SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20240403-0434D-2147339990. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: KitchenAId KUDE60FXBL3 (KitchenAid Dishwasher model: KUDE60FXBL3 serial: F14401396 Type: 586-1 - Black 23.875" Built-In Dishwasher W10300927 A). Incident: KitchenAid dishwasher Model: KUDE60FXBL3 caught fire mid cycle with smoldering and arcing. The was a loud pop and within a minute audible crackling from a nearby speaker was heard from the arcing occurring in the dishwasher. When we went to investigate, thick smoke was discovered pouring out the top of the dishwasher, and a horrific electrical burning smell was detected. The door to the dishwasher was opened to stop the cycle, and the electrical breaker was switched to "off". Smoke continued to emit from the inside vent on the door of the dishwasher. The front cover has since been removed to reveal char marks, soot, and damage to what I think is the control panel. The pop we heard was some sort of explosion that created a bulge in the cover of this part. When this cover was removed evidence of the fire was seen. Upon internet research, we discovered there was a class action lawsuit for this issue; not a recall. We were never aware of this potential problem. Had we been asleep or not home, there most definitely would have been a tragic accident. KitchenAid/Whirlpool has not responded. The dishwasher was functioning normally prior to this event.