None — Whirlpool is facing a class action lawsuit that claims some of its dishwashers have a dangerous defect that can lead to a fire.
Hundreds of people have reported their dishwashers overheating and even catching fire. In many cases, it started after they had set them and gone to bed.
David Lappin said he just happened to walk downstairs late one night, and it was a good thing he did.
“And there was smoke billowing out of the dishwasher,” Lappin said.
He shut everything off and then aired out his south Charlotte home. The next morning, he took the dishwasher door apart, he said.
“This was all pretty well fried,” Lappin said.
The same thing happened to Tracey Galloway at her home in Myers Park.
“We smelled kind of an electrical burning smell,” Galloway said.
She said the wires in her KitchenAid dishwasher started burning. She got it repaired and then filed a complaint with the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
“I'm wondering if it is truly fixed because the part that he replaced it with is a KitchenAid part,” Galloway said. “And so if the first part had that problem, will this part have the same problem?”
Charles Fax is an attorney in Maryland. He filed a class action lawsuit against Whirlpool and Sears, in relation to some of their KitchenAid and Kenmore brands of dishwashers.
The suit claims those dishwashers contain "a dangerous defect" -- "control boards that spontaneously overheat... emit smoke and fumes... and erupt in flames.”
“The defective circuit boards can combust even when the machine is off,” Fax said. “So you could be out at dinner in a restaurant and come home and find flames in your kitchen. And that has happened.”
Fax said more than 500 people nationwide have reported their Whirlpool-manufactured dishwashers catching fire.
The lawsuit describes incidents in which: "flames erupted from the top of the dishwasher," "smoke and soot filled the entire house" and "the fire burned a hole through kitchen cabinetry."
Fax wants the company to issue a recall.
In Charlotte, Lappin agrees.
“I guess the thing that concerns me is, if they know there's a problem, let people know,” Lappin said.
Lappin is not part of that class action lawsuit.
Neither is Galloway, but she does hope her experience serves as a warning for others.
“I don't run my dishwasher at night like I used to and I certainly would never run the dishwasher when I was leaving the house,” she said.
To read the class action lawsuit filed against Whirlpool and Sears, click here.
Whirlpool has filed a motion to have the class action lawsuit dismissed. To read that motion, click here.
According to attorney Charles S. Fax, the following dishwasher models are involved in the investigation.
KitchenAid: KUDM01TJBL0, KUDP0SRBL0, KUDPO1LBL0, KUDC03IVWH2, KUDS30IXSSO, KUDK02CRB80, KUDS01IJBL0, KUDS01ILWH1, KUDI01ILBS3, KUDP01FLBT6, KUDP01FLSS6, KUDS01DLBL2, KUD101TJWH, KUPDPOFLSS2, KUDI01ILWH1, KUDI01ILWH6, KUDS01FLSS5, KUDS02SRSS2, KUD1011LBL5, KUDI01ILBL5, KUDS01FLWH6, KUDP02SRWH-WW, KUDP02CRBL2, KUDSO1DLWH5, KUDI01ILBS2, and KUDSO2SRRSS2.
Whirlpool: GU2400XTPS1, GU1100XTLQ1, DU990QWDB4,
Kenmore (manufactured by Whirlpool): 665.17463300, 665.1677192, 665.16293400, 665.15779990,
Kenmore (manufactured by Frigidaire): 587.1517, 587.15073201
Whirlpool issued this statement on its own internal investigation:
"Whirlpool Corporation builds its dishwashers with, among many other state-of-the-art safety features, components that turn off power to the electronic control board in the extremely unlikely event that the control board begins to overheat. The safety features are designed to limit potential damage to the unit. All dishwashers manufactured by Whirlpool Corporation under all of its brands and trade partner brands including -- Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Inglis, Crawsley and Kennmore (for Sears) -- are manufactured in Findlay Ohio.
Product quality and consumer safety are among Whirlpool Corporation's top priorities. We are currently investigating incidents that have been brought to our attention and, as always, working closely with the appropriate agencies in doing so. We encourage consumers to contact us if they experience any difficulty with our products at 1-800-422-1230"
The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued this statement:
“We care deeply about the safety of families impacted by dishwasher fire incidents and we have conducted numerous investigations into incidents reported to CPSC in recent years. To date, most of the fire or smoldering incidents were contained inside of the dishwasher, where the lack of oxygen and combustible materials prevented a larger incident from occurring. However, incidents of fire or overheating are a serious concern for CPSC, and will be investigated thoroughly.
In the past two decades, we have announced 15 voluntary recalls of dangerous or faulty dishwashers. Consumers are encouraged to check CPSC.gov to see if their dishwasher has ever been recalled. CPSC staff continues to investigate dishwasher incidents, so we encourage consumers who experience a safety problem with their dishwasher to log on to our website SaferProducts.gov and report it to our agency.”