Maytag recalls 2.3 million dishwashers due to fire concerns

We know, you most definitely would've opted for the Party Dishwasher had it been available a decade or so ago, but since Maytag was the king of dish scrubbing club, you're now stuck with a potentially fire-starting machine crammed beneath your counter top. Maytag Corp. is recalling around 2.3 million dishwashers across North America after finding that a "potential leak issue" could actually come into contact with the machine's internal wiring, which could then cause quite a heated mess in the midst of your kitchen. The faulty machines (Maytag / Jenn-Air branded) were sold between July 1997 and June 2001, which probably means it's about time you ditched that piece for a new one anyway, but considering the company has already received 135 reports of fires and four injuries, you might want to revert to the old fashioned method of cleaning your pots and pans until you get that thing replaced.

[Via Fark]

[Steve @ Feb 3rd 2007 4:54AM]

I saw this story at lunch. I own one of the recalled dishwashers and they said I can get it fixed or receive a $70 coupon to another new Maytag dishwasher. I am going to choose the repair option.

[farukates @ Feb 3rd 2007 6:50AM]

Wait, hold the phone here… I thought Sony didn't supply batteries to Maytag?

[Pat Ferguson @ Mar 12th 2007 7:04PM]

I tried on-line and they said I had to call. The first person said my wahser qualified for the repair. But, I would have to wait over a week to get instructions on how to get a repair person out. THEN I'd have to schedule. I didn't want to wait two weeks to get it repaired and asked if I could get it repaired and have the repair shop bill Maytag. I asked to speak to a supervisor. The first person put me on hold and never came back. The next person siad there weren't any supervisors and eventually transferred me to a recorded voice that disconnected my call. That happened the next time I called, too. It doesn't sound to me like they have concern for customer satisfaction that the standard speil saiys they do!!! I am VERY unhappy about how this is being handled.

[blahblah @ Feb 3rd 2007 11:24AM]

Maytag is utter garbage. I bought their third rack model and, per Consumer Reports advice, got the extended warranty due to what they've observed is the extraordinary unreliability of Maytag's products.

I'm glad I did, but even the extended warranty wasn't enough to protect me from their garbage products. During the extended coverage period, the front mounts - made of plastic - that connect the middle rack to its rails, broke no less than FIVE TIMES. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they were made of PLASTIC (like, WTF?!). It turns-out the middle rack wasn't robust enough to even support the weight of the dishes which it was designed to hold. Garbage...

After the extended warranty ran-out, I was able to scavenge replacement parts from the old broken ones but eventually ran out of those too. I went to Home Depot and put together a replacement part made of metal using items I found there in the fasteners department.

We got that dishwasher for the third rack and paid about 800 CAD for it. I can tell you, based on our experience, there's no way this dishwasher is worth that kind of money, considering the quality of it and compared to other models from Whirlpool, Kitchen-Aide and the like. The third rack is also so impractical to use that it's basically useless.

If you haven't figured it out by now I am suggesting you avoid Maytag like the PLAGUE. There's a reason why this company has a bad reputation. I promise you it is well deserved. I will NEVER touch another Maytag product as long as I live.

[BD @ Feb 3rd 2007 11:34AM]

Agreed. I have a stack of repair bills for a Maytag washer in about 5 years of owning it, just about paid the damn thing's value again in repairs until I finally replaced it. Pure garbage...

[Brian @ Feb 3rd 2007 11:42AM]

http://www.my3cents.com for amusing to downright frightening stories of bad Maytag experiences.

Some people actually bought gas stoves from Maytag. 0.o Talk about taking your life into your own hands. Scary...

[tiuk @ Feb 3rd 2007 12:04PM]

I don't know why, but the idea of a dishwasher that catches fire really amuses me. I guess because I always picture it being full of water. It's like hearing about a bath tub, or garden hose that catches fire. Whatever, I'm an idiot and I'm rambling.

Anyway, you think a dishwasher should be replaced if it's 6-10 years old? I've been using the same one since 1995, never needed to be repaired and it still works great.

[Gary J @ Feb 3rd 2007 2:49PM]

Has anyone been able to get through on the recall phone number? I have not.

[nosoupforyou @ Feb 4th 2007 1:39AM]

Maytag is a joke of a company. Had a washing machine that grew mold like mad (which resulted in an awful smell that came out in your laundry). Started squeaking after a couple years of usage. And guess what? My model was recalled... and I never even knew about the recall until a year after it had ended! And this was supposed to be a high end machine. Buy a Maytag if you want loads of problems and frustration!

[david @ Feb 4th 2007 2:24AM]

I have heard stories on both sides about their quality. I have a Maytag Washer and Dryer (Neptune) and have never had a problem. However, I did buy the extended service contract to be on the safe side.

[Jim @ Feb 5th 2007 10:30AM]

Don't bother trying to call! It's a waste of time.
Instead, go to the website and if you're lucky, you'll get to choose a date (and maybe a time window) for a repair. Took about 10 minutes.
www.repair.maytag.com

[Bill @ Feb 6th 2007 6:30AM]

Maytag says it takes the recall of there dishwasher seriously. However they where not ready to receive calls from the public due to not enough staff and telephone lines. After three days of trying and being on hold 45 minutes I finally spoke to a person. This person wasn’t able to key in my serial number into the computer and put me on hold for 10 more minutes to get direction. I was to be transferred to a supervisor and given a number in case of disconnect. When it picked up I received a message that Maytag was closed and to call back during normal business hours. The number given said the same. I tried and tried again to call back but was hung up on because of call volume. Seriously is not a word I would use for this recall. So far I have spent over an hour trying to get my dishwasher fixed and they want me to do without until they come to work on it. Maytag you loose. You loose my business for ever and I am sure everyone else’s that has one of these machines.

[Jim @ Feb 6th 2007 2:55PM]

Go to this website: https://repair.maytag.com/repair/survey.jsp
complete the info and you'll be able to pick a date and time window for your repair. It took me about 10 minutes.

[Bill @ Mar 30th 2007 5:29PM]

Follow up. My original date for repair was Feb 15th. They have yet to fix my machine. Delay after delay. They actually came to my house but did not have the part. Now they say the part is on back order. 5 weeks have past since my appointment and my Dish washer has not been fixed. Maytag does not treat this seriously. Can't do with out a dish washer for ever. so if my house burns down I hold Maytag ACCOUNTABLE .

[Floyd Larson @ Feb 19th 2007 5:37PM]

As if the Maytag dishwasher recall wasn't bad enough, with their waiting for 135 fires before acting, it now turns out that their execution is terrible. It started with website breakdowns and jammed phone lines, and now has proceeded to an apparent disconnect between the shipping of replacement parts and the scheduling of technicians. Once the lawyers get their liability disclaimer in (don't use, disconnect, a fire won't be our fault), the interest in getting things right is limited. We waited for an appointment (1/2-day window), it was switched at the last minute and, on the newly appointed day, the technician called to ask if the parts had arrived. No earlier call had mentioned separate shipping of parts, and the caller who changed the appointment did not ask if parts had arrived. Apparently parts were shipped FedEx Ground only three working days before the appointment, and even that cannot be verified because there is no tracking number in the Maytag system. Our only option is to wait until the parts arrive, then call and reschedule.

[C. Black @ Feb 22nd 2007 10:33AM]

I did the waiting on the phone lines like so many others only to be disconnected or told they were having problems dealing with the volumes etc., etc. After 5 days I got through only to be told the number I called was for US not Canada (despite being the number shown on the Canadian website). I called it and went through another 2 days of holding. Finally found a link on the Cdn Website that allowed me to book a service call. Got my confirmation number and a local service person was to come in 2 weeks. The day before, I still had not received the parts so I called number provided. Told "problem" discovered on website that for those who booked online parts were never ordered! Then told they will order parts and I should book a service person when parts arrive. And guess what, I was also told the service company contact I was booked with online were not Maytag service people - they were Whirlpool so they wouldn't be able to do the call! Then I get a call the next day from the original "Whirlpool" service people confirming they were coming - did I get the parts! Not only did Maytag not contact me that they had messed up again but didn't even tell the service people that their website was scheduling appointments for. Can this company get any worse??? Now I have to wait another 2 weeks for the parts (their comment - "but it's only another 2 weeks - maybe 3) - I've already been without the machine for 3 weeks. I will never buy another Maytag product.

[Dean L. Wright @ Mar 29th 2007 9:41PM]

We have called your recall hotline many times plus other numbers. We finally received a door but it was the wrong one. Code Red Appliance said it was the wrong wiring harness and we called and requested another. Found later that the gasket did not fit correctly so called again. If we don't get this settled soon we will never buy another Maytag product. Please reply.

[Dean L. Wright @ Mar 30th 2007 4:07PM]

March 29, 2007 Still have not received the new wiring harness. Since the gasket does not fit, we believe we were sent the wrong door. Code Red should have checked this out before installing the door. Why do you promise and never carry through?

[CP @ May 19th 2007 12:03PM]

I am now 3 weeks without use of my Maytag dishwasher because it has been recalled for starting house fires. It seems that there is a breach in the rinse agent something or other, and the liquid was leaking onto wires. You know, the whole electrical/liquid thing? Not good.

So, I called the day that I got my recall notice in a Consumer Reports email. I was told on 3/2/07 that my repair parts would arrive within one week. Then I should schedule the repair with a local dealer.

At the end of week two, I called again, and I couldn’t get through to a live person for 5 minutes because I was forced through their automated reporting service again. Of course at the end of this time, I was steaming and further frustrated because this call happens to be on a Saturday, 3/17/07, and Maytag didn’t bother to staff up their dishwasher recall line on the weekend, despite the fact that this dishwasher recall affects 2 million+ customers.

I had sent a couple emails to Maytag over the previous week asking where my parts are, and nobody on email customer service had any idea. So I emailed again expressing my displeasure with this situation and requesting a phone call back. The return call came on Tuesday, 3/20/07, 18 days after being told that my parts would arrive within one week, and I was told that the parts are back-ordered.

On 3/23/07, I called the dishwasher repair line again. Sharon took all my info and said that I wasn’t in their system despite calling and reporting this problem twice. She said there has been no parts back-order, and she expedited shipping of the parts to me.

So, Maytag has been lying to me for 3 weeks and somehow they lost my repair record in their system despite confirming it by mail 2 weeks ago. I am at the 3-week mark, starting week four tomorrow, washing dishes by hand and frustrated as all hell at Maytag. I didn’t make the decision to put shoddy parts in my dishwasher when it was assembled. So, I am waiting as fast as I can, my frustration slowly burning.

Maytag’s customer service is awful, and their repair man is no longer lonely.