SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Electrical shock / short

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20240809-5CE3D-4854334. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: Whirlpool WRX735DHZ08 (French door refrigerator with freezer on the bottom.). Incident: (12/2023) The refrigerator was delivered to the consumer�s home (6/5/2024): The refrigerator�s filter indicated that it needed to be changed. When the consumer changed the water filter, water spilled into the refrigerator and freezer. It was like a geyser went off. Water flooded the inside of the refrigerator. By the time she was able to move the refrigerator and reach the shut-off valve water had spilled over the kitchen floor. Once she reached the shut-off valve, the consumer was able to turn the water off. The electric wall outlet behind the refrigerator got wet and this could have presented a shock hazard. The reported this to the manufacturer and their rep. arranged for an authorized technician to come out and the work on the refrigerator. However, after it was serviced, the problem became worse, and the ice dispenser stopped working. The consumer said she also lost an entire refrigerator of food. 8/6/2024: The consumer spoke with the firm again and was told as long as the product is under warranty, they are willing to continue sending service technicians out. However, the consumer said that this doesn�t solve her problem and questions what happens when the warranty expires. She�s had 5 service calls on the product so far.