When you buy a new refrigerator, you might expect it to last about a decade. But it turns out the odds of having a problem-free experience over that time are not in your favor.
Based on our most recent survey results, we estimate that 34 percent of all refrigerators will require repairs by the end of the fifth year of ownership, making them one of the least reliable products we analyze in our surveys. The two most commonly reported refrigerator problem areas are icemakers and dispensers. Problems like broken compressors and an inability to maintain cool temperatures matter more, but relatively few CR members report them.
More on Refrigerators
These findings come from our most recent annual member survey, in which we asked CR members about more than 80,300 refrigerators they had purchased new between 2013 and 2023. The results are the basis for CR’s predicted reliability and owner satisfaction ratings in our refrigerator ratings charts. The data is grouped by refrigerator type—top-freezers, bottom-freezers, French-doors, side-by-sides, and built-ins. The refrigerator brands in the survey include Bosch, Frigidaire, GE, Kenmore, KitchenAid, LG, Maytag, Samsung, Sub-Zero, and Whirlpool.
Below is a detailed breakdown of common refrigerator problems, the winning and losing brands across the major refrigerator categories, and some standout models in the areas of reliability and owner satisfaction.
For highly rated fridges, see our comprehensiverefrigerator ratings and refrigerator brand scores.And give our soup-to-nuts refrigerator buying guide a read to learn about the different types of refrigerators. Finally, if you want to learn more about our rigorous testing process, see “How We Test Refrigerators.”
KitchenAid, Samsung, and LG Refrigerator Problems
Samsung refrigerators have been cited in hundreds of complaints to the Consumer Product Safety Commission because of malfunctioning icemakers and temperatures that are too warm, leading to spoiled food. Many of the complaints involve Samsung French-door refrigerators, which received a subpar rating for predicted reliability and a poor rating for owner satisfaction in CR’s survey results.
Our survey also revealed that LG French-doors, side-by-sides, and built-ins were more prone to having compressors that break or are faulty than competing models made by other brands. The same goes for Kenmore French-doors, which have compressors manufactured by LG. In 2020, LG settled a class-action lawsuit over its refrigerator compressors, but the settlement didn’t cover Kenmore models manufactured by LG. Despite LG’s reliability issues, it’s still one of the best refrigerator brands overall when you factor in the day-to-day performance of its fridges.
Along with these Kenmore and LG refrigerators, our survey results showed that KitchenAid French-doors and side-by-sides, as well as Samsung side-by-sides, are more likely than other brands and models to stop keeping food cold.
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