Kenmore 20232 (Type 587-20)

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20120626-07FF2-2147466238. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Matched catalog product: Kenmore 20232 (Type 587-20). Source model text: 587.1550590. Incident: The control panel of our dishwasher began to smoke and smell like burning electronics while it was doing a wash. It did not trip the circuit breaker. Fortunately we were nearby and noticed the smell. We turned the breaker off ourselves.

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20171019-90837-2147396674. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Matched catalog product: Kenmore 20232 (Type 587-20). Source model text: 587.16079201. Incident: The undercounter Kenmore dishwasher had the control panel start to burn. This happened while the dishwasher was not in use. All of the components behind the buttons are burnt and the plastic housing around the control paneled has started to melt.

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20130716-F61A3-1341175. Matched catalog product: Kenmore 20232 (Type 587-20). Source model text: 587.15072201. Incident: The consumer stated that dishwasher was in use and she believed that the cycle was completed before retiring to bed. She was awakened a few hours later to the smell of smoke, in her investigations she noticed that smoke was emitting from above the control panel and there was a red glow of light illuminating from the behind the control panel. The breaker was used to switch the power off.

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20110516-C09F3-2147479128. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Matched catalog product: Kenmore 20232 (Type 587-20). Source model text: Quietguard model #587.15182401. Incident: I was called to investigate a fire in my capacity of Code Enforcement Officer for my Town. I found that a dishwasher had caught fire while in use. The damage to the home was minor, but the dishwasher was substantially destroyed. There was no harm to any of the residents.

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20111111-736B3-2147473430. Matched catalog product: Kenmore 20232 (Type 587-20). Source model text: 587.15072201. Incident: On November 9, 2011 a Kenmore undercounter dishwasher manufactured by Frigidaire, while not set to operate, commenced smoking, with fumes emerging from the front of the machine. Fortunately, the two tenants, watching television in the adjoining living room, smelled the smoke and one of them switched off the circuit breaker, thereby avoiding a fire in their residence.

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20121218-05F7D-2147460952. Matched catalog product: Kenmore 20232 (Type 587-20). Source model text: 587.15072201. Incident: Our ~9 year old Kenmore dishwasher - model 587.15072201. was off the other night. We were in the kitchen and I closed the DW door. Black smoke started pouring out of the control panel and did not stop when I opened the door. We turned off the circuit breaker and called Sears repair. They quoted a price for the repair and said NOTHING about known problems with this model. We set up a repair appointment. Because it was such an alarming problem, we then looked on the Web and found numerous reports to the Consumer Products Safety Commission and others about the same problems with this model.

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20111106-7E298-2147473597. Matched catalog product: Kenmore 20232 (Type 587-20). Source model text: 587.1517. Incident: Unit was not running, door was closed. We began smelling smoke and burning plastic. Due to past experience with this dishwasher catching fire, immediately recognized source and cut power to unit. Inspection reveals power supply board behind control panel had again caught fire melting some plastic components of door. Contacted sears immediately who denied assistance as product is outside warranty period. They also denied any previous reports of fire with this model despite the fact they repaired mine in 2007 due to same fire.

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20130129-C3E95-2147459339. Matched catalog product: Kenmore 20232 (Type 587-20). Source model text: 587.15188401. Incident: Recently I noticed water dripping into the basement from under the dishwasher. I pulled the dishwasher out and removed the panel from underneath and noticed a serious design flaw in the unit which has created a fire and water damage hazard. The Kenmore quiet guard standard Dishwashers heating element is installed using no washers and only a soft metal flexible twist-on retainer to hold the element in place. As a result the hot water enters the washer and as it reaches the heating element the water leaks (significantly) past the heating element and directly into a high voltage electrical connector that powers the high amperage heating element. The water leaks onto the floor and out of sight of the consumer (under the cabinets) until it has ruined the sub flooring.

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20120122-9DFA0-2147471085. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Matched catalog product: Kenmore 20232 (Type 587-20). Source model text: 587.1640590. Incident: About 11-12 years ago, my dishwasher burst into flames. I was in the room when it happened. The dishwasher was running, and there was a quick flash of light. Flames then started shooting out of the vent in the door right above the selector knob. I quickly unlocked the door, shutting off the dishwasher, and threw a dish towel over the fire putting it out. There did not appear to be any external damage, so I called a repairman. He opened things up and the circuit board was scorched and burnt, but all of the surrounding plastic wasn't even melted. He told me that it was a bad circuit board, this kind of thing was isolated, and if he replaced the circuit board it would not be likely to occur again. I never run the dishwasher when we're not at home, but it hasn't given any problems since. I am only reporting this now after recently seeing a CBS news report of the same problem happening today.

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20120315-A3251-2147469239. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Matched catalog product: Kenmore 20232 (Type 587-20). Source model text: 587.15193402. Incident: Our dishwasher is about four years old and has had no previous issues. One evening it began to produce a strange smell during a normal wash cycle. The fumes grew stronger and more noxious the next time we ran it, so we turned off and opened the dishwasher before it finished the wash cycle. We could see no heavy scale buildup on the heating element nor obstructions in the drain. We then disconnected the power supply and removed the front base plate. On the underside of the dishwasher, we saw that one of the wires attached to the heating element was completely exposed. About an inch of insulation and the connector had melted away - the melting plastic was emitting the fumes every time the heating element turned on. There also appeared to be some corrosion on the brass connector to which the wire is soldered. We have not used the dishwasher since then because of concerns of a risk of overheating and fire.

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20241007-AB5AA-4932222. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: Kenmore 20232 (Type 587-20) (top-load, washing machine). Incident: 10/6/2024: The washer became stuck in the drain cycle. He can hear the vacuum motor, but the washer will not move. He tripped the breaker for a few minutes, unplugged the washer and plugged it back into the wall outlet. When he turned the washer back on, it was stuck on that same cycle. He then repeated those steps for approximately 15 - 20 minutes, but the washer was still stuck. If this was left unattended, the washer�s motor could run continuously and possible lead to a fire. When he first noticed the issue, he had no idea how long it was stuck on that cycle. However, he started his last load of clothes nearly 2 hours prior to discovering the issue. 10/7/2024: He called the manufacturer�s Customer Service Number. Their rep. told him that they could send a technician out for $119.00 to diagnose the issue. The consumer noted that he did not want to pay for this repair, because he did not cause it, and the machine was purchased last year. He asked to speak with a higher authority. He was told that he would be directed to their Escalations Department but was not able to speak with a person. The consumer later called a number for the brand name company and spoke with [REDACTED], who suggested that he call CPSC�s Hotline.