Kenmore Elite Series

I HAVE A $1500.00 KENMORE PRO COOKTOP THAT I PURCHASED 4-2009 & HOOKED IT UP 8-2009 IT'S NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THE BACK BURNER KNOB WILL NOT TURN OFF. I HAD TO TAKE THE KNOB OFF & FORCEFULLY TURN IT OFF WITH PLIERS OR SHUT THE WHOLE UNIT OFF AT THE SHUT OFF VALVE, A REAL FIRE HAZARD. ALL THE CHEEP PLASTIC KNOBS ARE CRACKED AT THE END THAT HOLDS THEM ON. I HAVE THEM TAPED TOGETHER WITH ELECTRICAL TAPE, TEMP FIX ONLY. I'VE REPLACED ONE KNOB ALREADY SINCE IT BROKE & THE PIECE FELL UNDERNEITH, INTO THE AREA THAT YOU CAN'T ACCESS WITHOUT TAKING THE WHOLE UNIT APART. THE COST PER KNOB IS $48.00 PLUS SHIPPING. 5 KNOBS X $48.00 = $240 PLUS SHIPPING. I CALLED 800-679-7026 TO SEE IF THIS FIRE HAZARD COOKTOP HAD A RECALL. NO RECALL ON THE BURNER THAT DOESN'T TURN OFF OR THE DISPOSABLE PLASTIC KNOBS. THERE'S NO RECALL OF ANY KIND ON THIS UNIT. I CALLED KENMORE AT 888-536-6673 & THEY TOLD ME "NO EXTENDED WARRANY NO COVERAGE IF IT'S A FIRE HAZARD YOU NEED TO THROW IT OUT". WHEN A CUSTOMER SPEN... Read more

I bought a Kenmore Elite Washer Dryer. I have a family of 4: Me, husband, a 4 year old and a 2 year old. I do about 5 loads of laundry a week. After 20 months, I began getting an F35 and SUDS response. I tried some online tips like blowing backwards into the house to clear it of any obstructions. That worked for about a day. So, I got through a few loads of laundry. Then the error came back. So, I finally caved and called Sears. The total cost was $280.99. It was $129 for a new pressure switch and $139.38 for the labor. I am furious! I cannot believe, I bought a washer for $600 and in less than 2 years I had to spend almost $300 on repairs. I am contacting Sears, the BBB, and anyone else who will listen to complain.

I would stay away from all their kitchen appliances as well. Seven years ago when I bought my house I bought a fridge, stove, and dishwasher from Sears, all Kenmore. The dishwasher broke down 2 years ago, and the fridge died a month ago. Had a Sears repair guy come out and replace a part, $300 parts and labor. A week later the fridge died again, another repairman came out, this time the control board was fried. Ordered the new part, wait 5 days, when part comes in I install and 2 seconds later it fries in exactly the same place. Call Sears and they have to send it to their "disputes" department. 6 days later they call me back and want to send another repairman out, I told them the fridge is gone, bought a new one (not a Kenmore). I still had both my old control board and the new one, but they said because the fridge was no longer there they could not refund anything back to me. So I was supposed to go more than a month without a fridge to get this resolved. I am NEVER buying ANYTHING ... Read more

We purchased an Elite model 665.1384 in December of 2008 and 16 months later the motor burned out. Of course, no help from the manufacturer. Don't bother buying this one!!

Last July 2009 we bought an Elite Sears dishwasher for over $1,000. We soon noticed that sometimes the dishes were not clean and found that if we didn't pre-wash the plates and glasses then we often had to wash them again. We also discovered that if we interrupted the wash by adding a glasses or plate, the machine would inconsistently restart from the beginning. Further we found the dishwasher would sometimes take over two hours to wash the dishes and even then the dishes were not always clean. Then pieces started to fall off, wheels, dividers, unknown plastics pieces, etc. until an entire wheel assembly fell off during the wash and then lodged next to the heater element where it melted into a lump. That was on Wednesday (5/12/2010). On Saturday (5/15) I went to the local Sears store to get the wheel assembly and to complain. The Sears salesman said he was surprised by the problems I had had and said that maybe I had got a lemon. He said that his parents have the machine and had not h... Read more

I purchased a Kenmore Elite Series Dishwasher July 2008. Armed with the latest Consumer report recommendation, I was destined to make an educated decision after nightmare experience with Maytag. The Kenmore Elite was a terrible purchase. March 2010 (not even 1 1/2 yrs old) I have replaced the motherboard - over $200 in cost. Sears explains that I can get a 1 yr extended warranty for labor and parts for the same. I contend that an expensive extended warranty should not be required on a major purchase. The result of this repair is that I will not purchase another Sears appliance. When the Kenmore Elite breaks again (hopefully it lasts 6 mths at least), I will haul off to the curb and purchase a cheap replacement. And, I have canceled the consumer reports subscription.

I purchased a Kenmore Elite washer and dryer in Sep 06, cost of the set $2300.00. I did not purchase an extended warranty because you should be able to get a product at that price that will last longer than it takes the delivery man to get back to the store. Apprroximately 15 months later the motherboard went out on the washer. $375 later I was washing again. In approximately 5 months the motherboard on the dryer went out. $300 later I was drying again. When the replaced motherboard in the washer was about 12 months old it started acting up (this is when I found out the replacements are only warranted for 3 months). I hobbled along with it until it took me longer to coax it to start than it did to wash a load of clothes. Finally I just gave the set to someone without a washer/dryer that had a family member that SAID they could repair the washer. Good luck. I had contacted Sears with no positive feedback and washn't about to spend any more money on that set. None, nada. Sears ... Read more

My wife and I purchased the new Kenmore Elite washer and dryer in October 2006. The 2 units came with a standard 1 year warranty. I am not one to purchase extra warranties as one would think it should last a life time as my grandmothers and mothers did or is this just another example of all the crap made in China. Into the 13 month of use it was flashing F1. I looked in the manual it instructed me to call fro service, as I did. The Service Tech came out and trouble-shooted the problem as I indicated to him what the flashing on the washer was. I indicated this to sears on the initail phone call but was told since I did not purchase the extended warranty I have to have a Service Tech come out at $129.00 to look at my machine. It turns out it required a new motherboard. The total repair was $400.00 on a 13 month old washer that averaged 2 loads a week and cost $975.00. Now 8 months after the new part has been installed the washer is again flashing F1 and the motherboard needs to be re... Read more

I can not express how UPSET I am with my Sears Elite Dishwasher and the poor customer service from Sears and their Repair people. They are PURE LEMONS! ( yes, stupid me, bought 2 of them from Sears, as I wanted 2 dishwashers, as we entertain quite a bit) Sears has been awful to me...I am beyond upset with this situation. 3 yrs later, extended warranty and here I sit, STILL hand-washing dishes. Their warranty means nothing to them. Their QUOTE " NO LEMON" policy is a joke! all lies! DO NOT BUY FROM SEARS! warning!

There is not enough words in the English language to express how much I HATE my Kenmore Elite Washer. If it's not a suds problems, which can take hours, yes I said hours to fix, it's something else. Drain problems, the door locks and you can't get it open, etc. (Yes, I've tried the laundry detergent for front loaders) You open the door to get the laundry out and it's still totally soaked. I don't have hours to spend on one load of laundry. If you leave the door shut when not in use it smells musky. I would love to haul the thing to the dump and buy a good ole top loading washer, but the thing cost too much. I've had the thing for several years now and I am at my wits end. You could not GIVE me another one of these washer. I absolutely HATE this washer.

Two weeks ago, my wife and I purchased a Kenmore Elite Trio for $2700 from Sears (Hayward Ca). Last week the refrigerator was delivered at which time I noticed the water dispensing system was leaking. I contacted Sears repair who proceeded to put me through an hour's worth of fix it tricks. Since nothing worked, they advised that I have our water pressure inspected so I quickly hired a contractor and spent $280 to find out there isnt anything wrong with our house (water pressure). This morning Sears sent two repair agents who after an hour with the refrigerator, concluded they couldnt fix the problem. They recommended that I immediately contact Sears and have the unit replaced. I cant express how utterly upsetting this whole experience has been and how disappointed we are with the Kenmore brand. Twice you cancelled the delivery which was a waste of my timeand today I spent an hour trying to get through the labyrinth which you call your customer service department for a return... Read more

Kenmore products Suck, Do not buy any appliances from Sears Period. they will jerk you around with band-aid solutions to your problems until the warentee period runs out, then they say its not their product/problem anymore. I will never by anything from Sears again. I suggest anyone with a complaint against Sears should try to spread the "Don't buy appliances fro Sears" message.

I have a Kenmore Elite (now theres irony). This thing has more ways to shut itself down than anything ive ever owned. These things are total junk. I'm giving it 1 star because it did last for 2 years. My last washer lasted for 20.

We bought a Kenmore Elite dishwasher, exactly four years ago. For the most part, it's a good product, quiet, efficient, etc. But buyer beware if you have even the smallest problem and have to deal with their parts or repair service. This unit has four plastic clips that hold the door springs on and in each of the ensuing four years, one of those clips has broken, which results in the door slamming to towards the floor. We're talking about a $1000 dishwasher, here, with plastic clips holding the door open. It's a poor design (my brother-in-law has had the exact same problem) that has since been upgraded because it was inherently faulty. However, Sears won't do the right thing and replace the faulty clip, they'll only charge you $16.95/part. That's $34, total, to replace an 8" nylon cord with two cheap plastic clips on each end. Or they'll charge you $60 for a service call to tell you what you already know and then charge you $34 for something that you can make with a pape... Read more

Wow, love all the comments. Sears DOES NOT make any washers/refrig's,/dryers or such. Trust a former Sears Appliance sales man, nothing is made by Sears. Whirlpool is the ones to blame for any problems with the Washers/Dryers. At the time I was selling them (two years ago), Whirlpool was the only company making the Sears line of washers and dryers. That would explain why Sears always seems to have the same features as Whirlpool. Look at the Kenmore Elite Front Loaders, and then look at the Whirlpool Duets.....same products with a little tweaking. Kenmore Elite Refrigerator with the special Ice in the Door, and Whirlpools top of the line Refrig....same product, with only a slight tweaking. As for the Refrigerators, Frigidare and Whirlpool (Maytag) have been the main companies to create them. In fact, Whirlpool makes the bulk of the Sears series, Maytag, and KitchenAid. Of course, the Maytags and KitchenAid's are going to be made by Whirlpool, since they're owned by Whirlpool. S... Read more

new dishwasher worked great for almost three years, then the motor died and now it's junk! Over $1000 less than three years ago and now I need a new one. I am not happy.

I'd disagree with the previous comments. First, if there are problems with the washer, Sears will do everything it can to solve the problem- consider the alternatives and this is a good thing. The testament to a business is how they handle problems. Given the chance, I'm sure Sears would address the issue in your favor. The 2nd opinion finds fault with the extended warranty. I think this is a short-sighted view. That Sears offers it is fine, that they try to generate more revenue is fine. It is a service that can be very valuable when you consider service calls. These warranties are essentially insurance. While the cost may be fairly high, they provide service on an annual basis- preventative measures. Anyway, from someone who can afford Sub-Zero, Bosch, Viking etc, I'd rather put my money in a Sears product- it costs less and holds up EXTREMELY WELL.

Too many problems for a new washer

If its a Kenmore, its a Sears...okay, but not top of the line, if they made a decent product they wouldn't have to push their extended warranty contracts with everything they sell.