KitchenAid
reviews and complaints

We purchased a new house in 2004 that was outfitted with brand new Kitchen Aid appliances. Fortunately, we purchased the extended warrantee for all. We have had nothing but problems with ALL of the appliances--electric cooktop, overhead microwave, dishwasher and the dreaded side by side re-defrigerator/re-defreezer which is the chief cause of this complaint. The cooktop and the microwave have both required parts not covered under warrantee more than once. The dishwasher was non-operational from the start and had to be replaced after some wrangling with the service provider. The side by side fridge freezer takes the prize, though, for worst appliance. Little did we know that it's stainless steel exterior with Kitchen Aid tag was covering a relic from the Soviet Union. The ice maker has never worked properly. Over the course of our 5 year extended warrantee, we had a service rep out multiple times with multiple "fixes", and even after the whole ice maker was replaced with a new unit, it failed to work properly. The temperature in the fridge is not moderated properly and can freeze with no manual change to the temperature setting. Now, we are faced with paying for a new compressor. No doubt, this component was engineered to last just over 5 years. If so, then it would be the only properly engineered part of the appliance. Kitchen Aid/Whirlpool, shame on you. This is not your parent's trusted appliance maker.

We received this Kitchen Aid 10 Cup Java Studio Coffee Maker this year as a Christmas present from one of our relatives who knew that my wife collects Kitchen Aid in red. At first it worked fine but slowly over the past four months the coffee has kept coming out colder and colder until now it is luke warm. We took it to a kitchenshop in Santa Rosa, Ca. that carries and services Kitchen Aid. We were told by them to call the Kitchen Aid Service Number and that Kitchen Aid would replace it. We called the number and was told that we had to have the receipt to get it serviced or replaced. Now who ever gets a receipt with a Christmas present? Also how often do you keep a receipt on something you give away as a gift? Now my wife and I have a $150.00 Kitchen Aid Coffe Makerthat is nothing more than a piece of useless junk. The $39.00 Black and Decker Space Saver that I got at Walmart and am currently using, makes a much better coffee. So much for Kitchen Aid's Hassle Free service and quality!

Purchased an extended warranty for my KitchenAid KUDP02IRBT0. The unit was purchased new in Feb. 2007. One year and 3 months later, the unit stopped cleaning dishes and soap remained in the dishwasher undesolved. Ten repairs later by three different authorized repairmen (changed motor, circuit board, water fill valve, water fill shut-off, and many other parts) the unit still does not desolve the soap. I tried liquid soap, powder soap, tablets. The water temperature is over 150 degrees. The water is run before the dishwasher is started and smoke comes out of the faucet. Now, over 10 months later still no resolution. I want to exercise the lemon law but apparently the same part must fail three times! Nobody is able to fit it and I am without a washer. I will be taking them to small claims unless they resolve and will also be informing the AG Office and Missouri's epartment of Insurance, Financial, and Professional Registration. I will never buy another KitchenAid or Whirlpool.

Kitchenaid no longer offers a blade assembly for what would otherwise be a nice appliance. I am not the only person who has had this issue. It's bad enough that they put a product out with an obvious design flaw, but then they don't offer a replacement part. You have to buy a whole jar assembly. In the end I bought a Cuisinart blender.

We purchased a kitchenaid kpmc140 microvave oven in 2003 and are about to replace the door springs for the third time. And when they fail, they don't just fail in place but rather come flying out of the unit. This could be a real hazard. Clearly, the springs were not specified to handle the weight of the door for normal use. We have also replaced the controller and the display panel in this unit. We have never paid so much for such a low quality appliance. And don't even get me started on a & e service.in a word: a farce.

In 2002 we took deliver of a KitchenAid Refrigerator through Sears, Canada. In the first year Sears came out to repair the freezer at least 6 times and replaced the freezer door once. Under the lemon law we got a replacement KitchenAid product late in that year or 2003. We were advised that the manufaturers defect had been corrrected.
Since 2003 Sears has come out at least 10 times to repair the same defects in the freezer and replaced the freezer door again. As I was in Afghanistan we were unable to move replacement forward until 2 months ago. I was just advised that the unit has depriciapted by 70% so will only get a $650.00 credit.
Our advise is to NOT buy a KitchenAid product (Our KA gas range was defective and unreplaceable and the diswasher was dmaged) and be very careful with Sears as they have only a 10 year decpriciaton rule on refrigerators.

I spent $129.00 to buy a Kitchenaide 7 quart slow cooker, the one with a removable crock bowl. The first time I used it, the crock insert cracked. It cracked while "inside" the heating unit. I contacted Kitchenaide and they sent me a new crock insert. I used the new insert even more carefully, started the cooking process on LOW heat thinking a slow heat up might prevent it from cracking. NOPE! Again, the crock bowl cracked. I contacted Kitchenaide a 2d time and again, they sent me a new crock bowl. Guess what, that one cracked too! The inserts are made in Mexico. Kitchenaide probably paid 50 cents a piece to have Mexico make the crock bowls, and then they turn around and sell them to Americans for $129.00! This would, more likely than not, NEVER been an issue if Kitchenaide had manufactured the crock bowls in the U.S. When are companies in the U.S. going to realize that sending U.S. jobs to third-world countries means you have NO control over quality? SHAME ON KITCHENAIDE FOR SENDING U.S. JOBS TO FOREIGNERS AND, FURTHER, FOR BRINGING THAT CRAP BACK INTO THE U.S. TO SELL IT TO UNSUSPECTING AMERICANS.

My artisan mixer literally exploded out the bottom when I was mixing egg whites-fire and sparks everywhere!

It was just over one year old. It cost me $96. To fix.

I wrote a letter to the president of whirlpool north america, michael a. Todman and to the general manager of whirlpool canada, eli federman.

Guess what folks, not a word from anyone in 5 months.
I' m not surprised. I was warned by the repair shop of their attitude.

My mixer is for sale. I won't have another whirlpool product in my home, ever again.

I purchased a brand new set of Pasta attachments online for $99 during Thanksgiving. When I used it, one of the cutter (Fettucine) is defect and didn't work properly and noodles kept jammed. I called Kitchenaid customer service and they asked me to send it the receipt and they give me a customer no to track. Next day, they called me for a serial number. I called them and they said another thing. They said I have NO one year Hassle-Free Warranty because I didn't purchase directly from their dealer. Their policy didn't cover any company brought it from Ebay. Even I have the new set, it is an aution and it's not covered. I said it is from a company selling through ebay and this is a new product with all the warranty card and instruction booklet packed together in an original box. I have the register receipt and everything. They ask me send it back to them. I have no warranty on this product. I am so upset. KitchenAid didn't stand behind their product. If the product is brand new purchase from a store or online, or a gift from someone, I have all the right to warranty as state in their Warranty contract. They make false promise to customers.

The Hassle-Free Warranty says, "If your KitchenAid Stand Mixer Attachment should fails to work within one year of ownership, simply call the toll free Customer Satisfaction Center. They will sent you a replacement and use the material to pack up the original Stand Mixer Attachment and include name and address on a sheet of paper along with a copy of the proof of purchase(register receipt, credit card slip, etc.)".

I didn't found any statement in the Warranty that says, " In order for the warranty to be effective, I have to purchase product from a authorized dealer." Also, it's common to make purchase online and thousands of stores carry Kitchenaid products. What the heck to ask me to check whether they are Kitchenaids authorized dealer before making purchase?
The represent of KitchenAid in "Customer Satisfaction Center"said it has to purchase from their dealer in order for the warranty to be valid, Other, No warranty or Replacement at all.

I was very upset even with such a so called big company as KitchenAid, they don't stand behind their product even with this small attachment sets they carry. They don't keep their promise even with black and white printed on the warranty. There is no protection to customer. I regret to buy from them and I will never buy their product again.

This is a lesson I learn from this disturbutor who handle the customer service in Michican. The supervisor's name is Rigel. Again, my advise is no more KitchenAid. They don't deliver their Warranty promise and don't stand behind their product. No Need to say, "Customer Satisfaction " Center is a false claim!

My husband and I purchased a new, $900 KitchenAid dishwasher in June 2006. For the first 12 months, it worked beautifully. Then one month after the warranty ran out, it stopped cleaning the dishes. After a full cycle, they were filthy -- full of debris and stained -- and we were doing nothing differently than before. It took two repairmen (and $450) before we diagnosed the problem, which was twofold.

First, the soap dispenser was not latching properly, so the Rinse Aid poured out. There was so much residual soap foam in the dishwasher that it took hours, many cycles and many towels to clean out.

Secondly, we discovered that during the majority of its cycle (over an hour), the machine did not drain out the dirty water. It would pause, then resume cleaning -- with the dirty water! The problem turned out to be a faulty control board, which we found out (from doing internet research) that other KitchenAid customers had also experienced. We had a repairman install a new control board and the dishwasher worked well again -- for another 12 months. Now we are once again having the same issue.
When you spend $900 for a high-end dishwasher, obviously you expect it to last more than one year. We sent an email about the problem to KitchenAid and got the standard "sorry you've had a problem; I'm sure you won't in the future" response. No offer to compensate us for the repair, or acknowledgment of the faulty part. Clearly, we won't buy a KitchenAid dishwasher ever again.

We had purchsed 4 Kitchen Aid microwaves (Model KCMS1555RSS-1) in Feb. 06. Approximately, 6 mo. ago, one of the units malfunctioned (Serial # FGS3006428), in the off mode- the unit remained on and started smoking. The light and turn-table inside remained on while unit smoked/caught fire. We had to unplug machine. Last week, a second unit(FGS3006313) did the same thing. I called Kitchen Aid to report defect unit and they sent tech. to diagnosis problem. He said the transformer had caught fire. He noted he never seen that happen before and in his opinion thought the motherboard (computer) has caused this to happen. I just got off phone with Kitchen Aid and they seem uninterested in the safety hazard these machines may cause. I spoke with Jim Cuhn, Safety Lead at Kitchen Aid/Whirlpool. Kitchen Aid has refused to stand behind their product (denied request to further invetigate/repair our machines) and I am concerned that other uses of this model may experience fire due to this product.

We bought all new appliances for our newly renovated kitchen in june 2007. We found that the exhuast fan on the over the range microwave was not moveing anything and when I called to see if there is something that could cause this I was told that I would be charged to have this looked at. This was not the microwave we ordered and when I called they said it would be approx 1 month to get the right one sent there so becuase this would hold up the reno process we desided to keep this one that does not work to this date.
On our Kitchenaid fridge the ice machine moter that dispenses the ice keeps freezing up and stops working Every time some one comes to look at it nothing is done. 1st time some one used a blow dryer on it, that lasted about 8 hrs, the next time no one sowed up, the next time a different person showed up and said they didn't bring any parts and the would order them and reschedual, no call to reschedual came, the next time I schedueled in aug of this year and they showed up a week early when we were on holidays, then the next new person showed up at the end of the day when i schedueled for the morning and forgot the parts, the when he came back the next day the part they thought was causeing the problem was not needed because it was already in place( this is after draging it out on the hardwood floors). the motor was replaced but he was going to call Kitchenaid to find out why this keeps happening. No call to this date. I have missed alot of time from work waiting each time for some one to show up, allot of no shows, i've called costomer service and asked how long is this going to go on for and I was told as long as the technician says it is fixable. I said to them with them sending a contacted tech they make money every time the come out this could go on for years, they said thats right and after 90 days it can't be returned. I told them to send out one of there own techs om the last call they said they would but when I asked the guy if he worked directly with sears he said no he is contracted and this was the last person to work on it that was to order new parts and talk to Kitchenaid and told me he would call me and I need not set up another appointment becuase I would get a new person again and have to start over.
I have always bought in the past from sears because they USED TO BACK THEIR PRODUCT but after talking to customer service I now know different and have talked to family members and freinds to let them know what I was told by customer service and how sears is not the same as it used to be so why pay more when you can get the product cheaper from most other stores and have the same or better backing of their product. I will never shop their again and will return any gifts bought from that store. When I see people looking at there appliances I tell them my story and how I have a 3000.00 fridge that is still not working.

We bought a KitchenAid Superba dishwasher around mid-October of 2004 brand new. This is/was considered to be a top of the line model regarding circuitry, sound insulation and other misc. items. About a week ago I was opening the door to place a glass inside and heard a sharp "snap". I didn't know what it was but I soon found out that the door was suddenly heavier to open and close. We never actually dropped the door but it was noticably heavier to handle. The repairman was out and discovered that both of the door closing mechanisms, which consist of plastic and what is essentially heavy "string" snapped. These devices are what evidently makes the door easy to open and close. Anyway, my wife was told that if the door were dropped it could/would potentially bend the framework such that the machine would henceforth leak water onto the floor when run. This of course, is non-repairable and the only option left is to buy another dishwasher. The repairs on this will amount to about $200.00 including the service charge but more importantly, why would any manufacturer install such "cheap" components to such a vital area in which one slight mistake could afford the owner with having to buy another dishwasher. I can indeed tell you this much, if it's another dishwasher I buy it won't be a KitchenAid even if the components in other makes are the same. As the wise man once said, "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me". They won't see me back again to be fleeced a second time.

we bought a brand new Kitchen Aid refrigerator and had it installed on June 1, 2008. 10 days ago, the alarm which alerts us when the temp deviates from the normal setting. A rep came out a day later and said the main board needed to be replaced. It would take a week to get in. We scheduled an appointment for today. We went out of town to return to a fridge whose alarm goes off every 5 seconds. We've tried everything to get the alarm off including turning off the fuse. Nothing works.
Now I'm told that it will be another 2 days to get the part. Meanwhile, we have to live with the constant sound of the alarm, every 5 seconds. It is clearly a defective item. I've talked with Kitchen Aid & they don't care at all about this situation. The item is clearly defective. Both techs were completely perplexed by this issue.
Bottom line-STAY AWAY FROM KITCHEN AID PRODUCTS

Is your stylish new Kitchenaid appliance falling apart in your hands? Need a new part, since the warranty has cleverly been designed to expire a few days before the part does?

Let’s take a look at the first page that appears when you go to whirlpoolparts.com which you can conveniently access after spending 45 minutes on hold with customer service, since the Kitchenaid website has no link.

http://www.whirlpoolparts.ca/terms_of_sale.php

In a nutshell, you’re greeted by a page telling you that you must pay in advance for the part and a) expect it never to arrive, b) if it does arrive, expect it to be broken c) expect to pay unknown shipping and handling and customs charges, and don’t expect them to be cheap considering the size of the part you probably need.

What kinds of parts might you want? How about the glass from your oven window? I broke mine accidentally, when I reacted in horror to finding my entire oven coated in a thick, permanent layer of baked on grease, after running the very first self-clean cycle. Self-clean, it turns out, doesn’t work at all on my particular oven. I reached in with a damp cloth to see whether the grease would come off, and water from the cloth dripped on to the door, causing it to shatter.

I understand that it was my fault (although it never would have happened if the self-clean cycle had worked), but Kitchenaid won’t let you order a new piece of glass – you have to order an entire OVEN DOOR! Instead I wound up installing a piece of glass from a scrap heap ready oven that I found at a used appliance store into my 13 month old oven.

The next thing to go was the convection fan. When I complained that it had stopped working after very little use, the staff person I reached at the Kitchenaid service line chided me for not buying the retailer's extended warrantee. Ah, so the shoddy workmanship has been offloaded on to retailers to deal with at huge cost to consumers.

Now I need a new produce door for my Kitchenaid refrigerator, the cheap plastic, handle having snapped in half. I won’t bore you with the details of endless holding, being transferred around, and non-productive conversations with customer service staff (which involved much erroneous information) that took up most of my morning. I think the website I quoted above speaks for itself.

I guess I’m just going to have to live with the duct-tape on the produce drawer, until enough parts expire to justify buying a new fridge from a different company. I only wish I could find something resembling the hideous, apricot oven and fridge I lived with for years in an old 40’s apartment. They looked terrible, but they sure worked.

3 year old refrigerator/freezer stops working, ice melts onto the floor and ruins the hardwood floor. Loss of food is expensive and 7 days without anything is very terrible. Also the door jam where the heater is to seal the door gets very hot, not only is it yellow now in color, but part is bowed out and cracking. Repair man says this is normal wear, and can't be fixed. Its only 3 years old and 6, 447.oo later this what I have to deal with. If it looks this bad now what is it going to look like 7 years from now. I don't think asking a refrigerator/freezer to last 10 years is to much. NOT Happy with our purchase

I have had this dishwasher for slightly over a year. The latch started popping open intermittently a few months ago. I was told by the authorized warranty repair company that there is a re-designed strike and door latch available. Obviously the design of the original latch has been recognized by Whirlpool as being inadequate.

In an instance like this, if a company values its reputation, I would expect them to stand behind their product and install the replacement latch at no cost to the customer.

Whirlpool refused to accept any responsibility. I paid the $206 cost to replace the old latch with the new model.

Based on the Company's response, I will never buy a Whirlpool or KithcenAid appliance again.

I would hate to be faced with a more expensive claim with a Company that has such a short sighted attitude and is willing to lose future customers over such a small item.

I lost my home and everything I own in the Ramona fire last October. Pacific Sales had an open house and I put a down payment on my 36" dual oven, refrigerator, hood (for oven), dishwasher, and warming drawer ($14, 000) worth of Kitchen Aid products. We expedited the building of our home (husband has cancer). We are 5 weeks away from moving in. We went down to pay off the balance. We have been informed we don't qualify for any rebate. I feel very strongly we are entitled to the $500 advertised. We had a few of their products before the house went down and were happy with the brand. I am frustrated enough with our insurance company to have to be dealt this blow. We did not have a paid receipt (in full) until last week. We have over 560 families in our area that lost their homes and belong to a large network. (We are one of the first ones to get this far.) We share alot of our good and bad experiences. I plan to tell them to beware of these pitfalls. We had no paid invoice to produce until now. The manager of Pacific Sales says we don't qualify for either rebate. Something is wrong here.

These people are scammers!

We caught this dishonest company and their technicians right in the act today. We called in for service and two a&e (Sears) technicians were sent over to check out our kitchenaid model

#kudi01flwh dishwasher that wasn't heating up to dry the dishes.

First thing they did was to test the heating element with a ohm meter and they stated that it

Tested out good "supposedly per them and their equipment".

Then they went on to state that our issue was with the amount of dishwashing detergent we were

Using and that we shouldn't be filling the canister all the way full before closing it as that's

Using way much too much detergent causing too much suds.

Then they went on to the water temperature. They filled the dishwasher with a small amount of

Water and tested the water temperature with their tester. According to their measurement they

Showed us it tested only 80 degrees which is what they stated was all of our problem with the

Dishwasher not drying. The technicians stated that the dishwasher needed to have water temperature of at least 120 degrees in order to produce enough steam to dry the dishes, and that the dishes

Would also have water spots and not get as clean as they should if the water coming into it wasn't

Hot enough. We stated that the temperature had to be hotter than 80 degrees because the water

Heater is turned up to 120 degrees or higher and the water right in the kitchen sink and showers

And tubs are hot. We asked the technicians to test the water temperature in the sink right next to the dishwasher because it was extremely hot and they tested it but again their meter only should it at less than 80 degrees.

Well, here's the scam folks... We pulled out a few of our meat thermometers from the kitchen

Cabinets and placed them in the sink right in front of the a&e technicians and guess what? That

Water temperature tested at 118 degrees and rising! Eventually it went above 120 degrees!

Those a&e technicians didn't know what to say! Their eyes got huge and there mouths started stuttering and all we heard was "well maybe we have a faulty test meter". We said, "here - we have three more thermometers... You want to test the temperature with another thermometer? After that we politely asked them to pick up the faulty (Scam equipment) and exit out premises.

Needless to say, for your own sake, do not trust what you are told by any a&e (Sears) repair people

... Unless you want to be scammed.

I was recommended to use A&E by KitchenAid. My icemaker stopped working so I scheduled an appt for 6/20/2008 for repair between 1 and 5 pm, I received an automated call the day before to confirm. I waited at home (canceled office hours to accommodate them) and they canceled at the last minute (3:30pm). Multiple managers could not help me to get an appt to fit my schedule. They spoke to my wife and she rescheduled an appt on a saturday (7/5/2008) between 1 and 5. Again, we received an automated call the day prior and spoke to a representative TWICE on the day of the appt. When we called to see when they were showing up, as no one had called us, we were told the appt was made incorrectly. This was at 6:30 pm. Again I spoke to a manager, Tonisha, who could not help me but said she was sorry. She actually suggested that I contact another company to repair our unit or reschedule for a third appt.
Let me also say that after my wife had made the 2nd appt, the company called to say they were coming on another day that we never scheduled.

I WOULD NOT recommend this company and if KitchenAid steers you their way, ask immediately for another company. They do not communicate properly from the central office to the local office and when I ask if they could contact the service tech, they could only email him or her.

It seems the service tech just decides to cancel any late appt because they want to.