KitchenAid Customer Service?

It's never too late to do the right thing KitchenAid. If you think this is an isolated incident, read this site.

I used to really like my KitchenAid Superba KUDS24SE dishwasher and raved about it to all the friends and family who came over. Many people remarked how quiet the dishwasher was and we'd stand right beside it while it was running as I extolled its virtues. Now however, I must add a footnote. And that's about the poor customer service I experienced from KitchenAid and the continuing problems that keep cropping up.

Update March 11, 2006: It's leaking!

Update November 26, 2007: It's rattling!

Update April 20, 2008: The motor quit!

Update August 30, 2008: It's rattling, again!!!

Read about another unrelated KitchenAid problem.

Design Defect

Nobody expects manufacturers to build perfect products. It is expected that they stand behind their products.

In late 2001 we started to notice that the top rack wasn't getting as clean as it should be. Food was left on the dishes as well as deposits of food particles. As this progressed I took a better look at the rack and noticed that the hose connecting to the upper rack wash arm had two big holes in it. The material had dried up and started to deteriorate.

That was surprising since we'd only used the dishwasher for about 3 years. No problem, just a simple design defect. I ordered a replacement part costing about $30 and emailed KitchenAid requesting they reimburse me for the part since it was an obvious design defect. The response I got prompted the posting of this web page.

Take a look at the pictures below and read the email exchange and see if you agree that KitchenAid indeed had a design defect. I believe a company should replace faulty parts at their cost if they fail prematurely. KitchenAid disagrees. Interestingly, they didn't even ask to see the defective part to confirm for themselves that there was a design defect. If I was a manufacturer, I'd sure like to know about defects. My guess is that they already knew about the problem and didn't need to see yet another failed hose.

Buyer beware.

The Story in Pictures

Click on the images below to get a larger view.

	This is the old hose for the upper rack after it was removed. Notice that it's been taped up so that it could be used until the replacement part arrived. Note that this is a low pressure hose.
	Here's a close up of the hose and a hard plastic funnel that mates with the water jet outlet for the upper rack (see next row). Note how dried out and deteriorated the hose has become. Clearly the wrong choice of material if this happens after only 3 years of use.
	This is the rear of the dishwasher and shows the water outlet that mates with the above funnel. No force is required as the funnel just slides over the nozzle with a loose fit.
	Some more pictures of how badly this hose has deteriorated, this time with the tape removed. Note the debris from removing the tape. This thing is just crumbling. Once the failure started, it progressed very rapidly. The top picture has the hard plastic coupler that connects with the wash arm supporting the hose so I could get a good picture. You can see that the rubber is flaking away. When it was warm, the compound was very soft and stretchy. The bottom picture shows that the entire hose is failing with a split running almost the entire length.
So let's see if the replacement part has been redesigned. Why would they redesign it if there was nothing wrong?
	This is a view of the redesigned part installed in the dishwasher. Note that it is now a single piece of hard plastic. The hose with the rubbery compound has been eliminated. Gee, I wonder why?
	These are close up images of the two connectors. Note that it's seamless now. Hopefully this part will last more than 3 years.

Email

Check out the email exchange with KitchenAid.

Leaky

2006-03-11: My wife reported that the hardwood floor near the dishwasher was starting to warp. Yup, my dishwasher that's been in use for a whopping 7 years has developed a leak. I love KitchenAid "quality".

An independent service guy came out within hours on a Saturday, so that was great, and he had the part in the truck! Here's what he found:

This cheap plastic part around the metal motor shaft deteriorated and broke into pieces. This caused a loss of seal and the leaking water. The repair was over $190. Pretty expensive piece of plastic. And we also have a damaged kitchen floor. We're going to put a plastic pan under the dishwasher because we know this will happen again given our history with this dishwasher.

Rattle

2007-11-26: Last night I noticed a grating noise coming from my KitchenAid Superba KUDS24SE dishwasher. I dismantled the bottom part and noticed that a tiny piece of an olive pit had gone through the filter and was rattling around below the metal filter and impeller. There's a small piece of metal blade mounted on a spring that is designed to chop up any pieces that get into the filter. But it can't take on an olive pit. The other end of the spring is mounted in a hole in – wait for it – a piece of hard plastic. This is so if the chopper hits something it can't handle, the spring will pop out of the hole and let the chopper stop without jamming the motor and damaging either the motor or the chopper.

But the crappy design didn't work. Oh, the spring let go alright, but only after breaking the plastic around the hole it was mounted in. There is another hole on the other side, so I repositioned it and it's working now. One more hit and the part will have to be replaced. No doubt that will cost hundreds of dollars for the service call and part.

My question is this – why does KitchenAid design something that is obviously going to be exposed to high shock and torque forces and make it out of plastic? The only plausible explanation for this is designed-in obsolescence or to increase their service and parts sales.

While I was at it, I opened the bottom panel to make sure there was no leak. I noticed that the rubbery sound and heat insulating material was flaking off in large chunks in a couple of spots. So the dishwasher will continue to get louder over time and waste energy, costing me money. Another crappy design.

As the KitchenAid tag line goes, “For the way it's made®.” I think they expect you to prefix that statement with something like, “I buy KitchenAid …” Instead, I'll prefix that with, “I'll never buy another KitchenAid product or any other appliance from their affiliated companies … for the way [they're] made.”

Pure, unadulterated garbage.

The motor quit!

2008-04-10: My daughter yells at me from the kitchen that the dishwasher is in the rinse cycle but the soap still hasn't dissolved and the motor isn't running. That's never a good thing and dollar signs (many of 'em) were flashing through my head.

NOTE: Do not attempt what I did unless you know what you're doing and are willing to totally screw up your dishwasher and electrocute yourself and burn down your house. Scared now?

I removed the bottom access cover and kick plate and unplugged the connector to the motor, ran it through the diagnostics cycle, and found that there was no voltage getting to the motor. That meant I'd have to dismantle the front panel to get at the controller board.

When I opened up the panel, a lot of crusted, undissolved dishwasher detergent fell out. The skilled craftsmen and assembly line at KitchenAid manufactured a dishwasher that isn't even sealed. Sigh. Oh, what's that black tray on the floor? Well, we didn't want our hardwood floor to be damaged any more than it was already by more leaks.

I tested the voltage right at the connector beside the motor relay and still got no voltage, yet I could hear the relay click. Must be a bad relay contact or connection. I removed the control board and pried it out of the plastic holder and what did I find? Solder missing on one of the joints. I don't know if it was ever there but you could see where the arcing had caused smoke to be deposited on the plastic cover right behind that connection. Cute.

I resoldered the connection and tested that there was voltage at the connector. After reconnecting the motor, I pressed Cancel to have it remove the standing water in the dishwasher, and it worked great.

Then I had the job of reassembling everything. Of course, most people would never attempt what I did but I'm a bit of a handyman with electrical training so I figured I had nothing to lose since I wasn't going to spend $75 for a diagnostic fee only to be told that the control board would have to be replaced, probably for several hundred dollars, although it's worth about $25 in parts. Then there would be the service charge. Nope, I was willing to send this turkey to be recycled and get a new one, but never a KitchenAid or any of their affiliated brands.

While I was at it, I thought I'd show you another design defect with this washer (seems KitchenAid is good at design defects). Note the blue plastic catch that holds the detergent cup closed. It's dissolving! Pretty soon it won't be able to hold the cup closed and then what?

Update 2008-08-01: It finally failed! No, it didn't fully dissolve. KitchenAid fooled me and had it snap off instead. They're devious in their deficiencies.

Does everything you're read here mean that I have a lemon? I don't think so. I think it's pretty typical of appliances today, particularly this brand.

It's Rattling, again!!!

2008-08-30: A mere 9 months after the first rattle, the damn thing started rattling again. Same problem as before. This time the second, and last, hole to anchor the spring broke. Apparently caused due to, wait for it, a lemon seed! Geez Louise, how cheap can you make this junk? The spring was also damaged so I decided I've had enough of this turkey and I'm junking it.

In the photo on the left you can see the tiny holes in the hard plastic piece that are both broken now.

The photo on the right photo shows the damaged spring attached to the slicer. I guess it couldn't handle the lemon seed. Man, you have to be really fastidious to remove every last seed from your dishes before putting it in the dishwasher.

Time to buy a new dishwasher. It won't be a KitchenAid or any sister brand. I'm seriously thinking of Miele as my sister-in-law loves hers and hasn't had any problems for years.