My Kitchen Aid French Door fridge came with the house we bought a little over a year ago and has had multiple issues with water leaking, ice machine stopping, water pooling up in basins and then overflowing... been a real pain so I'm thinking of just buying a new one.

You guys have any brands that you think of as ultra dependable? Or some that aren't?

Using the search function I found a thread from years back with a lot of people saying that their Frigidaire's were having their ice machines break after about a year or so after purchase.

What's your go-to brand for any appliance?

Whirlpool?
Maytag?
Samsung?
GE?
Is Kenmore worth the extra price that you have to pay for going to a Sears?

Post OP Edit:
Thanks for all the responses from everyone!

What I take away from this thread is that... well... all fridges basically suck. This isn't the 1960's anymore where Americans made steel workhorse fridges that may still be working today. The market is crap, and basically all brands have at least a 35% failure rate within 5 years.

After my research, It seems that one would be lucky to buy a 'fancy' fridge and have it work correctly for 5 years or more without any issues. The predominant amount of responses show that Samsung fridges seem to be a more common culprit for failures, but that could be a result of them being a more popular brand, and therefore have had more people purchase them.

That being said, I've purchased a Samsung french door fridge! Some of you may be thinking I'm crazy after seeing all of the negative responses from past and current Samsung fridge owners, but again, after the research I've done, it seems that most all fridges fail within a 3-5 year time span in a manner that requires a warranty part replacement or other part. I have a water softener at my home, so I'm hopeful that this will keep some of my issues at bay, along with the 5 year (gulp) warranty I purchased to go along with it.

Here's my model number:
RF28HMEDBSR
$2098 purchased in Feb 2018

Maybe they are better now, but we bought an expensive Samsung from Home Depot several years ago & vowed never again. First of all - and this has probably changed - there was no one to do repairs...even warranty repairs. Then, right after the warranty ran out, it quit. QUIT. No one could fix it.

Thanks for the response, I was actually looking at a Samsung from H.D. becasue they are running a sale right now.

See this is what I worry about because it seems like every brand is going to have its share of bad results. Is there no longer a consensus brand that's considered more dependable? Have you heard anything about Maytags?

We did a lot of research a couple years ago and finally went with the LG french door. Haven't had any issues with it.

FWIW, The GE brand is now owned by Haier.

This was probably 7-8 years ago, so things could be different with Samsungs. Consumer Reports ranks them pretty high now - there are several models that are at the top. However we've since gone on a low/no frills kick with appliances. Not as flashy, but less to go wrong.

For what it's worth, here's what CR reported in the 2017 buying guide. Maybe buy an extended warranty? We don't normally but it sure would have paid off on the Samsung just to have Home Depot replace it with something else.

When you buy from Home Depot or others of this variety because their price is lower you are rolling the dice. They don't install and they don't fix. I always buy my appliances from a dealer that fixes what they sell.

Things break no matter how good they are. If they do, you need someone to fix them. Would you buy a car knowing that there was no one to fix it if it breaks? If you roll the dice, don't complain about how you have been mistreated.

I have done business with the same appliance store for years. They install the appliance. If it breaks, I know the maintenance guys and they have the records on the guarantee. ...and they come immediately to fix any problems. You get what you pay for.

For whatever it is worth, I bought my Samsung french door from best buy and had them deliver and install. They were running a similar sale and were offering 0% financing for 60 months. This was probably 3 years ago now. We haven't had a single issue with the machine. Ice maker in the door, as wells as flat ice bucket in the freezer at the bottom, temp display, etc. It's been great.

I think it's hit or miss, but it's definitely not all horror stories.

My brother has also has trouble with his Samsung. Pretty new & the ice maker in the bottom freezer part quit. Out of warranty. They are using trays now.

We had a great Samsung with French doors and ice maker in the door and in the freezer.

Movers destroyed it and we went with a Frigidaire. I HATE the Frigidaire refrigerator and will replace it as soon as it's reasonable. Hard to replace a 2 year old appliance that still "works". But it may find itself in my shop this spring/summer!

We've got a Samsung french door with the bottom freezer, bought in 2015. Probably would not buy again.

Issues:

Icemaker freezes/blocks up frequently (about every two weeks) and we've got to chisel it all out. We have some friends with a different model fridge but same icemaker - theirs died within 6mo and they're using trays.

Water dispenser is very slow. Takes 3-4 minutes to fill 32oz cup. We've started using a Brita pitcher, but that just takes up space.

Cooling fan in fridge iced up once - had to empty the fridge, remove a panel, and use a blow dryer to fix. Simple, but took an hour or so and was quite annoying

Knock on wood, my Kenmore Elite is 13 years old. That said, I don't think I've bought a new appliance in 13 years. I just keep repairing them as needed. My Kenmore has needed the least repairs and the only thing I've fixed from a functional standpoint is the damper inside.

I'd have no problem buying another Kenmore.

Quote:

---

Cooling fan in fridge iced up once - had to empty the fridge, remove a panel, and use a blow dryer to fix. Simple, but took an hour or so and was quite annoying

---

That same issue was the end of ours. The fan kept freezing up and eventually stopped working at all, but we went thru that same process many times. No one could replace the fan.

metrag06 said:

---

We've got a Samsung french door with the bottom freezer, bought in 2015. Probably would not buy again.

Issues:

Icemaker freezes/blocks up frequently (about every two weeks) and we've got to chisel it all out. We have some friends with a different model fridge but same icemaker - theirs died within 6mo and they're using trays.

Water dispenser is very slow. Takes 3-4 minutes to fill 32oz cup. We've started using a Brita pitcher, but that just takes up space.

Cooling fan in fridge iced up once - had to empty the fridge, remove a panel, and use a blow dryer to fix. Simple, but took an hour or so and was quite annoying

---

This was me with my Samsung. After much internet searching I found this was a common problem and ended up having to rig it so it wouldn't ice up all the time. Finally sold that piece of junk and vowed NEVER to buy a Samsung fridge again. Wasn't too thrilled with the Samsung frontloaders either, but that's for another thread.

Consensus when we were shopping recently, but decided not to replace our GE, was that all refrigerators suck. Our next purchase will be one with as few "features" as possible from one of the major players. Most important thing to do with any fridge is to clean the coils once or twice a year and clean/replace the door seals.

Quote:

---

Our next purchase will be one with as few "features" as possible

---

That was our strategy. We got a side by side Kenmore with ice/water in the door, but no computer stuff - just 2 rocker switches: 1 for light/water, the other for cube/crushed. Works like a champ.

The last fridge that I owned eventually had trouble with the ice maker. It had lasted for about 5 years. When my buddy that works on them said that they no longer makes the ice maker (a frequent problem he said) he told me that the problem with a lot of ice makers is that the water has lots of minerals, etc. and it slowly eats away at the surface of the tray. He said that people with water softeners and RO setups have a lot less problems.

When we moved to our new house several years ago we had a company come in and put in a RO system and ran a line to the back of the fridge. This was an excellent decision and we have not had an ice maker problem in all the time since then.

Bought a Samsung French door with ice on the bottom. Stopped making ice a few days ago. Time to call geek squad.

I have to pile on Samsung too. Had to have my freezer fan and a circuit board replaced within a couple years out of pocket. Just recently my ice dispenser quit working. Numerous small issues. I love my Samsung TVs, but I'll never buy another Samsung kitchen appliance.

We've had a LG french door/two freezer drawers on bottom for 7 years now without any trouble. That said, the organization is a little bit odd. It's easy for stuff to get covered up by other things in front of it. Two freezer drawers are a whole lot better than one though.

Not sure if we're going to sell it when we put a Sub-Zero, put it in the garage or what TBH.

We bought our Samsung French Door (with drawer b/w the doors and the freezer, ice/water dispenser on exterior door) in October 2010. We've had zero issues or warranty calls on it.

We just change the filter every 6 months.

The only thing we'd improve is the ice maker - it's a little loud when dumping ice, but you get used to it quickly. Second would be the ice capacity, but that's a common issue w/FD ice makers. I wish it made more ice. Typically not a problem with just the two of us, but if we have friends over we usually buy a bag or 2 of ice and keep it in a cooler on the counter.

Seems like the more basic the fridge, the better chance of it not being a pain in the ass. I have one that has had minimal issues over the past 10 years, so I'm holding on with all hope until it gives.

schwack schwack said:

---

Quote:

---

Our next purchase will be one with as few "features" as possible

---

That was our strategy. We got a side by side Kenmore with ice/water in the door, but no computer stuff - just 2 rocker switches: 1 for light/water, the other for cube/crushed. Works like a champ.

---

I am actually looking at Fridges myself right now, and this is exactly what I have got it down to. The less features and more basic the better. I've pretty much narrowed it down to a side-by-side GE. In door water and ice and not much else. The GE side-by-sides seem to get pretty consistent high customer reviews.

By the way, I just do not understand Consumer Reports these days. Their reviews seem to be worthless. On their own website, many of the models and brands they have highly rated and terrible customer reviews. These are the customer reviews on their own website! Many people saying to basically ignore CR's ratings.

Care to share what model number you're looking at for the GE you were talking about?

We are replacing our French Door and my wife is kind of dead set on another one.

I've been trying to tilt her in the direction of at least considering a nice side-by-side

Adam Ag 98 said:

---

We bought our Samsung French Door (with drawer b/w the doors and the freezer, ice/water dispenser on exterior door) in October 2010. We've had zero issues or warranty calls on it.

We just change the filter every 6 months.

The only thing we'd improve is the ice maker - it's a little loud when dumping ice, but you get used to it quickly. Second would be the ice capacity, but that's a common issue w/FD ice makers. I wish it made more ice. Typically not a problem with just the two of us, but if we have friends over we usually buy a bag or 2 of ice and keep it in a cooler on the counter.

---

This has been our experience with our Samsung.

We also have a ~13 yr old GE side by side. It had the freezer fan and motherboard replaced some years ago (motherboard was a hard lesson learned on a screw job by GE tech). Not sure if they still have the issue, but it suffers from the water line to the dispenser freezing up.

TaterAg said:

---

Care to share what model number you're looking at for the GE you were talking about?

We are replacing our French Door and my wife is kind of dead set on another one.

I've been trying to tilt her in the direction of at least considering a nice side-by-side

---

It's #GSE25HSHSS, this one https://www.nfm.com/DetailsPage.aspx?productid=41442815.

Much cheaper that a lot of the French Doors, without a lot of the problems they seem to come with. I've seen that same model multiple places, and last I checked Nebraska Furniture Mart had the best price.

Bought a Samsung French Door in like 2015.

No reliability issues, but...

-ice machine sorta sucks - everything seems sort of crushed even on the cube option
-fridge is kind of loud, sort of a constant audible hum. Not something you'd notice in a showroom but do in a quiet house. Definitely louder than my previous fridge.
-annoyed that the fridge has a door open alarm, but the freezer doesn't. Especially since it's easy not to slam it closed all the way (light will turn off but is still not fully closed) and the ramifications of a cracked freezer seem worse than a fridge. Much ice cream has been wasted.

jtp01 said:

---

We had a great Samsung with French doors and ice maker in the door and in the freezer.

Movers destroyed it and we went with a Frigidaire. I HATE the Frigidaire refrigerator and will replace it as soon as it's reasonable. Hard to replace a 2 year old appliance that still "works". But it may find itself in my shop this spring/summer!

---

I have the same model - ice maker in the door and in the bottom freezer. If you have kids playing sports needing lots of ice for water bottles, this is the one to get (if they still make it). We got ours from Lowes.

I've had great luck with Frigidaire and Kenmore.
I've used them in numerous remodels, new construction, rentals and personal residences for the last 15 years with no issues. I've seen issues with lots of Samsung fridges, and GE dishwashers.

We have had an LG french door for 7 years and have had no issues. The in laws bought a Samsung about 3 years ago and have had nothing but trouble.

Aggietaco said:

---

Consensus when we were shopping recently, but decided not to replace our GE, was that all refrigerators suck. Our next purchase will be one with as few "features" as possible from one of the major players. Most important thing to do with any fridge is to clean the coils once or twice a year and clean/replace the door seals.

---

Same here. I just bought our garage fridge with next to nothing on it, aside from just the old style top-freezer with no ice maker. When our inside fridge craps out (which is probably in another year or two) I'm going the same route.

Appliances in general have way too many damn unnecessary features that 90+% of us don't even use.

EDIT - to add the the OP, I've generally bought Kenmore or Maytag. Everything we've been fairly pleased with except this newest Kenmore fridge. Side by side top and freezer bottom. Icemaker quick working after a 2 years and one of the electrical boards fried...all within 3 years.

Got a whirlpool French door on black Friday sale. Aside from the horrible buying experience with Lowe's, I am pretty happy with it so far.

I have heard one should stay away from Samsung due to expensive and difficulty in repairs. Honestly, everything I looked at reviewwise was ambiguous in the end. Appears that 25 percent will have major issues sooner than expected. Went with whirlpool because, theoretically, it should be easier to work on.

oldvalleyrat said:

---

When you buy from Home Depot or others of this variety because their price is lower you are rolling the dice. They don't install and they don't fix. I always buy my appliances from a dealer that fixes what they sell.

Things break no matter how good they are. If they do, you need someone to fix them. Would you buy a car knowing that there was no one to fix it if it breaks? If you roll the dice, don't complain about how you have been mistreated.

I have done business with the same appliance store for years. They install the appliance. If it breaks, I know the maintenance guys and they have the records on the guarantee. ...and they come immediately to fix any problems. You get what you pay for.

---

Nothing wrong with taking advantage of Home Depot and Lowe's pricing if you do your homework first.

Samsung from Home Depot 2 years ago - no complaints.