailed John Deere to let them know the problem and how disappointed we were. They sent an email back and said there is nothing they could do, that the paint is separating because we live in South Louisiana but we had a Craftsman lawn mower that sat in flood water for 2 or 3 days and still worked and never had the paint peel. We keep our mower in the garage to make sure it stays out of the weather. We are so disgusted because we purchased a John Deere because we thought they were made of quality products, but I guess we were wrong and will never purchase another John Deere item again!

I will be 66 years old in October, and I have been cutting grass since I was 8 years old. I have never had a camshaft break. I asked numerous friends, and they also had never had a camshaft break. The dealer said that I would have to contact John Deere directly. I did, and they refused to help in any way. I went back to the dealer for help, and they informed I had to pay the full $330. Further, I was told by the service manager that he had seen hundreds of broken camshafts. If that was the case, then shouldn't something have been done to solve such a problem? I was told a rock, stump, sea wall, etc. could result in breaking the camshaft. I was just lucky it had not happened before. I should have realized something was wrong with the quality, as I paid $600 in 1995 for the mower that is still running.

In my opinion, no one should pay extra money to buy a John Deere self-propelled mower. They won't stand behind a good customer, who has used their products; and their dealer would not help in any way. I exercised my 30-day warranty and received a $164 credit. So my cost for cutting my grass two times and the mower failing on the third try was $322. Thank you, John Deere and Finnerman's. You really know how to treat a good customer.

I have been a millwright for 20 years and kept my equipment running in top shape. The two spindles I took off were both still good, the idler pulley was still good. One spindle was loose in the deck so I thought the bearing was gone. As I tried to tighten the four bolts in the deck, the bolts broke (snapped off), the shaft pulley on the top was rounded out or starting to round out. An octagon-shaped hole held in place by a 22mm nut attached from the top of the shaft. All parts so far were $125.00 plus my time for installation. I am paid $22.00 an hour, that’s on me, approximately, 2.5 hours and gas plus another trip to Athens, Texas for a spindle pulley. This may be the last deer I buy. I will most likely buy a scag because they are still building with pride in USA.

Four years about 260 hours and a trans out are flat out unacceptable. I should have spent the money and got an Exmark Zero Turn to begin with. I grew up around JD products that lasted. This is very disappointing and may very well be my last JD purchase. A salesman at a local shop told me that JD, Cub Cadet, etc. have all sold their souls to the box stores to pump volume out to make a buck and to hell with quality and customer service. They truly don't care if you buy again or not, because the volume of people that frequent those stores is astronomical and someone is bound to buy them. They put them right by the main entrance for a reason. Buyers beware. Do your homework before buying a mower. My next purchase is going to be a commercial grade Exmark or Scag Zero Turn.

July ‘09 – Engine blew up (same day) with no warning at 533 hrs. I have paid for all repairs except deck hanger.

Now I have to spend another $600.00 on a new engine. If I have John Deere to install it, another $600.00 was for that. I am a very unhappy with John Deere, which was once one of the top rated companies. I will never buy another John Deere again. John Deere should replace this engine to try to save a customer. Brian at John Deere has been trying to help but is hitting his head into a wall also.

I have a John Deere F725 52" front cut riding lawn mower. I am very happy with it; it is a very dependable rugged machine. My beef is with the John Deere Co. The plastic grille (part no. M78282) is kind of battered up (my fault) and I don't want to sell it that way (we're having an auction sale). When I ordered a new grille, the man asked, "you mean the one with the emblem?" "Yes," I said. It was a bit pricey (129.00 CAD plus taxes) but I ordered one anyway (not in stock).

When I opened the package at home, I couldn't find the emblem; it was missing! I only got nine tenths of the part I ordered! I called the parts department and they told me that the emblem is a another part and is sold separately. Now, why did he not tell me so in the first place? (So, I really do have a complaint with him as well).

The emblem is another $8.00! Another eight bucks just for a 4x4 sticky! I said, "Now, that is really stupid!" Tomorrow, when I go in to the city on other business, I'll stop in and pick up the emblem, which, in my opinion, should have already been pasted onto the new grille. And I should not have to pay for it. It's your advertisement, not mine! The least you can do is refund my eight bucks! I like John Deere equipment, so please don't let me say anything bad about the company. Please let me hear from you.

I pointed out, that the photo for the 48" deck doesn't even complete the belt routing path. The clerk replied that John Deere makes changing belts difficult so that owners take their mowers to dealers instead of doing it themselves. Summary: expect a Dear John from John Deere. The company doesn't provide adequate assistance or even decent manuals. Another 70 miles of travel to return the wrong belt because of a lousy manual!

So the story goes with mine. Even with the aforementioned regular maintenance, and a pampered life (always garaged to boot), it has had compression problems with the engine where it would not start unless I slightly turned the flywheel with my hand; it has had a bent front axle making the tires literally wear away on the outside in a short period of time. The pulleys squeak and rattle. The brake/clutch has always worked poorly. The deck will not stay level and therefore scalps areas often. Most recently, the engine finally gave out as there are metal shavings everywhere. The dealer says it is likely due to oil starvation as this engine has no oil pump and tends to starve when going up any incline, etc. To fix the engine and the front axle now will be $1,600 (yes, more than the cost of a new one).

John Deere Corporate was rude to me and said not only they would not help me now with out-of-warranty assistance, but also they would not even cover it if it were still in warranty. They indicate that it must be my fault as a lack of oil lubrication is due to a lack of oil and maintenance. The front axle is my fault too as I must have hit something (yeah, maybe a stick in the grass). I will never buy another John Deere product. I told Corporate this, and they said fine. Obviously, now I must spend another $1,500-$2,000 on another new mower (I probably will go with a Husqvarna) and throw away the Deere that still looks nearly brand new. All of the time and effort dealing with the ordeal has been a strain.

Contacted Mike in Service and he said they could no longer get parts for our machine and didn't know when they could come and pick it up. We had to hire someone to plow our driveway during this time. I called and talked to Gary the manager and he said we could take it anywhere to get repaired. Since no one showed up from January to June to pick this up, we ended up getting it to the Racin Station in Driggs, Idaho. It took them five months to get the manufacturing defects' parts for this machine and now it is costing another $2,330.00 for repairs. The defective parts are Shift Drum Lever, Shift Index Lever, Park Lever Arm. Bombardier says not their problem and John Deere Customer Service in Moline, IL (Debbie) says not their problem. This machine has about 800 miles on it for 3 years old. We do not know if this is on the recall list or not. Our VIN number is **.

The tank leaked gas; and had we been storing this mower near a gas water heater, a fire could have folloed. These tanks are fracturing at the mid seam and other locations. A third tank is now been installed. John deere reported that there has been no recall concerning this product; however where there are two fractured tanks from the same mower, then there must be others. The tank is manufactured by Briggs and Stratton.

The John Deere deck is made from metal far too brittle for its intended use. Any stress or vibration will shatter the deck as it has no give whatsoever. I will be out $400 for a new deck plus the original price of $1800 and still will not be able to use the mower as it will most certainly fail again. No more overpriced green junk for me. John Deere may have been synonymous with quality in the past but obviously not any more.

Paid another $427.67 to fix it. It ran twice and wouldn't start. I was able to boost it and mow my lawn two more times and now the mower doesn't engage. I've now paid about $2350 for the mower, $575 in repairs, and another $400 to have my lawn mowed. So now I'm out about $3000 with no lawn mower.

It was obvious the blades weren't resharpened, and it cuts grass unevenly worse than before, requiring me to go over it two or three times. Rattles and shakes like its going to fall apart. No matter how I tune the deck, still the same thing. John Deere WAS supposed to equal quality, why should I have needed to research a brand known for quality. Well Steve, you're right. I will NEVER buy another JD product, nor will I EVER recommend a JD product.

The next problem occurred the following spring. I had stored the unit for the winter, and folded the handle down. Because of the placement of the cables, they caught on the hinges and broke both cables. I consulted my repair shop, and they suggested that I take it to a JD dealer, since they would have to order the parts anyway.. I took the mower to Northern Aggregates in Fulton, NY, and after about a week I found out that they had to order the parts and that they had ordered incorrect part and were awaiting another one..

When I finally got the mower back, I tried to cut the grass and found that it was not adjusted and the clutch would not engage to start the drive.. Again went to my own repair shop, and they fixed the problem. I stored the unit for winter again, (and did not fold the handle).. I cut the grass a few times, and again the clutch would not engage and I took it back to my own repair shop,and found that the cable had broken at the point it went to the unit where the drive gear was located..

Again took it back to my dealer and he put a new cable on the mower.. I used it a few more times and only one wheel would drive, so took it to my repair shop again, and found that the D clip was off the left wheel. That was replaced (that was 2 weeks ago), and I was able to cut my lawn at least once without a problem.. To date I have had this mower to a repair shop 5 times in the 2 years I have had the mower.. I purchased this mower to replace an aging Agway mower which only needed a tuneup, because I had retired and didn't want to put anymore money in an old machine.. What a mistake, this John Deere has cost me almost as much in repairs as the original purchase price.

I have paid over $300.00 in repairs to this mower because of defective parts and faulty dealer repair (not including the cables which broke when I folded the handle).

The same time (year 2000), i bought a 48 snow blade with attachments, so this mower still cuts my grass and plows my side walk every year. It sets outside day/night and covered with a quality canvess. Just remembered, i installed a fuel pump and thermastat. J/D does`nt do my labor, i do.

N/A, but i hope people realize, that sometimes used might work ok.

We haven't even paid the bill from 8/11/08 which was $358.22 and the tractor is broke again! I can't afford to pay for this piece of junk to get fixed again! Seems like somebody is screwing somebody! I have no lawn mower now and who knows how long I'll be without one again! I am getting so distressed over this that I don't sleep well because of this. I am unemployed, thanks to the economy, and this is just one unneeded expense that I just don't need!

Went to Lowes and got grease fittings that had a long nipple and then I was able to grease the spindle housing, which had very little grease in it because of the defective fittings (used a flashlight to look inside the spindle housing when the grease fitting was removed). When the spindle housing was filled with grease the excess came out around the spindle shaft under the deck.

Just thought people should be aware of this problem. Talked to a John Deere dealer about it, and they did give me advice on how to replace the grease fittings, but only after I asked the right questions. Of course it was under warranty, but pickup and delivery was $90. The 5 grease fittings on the front end of the mower had long nipples and I was able to grease them without any problem.

No damage as far as I know since I greased the spindle housing right away instead of waiting for 8 hrs of usage to go by, as indicated in the manual.

I guess it is time to send it to the scrap metal yard so I can repay myself back the money that I spent on this hunk of junk. I own a Kubota tractor now.

The second one cost $9200.00 for a 60 inch cut. It's just as bad as the first one. The head lights quit the first year, pieces fall off a lot. I have to take off and run fast or it stalls when I turn on the mower blades. If the grass is more than 6 high I have to cut my lawn twice or else it looks horrible and friends joke about my grass. I have to sharpen the blades almost everytime I cut the grass and clean under the deck with a scraper (every time) or else I again have to cut the grass twice and then it still looks bad. Also the control to raise and lower the deck only works sometimes.

When I turn on the mower blades while moving or else it stalls it bucks like a wild bronco and snaps my neck. After cutting my grass I take aspirin, tylenol whatever I have. I am otherwise a healthy guy. It has rolled over on me and nearly broke my leg. It is very easy to roll over and nearly has a number of times. I am currently trying to gather data for a class action lawsuit. You will NEVER see a John Deere mower being used by professional lawn care people. Just look at the little trailers they pull with their pickups...the is NEVER a John Deere on the trailer.

$9200.00 for a piece of junk that always needs repair and does a poor job of cutting my lawn. I think the years of cutting my grass with a mower that has to be moving before I turn on the mower blades and then it bucks and snaps my neck has taken a toll on my and my wifes backs and necks (and yes we get real headache every time during and after). Usually after cutting our lawn we can expect to have a sore neck and bad back for a few days.

Okay I was stupid twice. The second one cost $9200.00 for a 60" inch cut. It's just as bad as the first one. The head lights quit the first year, pieces fall off a lot. I have to take off and run fast or it stalls when I turn on the mower blades. If the grass is more than 6" high I have to cut my lawn "twice" or else it looks horrible and friends joke about my grass. I have to sharpen the blades almost everytime I cut the grass and clean under the deck with a scraper (every time) or else I again have to cut the grass twice and then it still looks bad. Also the control to raise and lower the deck only works sometimes.

When I turn on the mower blades "while moving or else it stalls" it bucks like a wild bronco and snaps my neck. After cutting my grass I take aspirin, tylenol whatever I have. I am otherwise a healthy guy. It has rolled over on me and nearly broke my leg. It is very easy to roll over and nearly has a number of times. I am currently trying to gather data for a "class action" lawsuit. If anyone is out there with similar physical complaints contact me at ".

It was explained to me this way. "You will NEVER see a John Deere mower being used by professional lawn care people. Just look at the little trailers they pull with their pickups...the is NEVER a John Deere on the trailer. John Deere is JUNK. Because they didn't call me and just locked my car up, I had to find someone to drive me home and I had to take off of work Monday 8/25/08 just so that I could pick up my car. It infuriates me that as a law abiding and taxpaying consumer, we (women) are subjected to such unethical and unprofessional business practices.

It is bad enough that the rising cost of inflation has placed an added burden on the consumers, but then to be unfairly treated or scammed for service repairs that are not impairing the vehicles operation for the sack of profit. Something needs to be done about these kinds of unscrupulous business practices, especially for gender bias. At this point there is nothing that could be done or said to justify or rectify being left stranded.

I contacted MacLeods (dealer)and dropped it of to be fixed the mechanic said it had to be a defect and it should be covered.Two weeks go by before the dealer calls me and then says John Deere will not cover the engine.The area rep said the govener had a wrench mark on it and accused me of turning it up causing the engine to over rev.and there is nothing they can do about it.I am a mechanic myself and would not do such a thing.If there was a wrench on governer it was done at the dealer or the factory.

I called John Deere customer office and was told by Amber there that they stand behind there dealers decision.I am now left with a 2200.00 dollar piece of JUNK..I Found out the hard way that John Deere doesnt stand behind there products and the dealer doesnt care either.

The dealer came to pick up the tractor and wanted $58.00 for pickup and delivery and we only live maybe 7 miles away! Ripoff!!! It took the dealer 2 weeks to fix the tractor. They said the wiring harness got stuck on a pulley and shorted out the PTO. Hmmm, sounds like a design flaw to me!! Had to get a new wiring harness and new clutch, not to mention a new fuse.

The kicker... I mowed my lawn for about an hour after getting the tractor back home from the dealer and guess what? The front left tire fell off!! And I just got it back from the dealer!! Needless to say, I will NEVER buy a John Deere ever again as they are JUNK! They are NOT quality machines. I will stick with Kubota tractors from here in out!!

I will never own any product from John Deere againl. They then will sell this gator to some unsuspecting buyer. So to that employee who has worked for John Deere and is tired of all the complaining, I did buy my gator from an authorized John Deere retailer and am still getting a very bad deal from them. May be Steve, you should tell them to stand behind their products and quit being so spineless. John Deere is a terrible company. Their product is no longer a quality product. Eventually their reputation will catch up to them and they will go out of business. The sooner the better.

We are out over $5,000 in repairs and now have a gator that will not stay started.

I expected to pay for the sharpening but not the other service. They claimed the repairs were not warranty items. I had not over filled the oil. The machine was brought back and used twice then the same thing occurred. Back to the shop and they claim to have put a new carb. on it. This time they did not charge for the repair. Apparently what should have been done the first time.

The engine did not run as fast as before, but it started good with the exception of about 3 times during the next year. During those times it did finally start, so I did not complain. Yesterday the same thing happened. Won't start, gas pour out of the engine and the oil now has gas in it. Now I can not mow and am sure I will be stuck with another repair bill. I bought a JD because I wanted the best! Lesson learned.

Currently only out the 1st repair bill of over $100.00. I am sure they will slam me with a repair bill and tell me it was bad gas or service needed or trash in the fuel. There is a problem with those engines that they will not admit.

A large plastic part that attaches to the grip and control area came off when the plastic washer-like part broke off. Why use a cheap plastic part as an attaching point that can break off so easily on such an expensive mower?

The BIG surprise came when I went to move the mower to another part of the garage, I found a large (6-7 round) oil puddle on the garage floor under the deck. It seems that it leaks oil right at the front just behind the valve cover. I cleaned it up and tightened the valve cover screws thinking that this was the problem. Well, the leak was back within a few minutes. It seems that the leak is coming from somewhere in the lower front part of the engine.

I took it back to Lowes and got a full refund. I also found ackward using the 'Mowmentum' lever that controls the rear traction speed. You have to push this lever forward as you are walking, making it a bit touchy to handle. I was really disapointed at how bad such an expensive brand new mower can be. Mark this as my last John Deere mower.

The last time I started it...it took 40 pulls before the enging would start. I contacted Lowe's about the problem and they told me to bring it in and they would send it out to an authorized dealer for repairs. Well the mower sat at Lowe's for to weeks before the authorized repair company came to get. I tried to find out where the mower was sent for repair so that I could find out when the repairs would be finished and I could pick up the mower...Lowe's didn't have that information so now I am stuck!

This mower has been by far the worst mower I have ever owned...I deeply regret purchasing it! I replaced my 11 year old Honda mower with this John Deere which was a big mistake...my Honda served me well for 11 years and only had to go in once for a tune-up. The Honda always started on the first or second pull...fantastic machine. I would never purchase another John Deere product again...poor quality, poor design and lack of dependability...I only hope that one day they call me to say the mower is fixed and to come and get it. I will mostly try to sell it and then purchase another Honda. One tries to support American made goods but when they are crap your left to purchase quality mfg foreign products.

I received painful blisters on my fingers from pulling the start cord 40 times and my arm was sore from pulling.

I have been forced to pay for an expensive lawn service. I am deciding what to do. Pay an exorbitant amount for repairs o buy a new one altogether.

Mower out of commission until I get time to drive 45 minutes to nearest dealer to pick up part, Gas at $4 per gallon to drive to same dealer, plus whatever dealer decides to do to screw me over once I get there.

the hubs that ride on the axle are harder than the axle, so in turn it eats away the axle on the bottom.

Comments : I would like to know how you can claim QUALITY in your
JD products when you installed a Plastic Gear on the cam shaft of your
6x4 Gators. The gear stripped and I can't just replace it I have to buy
the whole cam shaft plus gaskets,followers,water pump gear and labor to
rebuild for a cost of over 600.00. All for a Plastic gear that cost less
than 10.00. I have been buying John Deere products for 40 years now and
this is the first time I run into this but wanted to let you know that I

was disappointed in my purchase this time.

After working on the mower the last time, I was told by the dealer that they simulated the grade of my lawn, and the mower did die. My small mower, however, does not. They told me they talked to John Deere, and it was a design flaw with this model. John Deere told them there is nothing they can do about it. I have written John Deere several times requesting a replacement mower, or my money back, to no avail. At the present time I have been forced to hire a costly lawn service.

As i mentioned, i have been forced to hire a lawn service, several times over the past few years to complete the mowing season.

About 3 weeks after I took the mower to my Dealer for repairs, the mechanic (Jean) call me and informed me that JD would not fix my mower under the warranty. He told me that he disagreed with JD and that he had been talking to someone at JD for a week trying to explain to them that the failure of the engine was caused by a bolt coming loose. He said that he had over 20 years experience as a JD mechanic, and was trained and certified by JD but the area rep., who was young kid just out of school, would not agreed to fix my mower. He told me that I need to call JD's 800 number. He told me that the reason my mower failed was because a bolt, INSIDE THE ENGINE, had come loose and caused the engine to lockup. He went on to explain that he had sent pictures to JD and they have decided that because there were metal flakes in the engine they woould not repair my mower. JD believed that the failure was due to "lack of lubrication" and that he believed that JD is wrong and that the metal flakes are because of the nut that came loose inside the engine.

I called the JD 800 number. I spoke with a lady (Aiylsha) who refused to give me her last name, or an employee number or any way to ID her other than her first name. She told me that JD would not fix mower because the engine failer was due to "lack of lubrication" I explained that the JD mechanic had explained to me that the "lack of lubrication" was caused by a mechanical failer of the engine (A METAL NUT HAD COME LOOSE INSIDE THE ENGINE). After I tried to talk to her about what happens inside of an engine when metal parts come loose, she told me that she did not know anything about engines. She then REFUSED to let me talk to her supervisor. She told me that the only phone number available to the public was the 800 number that I had called her on. She said that she would have the area rep. call me in 4 to 5 business days. She refused to give me his number so that I could call him. She also refused to give me his name.

I called my dealer (Smith & Smith in Franklinton LA) back and Jeff told me that he had looked at my engine and it was clearly the loose bolt that caused to engine to fail. He said that he like his mechanic had over 20 years experience and he was postive that the engine failed due the loose bolt inside the engine. He told me that a new engine would cost about $2,200.00 and he did not even offer to give me a cut on the price. I have purchased over $25,000.00 of JD equipment from him in the last 3 years and was the one that talked me into the more expensive lawn mower, because it had a 2 year warranty and was built to JD quality. I had been running JD tractors for years and never had an real problems, so I believed him.

With no phone number I went to the JD web site, and to investor relations and found thier SEC filling. I got from there various SEC forms about 5 different phone numbers. I called 309- and got a lady by the name of Tammy S. A JD employee with a last name, I thought that I had hit the jackpot. I told her part of my problem, she transfered me to her boss, Andy T. He seemed reasonable and told me that he could help me with my problem. He was going to call Jeff and Jean at Smith and Smith and call the area rep. and get back with me on 7-7-08. He did not call me back. Instead a Matt C. called me. He said that he is the area rep. and he called to explain to me why JD was not going to honor my warranty. He start out with the same story about the "lack of lubrication".

I explained that if it were due to lack of lubrication, it was caused by a bolt coming loose. When pushed, he ammited that JD only believes that it is "likely" that the lack of lubrication was my fault. I told him that I had done everything required by the warranty agreement, I had checked the oil before using my mower and within minutes of the engine failing. The oil was "full" at both times. The mechanic at JD and a friend of my that is a New Holland mechanic told me the questions to ask him. He admitted during our conversation: 1. the loose bolt in the engine is a mechanical failure. 2. The mechanic Jean is certified by JD and he continued to say that he respects Jeans opinion. 3. several other points that are very important.

At this point he told me that JD had decided and they were not going to change thier position. I asked him to sign a letter offically informing me for this decision. I told him that I need the letter signed by him so that I could sue him along with JD. Did not impress him at all. I also told him that I was going first thing in the morning to get my mower, before JD tries to charge me storage on it. I know that this sounds hard to believe, but it is true. I have talked to 4 people from JD and my local dealership. Two have say it was Mechanical failure, one agreed that the loose bolt is a mechanical failer, but he says that it is JD policy that they will not fix my mower because of metal flakes in the engine. The fourth said that she does not understand engines and the best I can tell, she is the final decision.

I hate to chase a princple to the poor house, but this is just to insulting to let go. My daughter finished law school in May, and expects to be able to sue for me by Jan. I have been paying verious people to mow my yard and I guess I am going to buy a mower, but I will not be JD. I have to mow my yard and it would be stupid to spend $2,200.00 to fix a mower with out any warranty . I am going to buy a different brand for about the same money, and sue for the cost of the new mower.

have had several mowers that were a lot cheaper that lasted me ten years before the mowing decks wore out. And I gave the mower, minus the deck, to an old man to ride around on. My nephew has the same mower and has had nothing but trouble with his. I can't afford a $3,000 mower that I can only use for 3 years! It's pathetic! I bought the mower because I need a big mower to cut about 5 acres, and I thought John Deere was supposed to be the best! Nothing runs like a deere is a big joke! I can't afford to waste what little money I have on a piece of junk. I'll never buy another!

Just that here in WV we have a hard enough time finding or keeping a decent job, let alone throwing hard earned money away like that. I financially need to get my moneys worth. I barely get by most of the time, and bought this mower because I thought it would last me a long time with few repairs. I should have bought a cheaper mower and spent my money on my house that I have been trying to finish for thirteen years!

Also the grease fitting is useless because the sleeve in the spindle stops the grease from getting to the bearings. The bearings are also sealed. Now my idler pulley melted the shaft on the deck and broke the belt.The dealer tells me a kit is avialible for this defect before they sold you a new deck. never will I purchase a John Deere.

I have invested over 50hrs of my time and over 500.00 just to keep this green monster running.

I received a call back after a couple of hours from Alex first telline me to contact a John Deer Dealer or Agent, and upon this suggestion I told him there was no such thing or person. He then told me to give him another few minutes to get back to me, and in getting back to me he suggested I call the John Deer Dealer in Nassau, offering me a telephone number to do so and told me that I would have to make claim directly with the John Deer agent. I then said to him that I did not think it to be my responsibility because I did not purchase the generators from the John Deer agents in Nassau.

My further comments to him was that it was his and his company's responsibility to find a way to have someone supply us with instructions to sort the problem out with the unit or send someone from Florida to come and check because I thought it their responsibility. He in turn told me that they could not do that but rather I must contact the John Deer people myself. Please advise me on what I should do from this point, after spending some $26,000.00 with MTS Power Products. I think it is their responsibility to offer a more better solution to sorting my problem out with the generator. I understand that I purchased from out of the country but as a consumer there is no justification for being treated the way we have been treated.

My John Deere dealer said that the problem is the transmission and that a new one will cost $600.00 for the part alone. Since this is a sealed unit, it is not servicable and the whole unit must be replaced. Their Service Manager said that the replacement transmission will more than likely give me the same problem if used on an incline. Obviously, John Deere Lawn Tractors were not meant to be sold in WV since all we have are hills.

I believe that $600.00 for a new transmission is too much to pay for an inferior product that will last for less than 100 hours when the mower cost $2000.00 originally. I am 67 years old and have to mow any inclines with a push mower.

My mower sits in the garage and my yard is in need of mowing. I'm disabled and forced to mow my 2 acres with a push mower.

Before he could return home, a service rep called to say that they would not honor John Deere's supposed two-year warranty; a new deck would cost me $587.00. I called John Deere's 800 customer support number, and I was told that John Deere's customer support would not override a dealer's decision. I asked to speak to the JD territory rep for North Carolina. His name is John, and a few days later, he, too, refused to honor John Deere's warranty.

I made the 80 mile round trip again, this time to pick up my broken mower deck. This time, I spoke with the service manager at Parkway Tractor. His first name is Clay -- he REFUSED to tell me his last name. When I told him that I had maintained my mower carefully, and I had used it for really one season, and I planned to file a consumer complaint, I was told, I could do anything I wanted, but other people had tried, and they hadn't gotten anywhere. I contend that I did nothing to cause such major damage to my mower. I was mowing a level lawn when the spindle dropped out.

I feel that John Deere manufactured a defective part, and the company is refusing to honor its two-year warranty. I regret that I did not read the complaints from so many others on the consumer affairs web site BEFORE my husband and I purchased my mower. At this point, I don't expect to receive any help from John Deere, but I hope that other consumers will be warned by my experience.

My complaints have gotten the retailer to attempt repairs again to no avail, as it remains broke down now. I was informed by the personel that, that is why johndeere stopped makeing such model shortly after I bought it due to so many problems but they never would swap or attempt helping me get into another selection, I wanted a lawn mower that worked, not refund. Now I have to attempt use of a neihbors lawn mower to cut grass, because the albatross I purchased has never worked right.

The consequence to this matter is now as it has been since the time of purchase that I have a mower that I have to attempt to put money in just to cut my grass and that is adverse to our decision to purchase this product being on a fixed income. We are now faced as we have been since the time of purchase to have to continue to pour money into it or buy another of which we dont have. They knew they had problems with this lawn mower that is why they stopped production and they should have recalled such and helped us instead of sticking us with it.

minor bodily injury and property damage due to brake failure.

My friend Mike (a lawnmower mechanic) and I have spent hours trying to adjust the deck checking the tires doing everything you can imagine because it always left a stripe when you mowed you never got that nice flat yard. I guess I got a deck with a bad stamp. Once we figured out what was wrong the dealership told me to get out the old persuader and give it a whack. We fixed the problem by fabbing a spacer. So Now we have new spindles, a deck that is mowing nicely for 6 months 50 hours then it happens all over again. Now the left spindle seizes up. So it starts all over again. Remove the deck replace the spindles, replace the belt the idler pulleys are making noise so replace them as well.

As I am looking under the deck I can see the body is rusting away to nothing. The powder coating is coming off in big sheets. Once I start wire brushing the metal it was like opening a big box of worms. It is just going to continue and continue and eventually rust away. You would have to remove and sandblast the thing and have it painted. When I purchased this mower I thought it would be a 5 year investment and then I would probably need a new mower. I'm sure it will be sooner. The dealership said that John Deere would tell me the rust is due to the fact that I live 20 miles from the Salt Water. My reply is I live 30 miles away and if that is the case maybe they should only sell them in Nebraska.

Now this lawn mower acted up up from frist time I got on it. My thoughts someone bought it and messed it up and brought it back and they sold it to me as a new mower. My wife and my son witnessed the noise the first time I got on it. I am sixty seven years old and this is the first John Deere lawn mower I ever bought. Also I have mowed my yard for many years and one thing I do is check each time before I mow for anything that migh be laying in the yard that would tear a mower up. I don't know if there is anyway to check the ID number to see if it had been sold before I bought it and brought back to Lowe's. It is a JOhn deer riding lawn mowe series 100. Can the ID number be traced to see how many owners have bought it?

the dealership wrote off the late fees I refused to pay but isn't going to refund any repair over charges. John Deere corporate sent me a little thank you for being a customer card and a coupon for 35% off my next parts and service bill. Mower still dead on the lawn. They won't give me detailed bills of what they repaired, what I was charged for or refund anything for parts I previously replaced.

This cheaply built machine appears to have been designed to take advantage of John Deere's good name. It is basically a throw away that costed over $2000.00 for 2 and 1/2 years of use. Not only do we feel suckered, having invested so much money in such a poor product, there is the trauma of realizing that the John Deere company, for so long a quality name, put out a machine that you can't even refurbish in a cost effective manner. The transmission, a poor choice for the mower anyway, is only available through a dealer and will be expensive. We will probably sell the motor and the seat and discard the rest.

My dad bought this machine, and he loved tractors and was a mechanic. He lived pretty far from any John Deere dealer. He had looked at this mower at the John Deere dealers, but bought at Home Depot because it was close by. This mower was a supreme disappointment to him in his last years. He's mowing Greener Pastures now, and I hope he's up there telling Mr. John Deere how his company has taken a dive with these cheap machines.

We have had a lot of problems with this model, they quit making the cam shaft plastic. They never reveiled that information at the time of purchase that 2006 and 2007 John Deere mowers had a cam shaft was made of plastic. Since we are so discussed with it and have talk to a few other people, that repairman was right, there are alot of problems. In all fairness they did offer $100 trade in on another mower. But the guy that loaded it back into the truck, with the mower still off of it said, You could probably piece it out and get more than $100, the seat, by itself almost cost that. Long ago, I bought a little Murray riding mower that far out last this, it's problem was just rust. We though having a John Deere would be top of the line not the bottom. Now everytime my husband see's a commercial about JD or any thing with a logo on it, he cringes. I guess it's a push mower or maybe a new craftsman in the future.

Our yard is large and the grass is very high, we have an non riding lawn mower in pieces that the dealer wants almost what was paid for it to fix it. We felt like they were just trying to get us to buy a bigger one but wanted us to go in debt to buy it. When that didn't work, the sales dept and the service people acted indifferent, I went to sit in the truck while we waited for them to load it back up. Of course they didn't put it back together, they thought we would purchase another. We took it home in pieces and it still is!

Well, a week passed and I called Mr. Reaves he said it was on it's way; I inquired about the bagger also, and he said they hadn't seen it. I wanted the bagger to be installed when the mower arrived, but we received the mower on 4/25/08, and the bagger was no where to be found. I called on 4/22 to follow up on the bagger, and he said it would be here on 4/29. I called on 5/1 amd was told the bagger and turbo had arrived, but we were waiting on the chute. We paid $800 for a bagger, and Bobby,the parts manager, told me they didn't order the chute. I called Jim Reaves on 5/2 after speaking with Bobby, and he said the chute was on freeze from John Deere and wouldn't be shipped till the middle of May. He then proceeded to tell me that he called JD and told them he needed one now!

I asked him why he was selling baggers if he couldn't get the chutes? He didn't have an answer for me, he just continued to blame John Deere. I also told Jim Reaves that this was the worst customer service I had ever received. Each of his employees told me and my husband a different lie. Jim stated that I could bring the machine back if I wanted to. Well, if my husband didn't have lawns to cut this weekend I would return his lawn mower. Unlike the staff of Reaves Tractor, we have integrity, and will be cutting our customer's grass this weekend. Again, the bagger chute should be here on 5/5; however, if it is not I will be going to get our $800 back. This is a disgrace to John Deere dealers everywhere. Had I know we would have this much hassle I would have purchased the JD elsewhere!

Well the financing of the mower was not done as agreed. Johnny, the salesman, didn't disclose to us any of the information about adding insurance to the loan. He also gave us a different rate than he quoted us, which I found while signing the contract. He also did not disclose all the charges included to us on the settlement page. I found the copy in the trash, I would not allow my information to be thrown out; unless shredded and that is something they don't do. I brought all the incorrect copies home with me to shred. We have wasted time, gas, and lost lawn care business, due to this hassle.

The dealer says I need to replace the spark plug. The didn't fix the problem so I called a local mower repairman. He said to not bring it to him because he hates the JD mowers. Finally, yesterday I was mowing and the brake/clutch linkage breaks and links be unable to stop. Before buying this junker, I had a cheap Craftsman for 10 years and never did anything to it but add fuel. I'll never own a John Deere again.

I spent a great deal of my time searching for this information, and still don't have an answer. It seems as though this should have been an easier thing to do. I guess now I'll have to go out an get the tire off and take it to my local tire store, so they can look it up. For all the time I spent on their useless website, this is probably what I should have done in the first place, I would be mowing my lawn by now. I thought it would be a little easier if I could just go and tell them what I needed, buy it, come home, replace my tires, and start mowing. Thanks for nothing, John Deere!

Second motor - I am waiting for a month for a new motor kit. They promised me it will be here before the 17 April, and guess what, today is the 24th and still no motor kit. I had my Club Champ on the 19th of April, I had to change my tees mower to mow greens, and my semi-rough mower to mow tees. In the whole equipment deal With Afgri-golf were verti-drain needle tines and blocks. After a year and 2 Months i still have not received the tines and blocks. For the last 3 months I phone every week. Every time they have a different excuse. I have spoken to few greenkeepers and they feel the same This is unexceptable.

John Deere will not be responsible for anything, their warranty is worthless! On one of the numerous times when I called their customer service number (that's a joke in itself)the lady I talked to even said that she'd heard of the faulty seat switch before. So John Deere knows that there is a problem, they just choose to do nothing about it. Now I see why people file class action lawsuits.