Whirlpool WRS588FIHZ00

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20240916-6488F-2147336503. Severity: No Incident, No Injury. Matched catalog product: Whirlpool WRS588FIHZ00. Source model text: Model WRS588FIHZ00. Incident: My Whirlpool Refrigerator, Model WRS588FIHZ00, has several broken wires at the bottom of the freezer door causing the ice maker to stop working. All but two of the wires are broken and the only repair is to replace the freezer door which costs about $1500.00. The exposed wires could be hazardous.

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20240117-E93FE-2147342682. Severity: No Incident, No Injury. Matched catalog product: Whirlpool WRS588FIHZ00. Source model text: WRS588FIHZ. Incident: Whirlpool 28 cu. ft. Side by Side refrigerator. Model# WRS588FIHZ. Mfg date 9/2019 Bought Jan 12, 2020 at The Home Depot. Made in Mexico. Ice maker stopped working over a year ago. Replaced every part associated with ice maker. Further research revealed pending class action. Hinge on bottom of freezer door has severed seven wires. Unsure at this time if electrical/fire hazard.

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20220311-D623D-3624835. Matched catalog product: Whirlpool WRS588FIHZ00. Incident: Caller stated he noticed that the wires on his refrigerator/freezer door were frayed and broken which maybe a safety hazard. He stated that his icemaker had stopped working which led him to the incident. He stated that there are numerous amounts of complaints online about this issue.

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20200106-89FFF-2147375566. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: Whirlpool WRS588FIHZ00 (Whirlpool Refrigerator models WRS588FIHZ00, WRS571CIDM02 and likely others). Incident: Several similar Whirlpool refrigerator models have a defect that causes electrical wires to become severed, causing a fire hazard and preventing the refrigerator from working properly. There are two of these products in our home and both are exhibiting the same issue. The wire bundle connected to the freezer door rubs on a sharp edge each time the freezer door is opened, eventually exposing the wires and cutting them. Our refrigerators were manufactured in August and November of 2017 and the newer one is worse. Another consumer documented the same issue at [REDACTED] and five other consumers found that report useful (i.e., had the same problem). In our case, when the wires were severed, the ice maker stopped working. I called the Whirlpool Customer eXperience (sic) center at 800-253-1301 on 1/6/2020 to identify the hazard and they offered to send a repair technician out at my expense to give me a price quote to fix it. I realize that the refrigerator only had a 1 year warranty, but I'm worried that other consumers think the issue is minor and "just live with" the inconvenience of not having a working ice maker on a $1,300 refrigerator. While these are relatively small wires, they are in close proximity to the highly flammable "dust bunnies" that commonly live under most refrigerators.

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20210610-A7C9C-2147363594. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: Whirlpool WRS588FIHZ00 (Whirlpool side by side refrigerator / freezer.). Incident: Whirlpool side by side refrig / freezer Model WRS588FIHZ00, Serial HR71716380 - ice maker stopped working. Did research on internet to get ideas of what might be wrong. One clue led me to look at the wire harness that comes out the bottom and wraps around the freezer door hinge. Found 2 broken wires plus 2 other wires with insulation broken and wire exposed. No injuries or tragedy yet - but ripe for potential fire - exposed wire, broken wires. Called Whirlpool customer service number listed on their website on 6-10-2021. Explained issue to first person and asked if there was a product recall on this issue. She passed me on to repair, which turned out to be parts. No answer to the recall question. Parts gave me another number to call - which was to [REDACTED] promotion. This is not customer service but the issue is a safety / potential fire hazard that Whirlpool needs to address. Seems to me to be a serious design issue that has been complained about a number of times on this website by others.

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20230816-A0FFF-2147345784. Severity: No Incident, No Injury. Product: Whirlpool WRS588FIHZ00 (Whirlpool Side by Side Refrigerator). Incident: There is a risk of shock or electrocution in the design of whirlpool refrigerators. The problem is well known, when the service technician came out he immediately knew the 120 volt AC wiring in the door had failed it is exposed not insulated. When a consumer opens a Whirlpool refrigerator, there's insufficient protection in the electrical wiring. That 120 volt AC powerand other wiring powers the ice maker and 120 volt AC ice dispenser motor. I believe Whirlpool considers this the source of revenue when customers ice makers break which is a common occurrence due to unsafe wiring and sheath which has a high probability of failure, customers have their refrigerator serviced. The problem is there is a risk of electrocution or shock to small children near the exposed wiring when the refrigerator door is opened, as well as someone barefoot. I don't know if the refrigerator door is properly grounded once the wire breakage occurs, Whirlpool has known about this and their substandard safety practices put the general public at risk. UPDATED ON 8/23/2023: [I have contacted Whirlpool Corporate who refuse to put me in contact with the CEO [REDACTED], instead I'm on an endless loop with Whirlpool Customer Support. I am formally requesting a recall of all Whirlpool appliance which endangers Whirlpool customers. In my case I have found out based service technicians familiar with this issue, that all Whirlpool side-by-side refrigerators have 120 VAC electrical exposure problem and that Whirlpool will not fix this even on new appliances. I am holding Whirlpool and the CPSC liable and respons