Maytag, Jenn-Air,Amana Refrigerator Recall

There is a recall on Maytag, Jenn-Air, Amana, Admiral, and Magic Chef Refrigerators. The problem is a relay which controls the compressor. Several fires have occurred with significant property damage. The units were produced between January 2001 and January 2004.

I have a 2004 Country Coach (produced in 2003) which contains one of the affected refrigerators.

I contacted them this morning (Sunday) and they said they would be at my house Wednesday morning. I did get the impression there was some sense of urgency based upon their response. They are unaware that my refrigerator is in a bus - I felt that information might confuse them. I guess I need to build a little platform quickly so they can slide it out if necessary. You can go the the website www.repair.maytag.com to determine if your refrigerator is affected. Make sure you have your model number and serial number.

Miles & Laura Circo
2004 Country Coach XLII D/S

We had the same issue. We were 30 miles from Marathon, having just picked up our 2004 CC, when we smelled something burning--electrical smell. Called back to Marathon and they had no idea what it was. Did not realize it was the refrigerator. Two days later when I went to reload the bus at the barn I realized the refrigerator did not work. Turned it off, called Marathon and took it back for repair a week later. Neal saw the recall in the Sunday paper the following week so realized then that was probably the problem. The electrical issue caused the compressor to go out. Luckily, things were not worse. I did not want to have the local "Maytag" man check it out because I did not trust his ability to fix it without breaking some tile!!!

Hope you get yours taken care of.

I never knew this relay existed until we were at the Tom Johnson rally last month. Jamie was having problems with his refrigerator, and when they found the problem, it was the relay.

My Kenmore (Whirlpool) refrigerator in our house quit working yesterday, and I checked the relay. We had been smelling a strange smell for a couple days, and upon close inspection, the relay was burned internally. This may not be the exact same relay as the one in the other models mentioned above, but this "Overload/Start Relay" seems to be a weak point in many newer refrigerators. Ours is about 5 years old.

I put an amp meter in line to see what my compressor was doing, and it was drawing about 14 amps upon startup, but the relay kicked it off as soon as it started. I am assuming that 14 amps is not abnormal upon startup. When I install the new relay, I will check the amperage and see if it levels off after startup. There is also a capacitor that plugs into the relay.

I called Sears and they wanted almost $70 for the relay with a 10 day delivery time. I found it on eBay for $17 including tax and shipping. I should have it by Wednesday.

I would recommend that everyone who has a refrigerator problem, check this relay. We started noticing that our freezer wasn't cooling right. Ice cream was exceptionally soft, etc. I assume this was caused by the relay kicking the compressor on/off when the relay started failing. After a few days of this, it just quit cooling.

Come to think of it - when the repairman got here he went right to the problem without even looking at anything else??? He also stated that he carries several of these relays with him at all times. What does that tell you???

Dale - you should probably change the one in the bus also - or have one on hand for when it does blow.........:rolleyes:

Keep Cool

Jamie

Can someone post the part number so the rest of us can have one in stock ?

Jim,



This is the part # for the one in my house. I am not sure if it is the same as the one in the bus. Unfortunatley, you probably have to remove the refrigerator to see the switch on the compressor. I haven't looked at my books on the refrigerator in the bus to determine if it shows the switch, but I assume with a little research, we can make that determination. Jamie may have something that shows the PN of the one he replaced. It appears that this is the weakest point on any refrigeator if they have a startup relay.

PN 218830 or 2220475 RELAY OVERLOAD WHIRLPOOL,KITCHENAID

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It has been our experience that the appliance repair people will not pull the refer out. They get paid a flat rate to perform the recall and it doesn't include taking it out of the hole. In some cases, they will not even wait for you to pull it. They expect it to be immediately available for them to work on. So...............Be prepared.

As a veteran refrigerator remover I can assure one and all that this is a case where you will want to cure the problem on your own terms.

If your refrig falls into the range of the recall, don't wait. If you have to pull the refrig out on you own it is likely to be involved. On my coach I had to build a platform to roll it on because the refrig is installed 3" above the tile floor. The platform I built is 3" high and has carpet on the bottom so it will slide easily on the tile. It has to slide because with it out it fills the entire aisle in the coach.

I have to pull it into the dining area. That involves removing the table and chairs. Sounds easy, but the table is secured to the wall and is a heavy component to handle.

None of the removal process is overly complex, but it is time consuming and involves some lifting, pushing and shoving. The time to do that stuff is when the coach is not being used. If you wait and it pukes while travelling replacing the relay may end up being a real chore.

For the owners of Whirlpool refrigerators, this is an excellent site to determine the PN for the start relay. http://www.appliancepartspros.com/partsearch/ The model # for the Whirlpool refrigerator in my bus is ED20TQXFN00.

If you have the same model as I do, the PN for the Start Relay is AP3601983. Just search for your model, then select section 11 (Diagram for Unit)on the left side of the page. The relay is item # 15 and the cost is $25.06.

I now have my black belt in fridge R & R and can tell you the repair dude won't touch it unless it is out and accessible. It took Jdub and all his influence just to get a tech to come in my bus and if it wouldn't have been sitting in the middle of the living room, he wouldn't have touched it.

Attachment 4758
And after all this it couldn't be repaired.:mad:

On Wedensday the Maytag Repairman showed up for my refrigerator recall. I had built a platform almost 6" high so that the refrigerator could easliy roll out. He pulled up to my house and I told him to drive to my "other garage". He did , and as I opened the door I said - by the way it's in a bus. He said "cool". He was more than willing to do whatever to help me remove the refrigerator. Country Coach figured if the refrigerator was 36" wide than the opening should be 36" wide (so much for tolerances) so the refrigerator came out very slowly - about 1/4" at a time. I had the slide out so there was plenty of room and I had made the platform large enough so that when he got it out we could rotate the refrigerator for him to get to the back of the refrigerator. It took him about 5 minutes to replace the relay. He asked if I wanted him to help me put it back. I told him I would do it myself because for the first time I discovered all the stuff behind the refrigerator and wanted to make notes and takes pictures. The best surprise was finally finding the 12 channel Crestron Amplifier attached to the wall behind the refrigerator as well as a number of electrical junction boxes. I am not sure how this guy was paid but he drove 1 1/2 hours to get to my house and was happy to participate in the removal and re-installation of the unit. No complaints here.

Miles & Laura Circo
2004 Country Coach XLII D/S

The relay pictured by RoadRunner is very common in many refrigerators. We have a Amana side by side in the garage and keep an extra relay on the parts self. My local appliance shop sells them to me for $20. There is a new combination of parts that has replaced this multi unit and it cost around $56 dollars, according to the local shop. The heat of the confined spaces is the biggest factor in the short life of this relay assembly.

Ken & Ellen