I was shocked today when I smelled smoke from an electrical fire. Followed the smell into my kitchen to see my 4 yr old Kenmore smoking and arcing blue light flashes. I ran down to the electrical panel to shut off the dishwasher breaker. We proceeded to dismantle the door to find the circuit board cooked. Lots of melted wires and black soot. I am so glad we were home! How often have you gone to bed or went out for a few hours and left the dishwasher on?
I have my wife and 2 young boys to worry about. Thank God we were not in bed. That would have been much more traumatizing for the kids.
I was very surprised to learn about this known problem on the internet. There are many known cases of Whirlpool (branded Kenmore) dishwashers catching on fire. This is crazy. I read about families who have died due to these fires. What can I do here? Should I go back to Sears and voice my concerns? I paid $700 4 years ago for a higher quality dishwasher stainless lined, that I had hoped would last longer than 4 years. I feel something needs to be done to help others, as peoples lives could be at risk.
If you own a Kenmore do not leave it on and go to bed or leave your home while it is running. Better yet, remove it get a different dishwasher. Do some research and read the history. I am not sure I want this replaced with another Kenmore or Whirlpool model.
Our 3 1/2 year old Kenmore dishwasher is apparently manufactured by Whirlpool, serial number FR3305103, Model 665.17483300, Type No. 577-0.
Last night, acrid-smelling smoke started coming from the front door, and now the dishwasher does not work.
This first link is for an official recall of dishwashers similar to this one, but with a plastic body (ours has a metal body and a stainless steel front):
Apparently, even though our dishwasher’s serial and part numbers fall within the range given on both pages, it is not covered in the recall, perhaps because it has a metal body.
The defect with our dishwasher seems exactly like the one described in the recall. We are going to attempt to have Whirlpool repair or replace ours for free, since this is not a natural malfunction due to the age of the appliance or for any other reason.
We will report back after we see what Whirlpool says tomorrow (Monday).
Since out metal body Kenmore is not the EXACT model in the recall, they won’t repair it for free, even though the malfunction is exactly the same. They will show up in a few days and assess the problem, and if they have parts on hand (my guess is unlikely), they will repair it on the spot. The service call costs $109, which we have to pay. There was a one year warranty, and since it’s out of warranty period, we swallow the cost.
This is lame: I shouldn’t have to have to pay this, as it’s not a normal malfunction and could have burned down our apartment.
He also said that if there’s a recall, it’s unlikely we’ll get refunded for the service call and parts.
This will be the last time we purchase a Kenmore/Whirlpool appliance.
Just had a Whirlpool affiliated technician come over (this Kenmore is really just a Whirlpool with the Sears brand name). The service call was $118, non-refundable. Our dishwasher originally cost us $1,048.10, including all taxes, and delivery. I know, that’s expensive, but we thought we were getting the best, something that would last for a while, maybe ca. 10 years. We bought this on 9/11/04, it lasted four years, four months. Little did we know…
The technician’s tally for replacing the parts comes out to ca. $400. After calling Sears, they said that they could either offer Service Parts up to $100 OR Service labor up to $150, One or the other, but not both. Obviously, this is not cost efficient.
I am attaching a picture of the burned out inside of the electronics panel on the front door of the dishwasher. Notice the charred insides.
What have we learned from this?
As the technician recommended, ALWAYS purchase the largest warranty, and then when it’s about to expire, purchase an extension. Once your warranty expires, you have absolutely no recourse whatsoever, even if your place burns down.
Sears service is abysmal.
Whirlpool products are cheaply-made, and according to the Whirlpool affiliated technician, they are getting worse. (She admitted that she’s so dismayed by the quality of modern dishwashers that she doesn’t even own one, she washes by hand.)
It’s a crapshoot purchasing what you think will be a top-of-the-line, excellent appliance. As they say, they just don’t make them like they used to.
Finally, if there are others out there who purchased the same dishwasher and had the same problem, PLEASE post here. If enough people have this problem, there will inevitable be a recall of this batch of serial numbers in this model.
Since out metal body Kenmore is not the EXACT model in the recall, they won’t repair it for free, even though the malfunction is exactly the same. They will show up in a few days and assess the problem, and if they have parts on hand (my guess is unlikely), they will repair it on the spot. The service call costs $109, which we have to pay. There was a one year warranty, and since it’s out of warranty period, we swallow the cost.
This is lame: I shouldn’t have to have to pay this, as it’s not a normal malfunction and could have burned down our apartment.
He also said that if there’s a recall, it’s unlikely we’ll get refunded for the service call and parts.
This will be the last time we purchase a Kenmore/Whirlpool appliance.
— End quote
I just had my Kenmore dishwasher Model 665… Ser # FS070… go up in smoke on Monday (2/15/10). The front panel shorted out.
I too looked through all the recalls and there is an identical recall for the same model, same problem - but different serial numbers. Dishwasher Recalled by Whirlpool. I’m in the same predicament as Robert. Sears won’t do anything, since the Ser # is not in the recall.
Our Kenmore model 665-17462300 caught fire last week. Flames were shooting from the control panel. This is the third control panel they’ve installed in this appliance in the past nine months but the first to cause a fire. We have an extended warranty so it’s only costing us major inconvenience. This model is not on the recall list and neither Sears nor Whirpool seemed too concerned. I did report to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Sears is replacing the control panel but we won’t be comfortable letting the dishwasher run unattended.
If you have experienced a dishwasher fire or near fire, please have a look at the following website and add your model and serial number with a description of what happened. Perhaps we can gather enough cases to generate a recall, lawsuit or class action suit against Whirlpool.
Please take the 10 mins. to fill in your info, who knows where it could lead. May be it will save just one life and even get us reimbursed for our losses.
I have a Kenmore Elite Dishwasher that nearly burst into flames on May 29th at 10:00pm. Luckily I discovered the smell and smoke before I went to bed. My model is 665.16279400, purchased in Nov. 2004. Circuit board burnt both knife connectors right off the board and melted a hole in the plastic case that holds the board. It also started to over heat the wiring and melt the casings of the wires.
Door caught fire. Six inch flames would have caused a house if I hadn’t been present. This is not listed, but it should be. If they offered to repair I would not accept it.
Yesterday we had our Kenmore dishwasher also go up in smoke… fortunately, we didn’t have full flames as my husband was standing directly in view and with quick action pulled the door open. The smoke and smell however were unbelievable! I have ‘chatted online’ with Sears Recall people and have sent an email to Kenmore Customer Service… was also advised that I could call 1800-4myhome and Sears Customer Relations at 1800-549-4505… which I have not yet done - I thought I would give Kenmore a chance to respond.
Our serial number and model number are similar to many of the stories above.
665.16052400 / FS1107911. We’ll let you know what we find out!
Well we are joining this group …Our Kenmore Elite (circa 2003) went up in smoke tonight within about 5 minutes of starting! I’ll pursue Sears on Monday about it getting fixed or replaced. I suspect it will be to no avail tho. The serial number is FM 4009986. Not one that was listed in the recall!
thanks for the info. Will try to research problems next time before we purchase.
Our Kenmore model 665.17462300 SER# FR2815633 caught fire last night also - just like others have said, it started with smoke coming out the top right panel, then black smoke. We opened the door & flames were shooting out & my husband was able to shut off the power from the power source. Thankfully we happened to be in the kitchen when this happened. Today I’m finding like others that our model isn’t part of the recall, I’m thinking because our dishwasher has the metal lining not the plastic tub. Grrrrr. Our house could have easily burned down had we not been there when this happened.:mad:
Our Kenmore dishwasher started smoking on 8/14/10; luckily I was right there and knew how to shut off the power. Same model number as in recall, 665.160, but diff serial # FS0106230, purchased in Jan 2005.
Thank you very much for your info, Kristin - unfortunately, Sears 4 my home is only offering to have a tech check if it’s the dishwasher (not other wiring) for $129, or $100 off a new sears dishwasher. I brought up the offer you rec’d, and he said that was part of a "service smart agreement" you must have. Do you know anything about that? I’d really appreciate any add’l info you (or anyone else) can give me.
I did report it to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Today luckily before our eyes our Kenmore s/s dishwasher started smoking. I dismantled the door panel to find the circuit board fried and charred. I’m sure the dishwasher could have caught fire had we not been there to turn it off on time.
to order a new circuit board which costs $120. It’s very easy to fix. Just undo the screws on the door, then pry the board from it’s plastic holder. Just use a small flat screw driver to depress the little clips around it’s frame and it just pops out. Don’t disconnect all the wiring until you get the board. Then disconnect one by one and hook them up one by one to the new board.
That’s all, it’s that simple.
Had I called a technician it would have cost $100 for the call and probably more than $200 for the part.
I’m so glad we averted a possible nightmare. Appliances these days are just crap, all components are made in China and are of inferior quality.
Today luckily before our eyes our Kenmore s/s dishwasher started smoking. I dismantled the door panel to find the circuit board fried and charred. I’m sure the dishwasher could have caught fire had we not been there to turn it off on time.
to order a new circuit board which costs $120. It’s very easy to fix. Just undo the screws on the door, then pry the board from it’s plastic holder. Just use a small flat screw driver to depress the little clips around it’s frame and it just pops out. Don’t disconnect all the wiring until you get the board. Then disconnect one by one and hook them up one by one to the new board.
That’s all, it’s that simple.
Had I called a technician it would have cost $100 for the call and probably more than $200 for the part.
I’m so glad we averted a possible nightmare. Appliances these days are just crap, all components are made in China and are of inferior quality.
— End quote
This will not fix your problem. From what I can tell from research the problem is with the heating element. Just replacing the circuit board will only lead to another meltdown/fire in the future!!!
I just had this happen to my dishwasher and started looking for a solution. I have reported it on kitchenaidfire.com, US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Massachusetts Attorney General.
I called Sears to no avail. I will contact Whirlpool next.
Has anyone gotten a satisfactory result from anyone on this as of yet?
rgfdc said:
Our Kenmore model 665-17462300 caught fire last week. Flames were shooting from the control panel. This is the third control panel they’ve installed in this appliance in the past nine months but the first to cause a fire. We have an extended warranty so it’s only costing us major inconvenience. This model is not on the recall list and neither Sears nor Whirpool seemed too concerned. I did report to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Sears is replacing the control panel but we won’t be comfortable letting the dishwasher run unattended.
Our Kenmore Dishwasher model 665-16382300 caught fire tonight also 3/29/2011, same fire started on control Panel. We also reported to the Consumer Safety Commission, we have no warranty on it and are unable to replace it.
I have a KitchenAid Supurba where the exact same thing happened.
My wife started the dishwasher and left for work (I was traveling at the time.) my son was home alone and noticed the 1st floor of the house was filled with smoke when he woke up an hour later. He shut everything down.
When I got home, I noticed black soot on the outside cover, right underside (under where the control panel is.) I open the front door, removed the screws and lifted off the control panel housing to find a charred control panel, melted wiring harness and overall dead machine.
What a nightmare. With over 150 of these incidents reports, is the CPSC and manufacturer still calling this a normal wear and tear issue? C’mon, folks! Take some responsibility! What does it take to get your attention?
No one is open today, so I will attempt to call the various places on my lunch break.
Same thing happened to me this evening! Luckily I was home when the smoke and flames started to come out of the top right corner of the dishwasher door. Not sure what to do. I am disappointed that Sears appears to be ignoring this but will attempt to contact them anyway and will certainly report it to the CPSC.
I want to apologize for the delayed response to the situation with your dishwasher as I just came across your post. I am very concerned to hear that the dishwasher caught on fire. Sears strives to provide the highest quality products for the price from various manufacturers. We hope that the item will not fail, because they have our name attached to them, but any item that is manufactured has the possibility of failure, be it a dishwasher or anything else. All this being said we do value you as a customer and would like to see how we can helpwith this unfortunate situation.
My name is Laura with the Sears Cares Escalations team and we are a single point of contact for escalated customer concerns. At your convenience, please contact my office via email at smsupport@searshc.com so that we can assist you in a timely manner. In the email, please provide a contact phone number and the phone number the items were purchased under (if different than the contact phone number)and we will call you directly. Also, in your email, please provide the screen name (shalenrd) you used to post on this site, for reference to your issue, and we do look forward to talking to you soon.
If any other viewers of this thread have experienced a similar issue with any Sears’ appliance please contact us for assistance as Sears does want to help. Please email us at smsupport@searshc.com with your contact information and a brief description of the situation and we will be glad to assist you.
Thank you,
Laura D.
Social Media Moderator
Sears Social Media Support
Same problem on the same model (Kenmore Elite, Stainless tub). Ran through all the same hoops with Whirlpool and Kenmore for the recall, same result. Logged the complaint with CPSC. This seems to be the best course of action. If enough people report the problem, they will issue a recall. There are already a number of incidents at http://www.saferproducts.gov .
Obviously this is a manufacturer issue where the tub leaks into the control panel and starts the electrical fire - and it is reported on numerous models from 2004 - 2006. But unless the "exact" model number is reported, there will be little recourse.
The right thing to do is replace the seals and control boards on all these affected models, but whirlpool ain’t going to do that w/o a class action lawsuit.