Kenmore Front Loader destroyed itself

yes..........you did~

I hear Home Depot is having a sale

you think there will be a difference with another brand??????   they all use the same design and use a bearing      good luck to you

simple dont purchase a front loader..

Too bad washing machines don't have an unbalanced-load kill switch, or a 3rd party add-on that could shut off ANY washer that starts a hop'n and a jump'n around the Laundry Room - like a tilt sensor on an arcade pinball machine.

if you have a mpa you can get it rebuilt free...no wait..it cost to buy the mpa

but free equals at least a month wait.

I was able to view, with a flashlight and automotive mirror corrosion on the spider ends. Not bad but I cannot see the hub. However, I was able to move one of them with my fingers so conclude it failed by the hub. So, front and back tubs, both dampers and the spider (which everyone says is not available all by iteself).

Just to remind, there's a large hole on the rear tub. That's how I can see inside so can move the pulley while observing the outer half of the spider arms. The squeal from the bearing is unmistakable. Grease on the pulley too. I'm going to call someone anyway. Sufficiently miffed that our Sears cards will never be used again.

Have a Craftsman push mower, an expensive Craftsman ride mower. Always buy this stuff with blind confidence. A shame. I literally grew up with Sears from childhood. My grandparents in western PA used old Sears catalogs for, well, outdoors:-)

Hi there, maxangleofdangl!  SearsCares would be happy to assist you in making sure you are taken care of with the problems you are having with your washer.  Please send me a private message with your name, email and phone number.  I will make sure to get this on to the SearsCares team to contact you soon.

Just for reference, the new Kenmore line for 2010 is made by LG.

The base models are 40021/80021, washer and dryer respectively.

The spider and drum design in question was put together by Frigidaire (model prefix 417), and is a known issue.  It's parent company is Electrolux, and Whirlpool built models (He2, He3, and He4) have also been known to have the same issue.  The aluminum assembly does not stand the test of time, and corrodes.  A better coat of paint, or other corrosion inhibitor from the get go, may have solved the problem before it ever began.

I hope we can lend a real helping hand for this elderly couple.

bravo world!

Thanks!

We aren't that old, unless being in the 60s is old? But it is true, no one here works a full time job. Simply, we were stunned by the sudden dramatic failure of the machine, after 5 years, unlike other Sears products. Perhaps 5 years and an average $150 a year amortized usage is the new paradigm. In the morning I'll be doing the laundromat so will see. Maybe that's smarter? Wife wants to know why laundromat front-loaders are durable, ours are not. Corrosion and a bearing not industrial grade.

OK, I can use some opinions. Firstly I do not expect nor am I seeking a free new machine nor to have it repaired for nothing. Clearly there's design insufficiencies and a shared cost would be the ethical solution. Unless, as I said, the "rental" use of machines are $150 per year so get used to it?

Called 1-800-4-MY-HOME. Explained what is wrong.  A Tech will come out for a $75 visit. Then I will get an estimate for the repair. I can state that the replacement parts are: front and read plastic tubs, the dampers, the spider. And labor. If the spider is not available all by itself, I figure from my readings, parts alone will run close to $600. Then add labor.

The nice lady offered me a one-time, right now, opportunity to purchase a $320 plan that would, IF THE TECHNICIAN DECIDES, will cover all the parts/labor. Sounds like a deal until she said IF THE TECHNICIAN DECIDES it cannot be repaired (yes it can...) or that it's not worth repairing, then at his option an up-to-$500 coupon towards the price of a new machine will be presented. NOT $500, but at his decision, something no more than $500, perhaps less. So, having already paid $320, IF I got a full $500 coupon, I am getting $180 off on the purchase of a new machine, correct? If the machine costs, again say $750, we are still spending $320 and $250 = $570. Folks is the a great deal or what?

What would you do?

 I'd buy a nice top-loader..preferably with mechanical controls.

Ive been reading about a month and a half..

Top Loaders rule is my thinking

  Actually,now that I think about it,you might want to purchase your Whirlpool-built top-load washer sooner rather than later.Time waits for no one.

Hi everyone. I'd be delinquent to not issue a report on the resolution of our problem.

I am pleased to report that Sears really does Care! We have reached an equitable agreement. Sears still has us as continued customers. The ladies, behind the scenes here, are some of the nicest customer service people I have ever encountered. Even after I openly bad-mouth the 417:-)  Interesting business model: let people openly whine here then work, privately, one-on-one towards a solution satisfactory to both. I feel so good I think it's time we replace our dishwasher after we get our new washing machine installed in a few days. 

i allso bought this machine in 2005 with extended warrenty.

cant get rid of the smell and mold build up, sears said to live with it. it quit washing last week and sears says they will charge me to come out. it is still under the contract. when you get the extended the throw out the 1 year manufacture and sell you the 3 year...thats wrong

I'd think an occasional load using bleach would go along way to reducing mold.

I read somewhere dishwashing detergent is useful. Contains bleach.

When I lived in humid Houston, mold on the house siding is common. Spraying a dilute solution of bleach and water did the trick.

My now broken Kenmore front-loader never had mold problems, never used bleach nor took any special precautions like leaving the door open. Go figure.