Class action lawsuit over refrigerator compressors

Some consumers are reporting that their refrigerators are breaking down after just a few years, or even months. Carolyn Johnson reports for the NBC4 I-Team on Dec. 18, 2023.

[McMillanScottish]

With a $300 used refrigerator lasts longer than a $3000 new one, there's a problem.

[todddickinson]

I had a repairman tell me to buy the model with the least amount of fancy features. He said if it has anything digital on it, don’t buy it! My experience has proven him to be 100% correct!!

[ceciliapetrowsky]

They’ve known about this problem for a decade and they kept selling them? That’s criminal.

[snakedog]

We purchased a front load GE dryer in 1982. 2 belt replacements and it is still going strong. It moved with us 3 times. We loved this old school technology.

[WyrdoMusic]

Alot of companies are doing this on purpose nowadays to force customers to spend more and more money. Its sad😢

[markd]

People have been screaming “planned obsolescence” for years. Why has this taken so damn long!?

[marcellachine]

If you have older appliances, cars, anything that work well, do not replace them just because you want more bells and whistles.
The modern bells and whistles are stillborn, as in designed to fail.

[daltonknox]

I have a GE fridge from the '70s. It has never had any repair or maintenance work of any kind and runs fine. Who cares if it use 50% more electricity than a new one which will cost thousands and last only a few years.

[donjohnson]

My old Kenmore lasted 23 years before it completely died. I did replace the defrost heater and timer, but it was mainly trouble free . When I went to replace it I was told by a salesman to avoid the LG brand. I ended up buying a GE. Seems like he was right.

[AngelErrene]

It is planned obsolescence. It makes them more money. It is why Maytag stopped advertising lifetime warranties on all their products, so they too could benefit from specific necessary parts failing on the unit and those parts being almost as costly as a brand-new appliance. Honestly, I feel like this class action lawsuit is coming far too late for most of us consumers that have purchased these fridges and other appliances that have the same planned obsolescence built into them.

[jaracgos]

As a central air HVAC technician I can tell you that we are in a bad spot. Only compressor manufacturers on our end are LG and Copeland. Most techs don't know what they're doing anymore. Good luck.

[IAmTheGlovenor]

I remember working for a company that was LG certified. We replaced probably 10 compressors a week in my city, and then if labor wasn't covered... Let's just say that year made us a crap ton of money, just on LG refrigerators. The only limiting factors was the compressor being out of stock, so we'd order as much as we could store, even without having the jobs yet. Because we knew the jobs would eventually come quickly

[jamesclark]

My neighbor's new fridge lasted only months before breaking! I remember the days when one refrigerator lasted a lifetime! Everything is built to fail IMO!

[PraxZimmerman]

If you want advice on which fridge to buy, don't ask the guy at Home Depot, ask the local fridge repair tech.

[SharkDude]

"Tested to last 20 years" So that means they LG tested it for 20 years, right? Nope. Just another company putting in cheaper parts to save a buck.

[chickenwing]

There is no technical reason that appliances should not last 20 years under normal usage. The Energy Star rating or Eco-friendly score should not only include the power usage but should also include an estimate on how long the device is expected to function. High efficiency appliances that get tossed in the trash every few years are not great for the environment either.

[eternalspring]

Im glad to see pushback against made to fail items. They are bad for our environment and our wallet.

[norontboyz]

My father and I recently closed down our appliance repair business to move overseas. If you get more than 3 years out of something nowadays, consider yourself lucky.

I was extremely happy to service an elderly lady's 50 yr old fridge. Needed a new fan motor. Cheap and reliable. If you can keep your old stuff, keep it.

[JeremeyHowlett]

Refrigerators used to last 20 years, now they are being used as a tool to get rich. The amount of appliance waste is out of control, I don’t understand how anyone can think this is ok.

[ranger]

the real problem is the government demanding more energy efficiency out of appliances instead of better warranties. if companies had to replace anything that breaks for ten years, we would have a whole lot less waste in broken refrigerators being thrown out and replaced with new ones. which would be much better for the environment.