Frigidaire review: front load washer poorly engineered. 24

Mine is a Kenmore (same as Frigidaire) (M#417.421 421 00) 6 years of use. The aluminum tub/spider mount/spindle has corroded and two of the legs snapped and the tub was banging horiibly. Most aluminum casting are capable of handling a pH of approx 6 to 8.5. Most city tap water systems are around a pH of 7. My well water is a pH of 6.6. Aluminum builds up a natural oxide barrier to prevent corrosion. Chemicals commonly found in detergants and water such as but not limmited to Phosphates, chlorine (softened water), chloride, nitirites, elevated conductivity levels and high/low pH levels will attack the naturally occuring oxide barrier and eat it for lunch. Small engineering/material selection problem? I wrote a letter to Sears and I am waiting to hear back. I do not need to pay one of their tech's to do something I can do. By the way the CSA Canadian Standards Association (was two separate certification/testing compnies that merged and formed CSA. The comment about needing to be a CSA certified tech is complete B.S. All CSA does is say yes this product is safe and has been tested to these industry standards of couse for a small fee of thousands of dollars. Basically it is a CYA for the manufacture if somebody gets hurt or dies. The aluminum piece is probably cast at a foundary in China or Mexico. No where in the Owners manual does it say anything about water quality. The maufature should step up and stand behind their product. Heck even if they won't give us the part under warranty AT LEAST OFFER THE INNER SPIDER TUB MOUNT AS A PART WE THE PUBLIC CAN PURCHASE! The if you can get this part the first thing you do is coat the aluminum with a corrosion resitant resin, epoxy paint, or powder coating. Huh maybe it would make sense for the manuafture to do this? But we have to remmeber they manufature stuff and that is the only way they make their profit magins that they told the board members/stock holders that they would. Part of the problem may be they buy the tub/tub mount as a all in one part from a submaufature. A simple internal paperwork change so the part can be purchased seperatly from the part maufature to frigidaire and then retailed to dealers/public is too much to ask from a company that may only care about making the numbers each quarter!

Frgidaire / Sears (Kenmore) SELL US PART NUMBER #[protected].
This is the number cast into the spider arm.

If they won't sell us the part, buy the large industrial tubes of JB WELD to use for the repair.

Aaron

Had my spider bracket break. Of course, I have to buy the inner tub with spider bracket. Any suggestions I can add to the spider bracket so it won't corrode? I wonder if the new tub and spider are balanced for the high rpms they will experience. I ask because I would like to take the new spider bracket to be able to coat it completely and I wonder if it will be out of balance when I but it back.

David O.

Hi,

Just last evening 18Feb2009, I found out that my washer, Kenmore front load model, has the same Spider/Shaft/Basket setup as the above posters/bloggers. The spider had corroded beyond recognition.It also cracked the tub from the vibration and violent torsion exerted by the drive motor.

I am attempting to locate the manufacturer of the part as it would seem they may have a different application/model that uses the same assembly. If anyone has the name of the mfgr. I would appreciate it. I have seen the logo embossed that was on my broken spider on other appliances/ products made by these folks and I'll bet they'd be willing to do business.
I'll post my findings if I have a breakthrough.

Thanks,

Bigred

I purchased a frigidaire refrigerator on June 5, 2008 and am not satisfied with it. I thought the name Frigidaire was a good brand name, but in my opionion it is not. I will never buy anything again with that name on it.

New Frigidaire Dehumidifier fails to drain 0ut backside of unit as it is suppose to. Their response is I must pay $30 on credit card to receive a possible cause of the problem. Is this what customer service has become?

Sears has quite the Con going...

They won't see you just the Spider arm / drum assemble, they push you to make a service call or buy the drum and Spider arm together for a ton more money. I Tried calling the local Sears where I was told that the part is gone and the referace to it in the diagram is no longer there.

http://c.searspartsdirect.com/lis_png/PLDM/R0309089-00003.png

I tryed chating with sears online and they tried to get me to agree to a service call way to many times. Thats how they get you, service appointment 50 buck just to give you a qoute for parts and labor, or you can by the Spider arm with a new drum for 300 bucks. other washers you can buy the spider arm for about 75 bucks. so they want you to spend another 225 buck to fix your washer.

don't buy from sears or kenmore,

Frigidaire has the same set up, Won't give me the only part in the machine under warranty unless I pay a tech to come out, tell me my spyder arms are broken, they will ship him the part to install. Only he won't do it unless I agree to purchase a the front & back outer basket assemblies ($ 600.00 $300.00 labor) Really ! Just give me the part and I'll do it myself.

You can buy the the parts for Frigidaire (Same as ELECTROLUX- ZANUSSI in Europe)
So why wont they sell them here in the USA
Its a sham is what it is as you can get the spider separate on eBay UK as well as the bearings and seal

Problem is most shops in the UK wont ship them to the USA and then there is the costs in shipping etc
Come on Sears ( Kenmore) made by Frigidaire offer the spider like they do in the UK for about 70 dollars for the spider and 30 for the bearings and seal

You have to but the complete drum with spider here in USA and if you want the bearings and seal you need to buy the back half of the washer drum
Over $500, 00 ( if that's the case then we throw them out i would say)
Thanks Sears ( Kenmore) I will never buy another product from you or anything that is made by Frigidaire
Ken
usdprior@yahoo.com

Great post, we ran in to the same problem today with our GE wsxh208 having a broken spider arm. Still no replacement spindle arm available for part number [protected].

Frigidaire refrigerator model # FGHB2844LF4. Ice maker has never worked properly.
Now it is leaking. Model has been discontinued and for good reason.

I just replaced the tub with spider on my Kenmore washer. The bearings went out and of course when I took out the tub I found the corroded spider with a crack. Not wanting to chance having the spider fail in the near future I was forced to buy the complete tub and spider from Sears for $300.00. Sears has a current class action suit against them for the odor problem and there should be one against them for the fraud they are committing by willfully failing to correct the spider problem. These are mass produced by Electrolux in Mexico, and the bearings are from China. Now I wonder why they fail? I spent twice as much for bearings made in the U.S. rather than buy the ones Sears or Frigidaire offer. it is beyond belief that a company such as Sears would not have tried to resolve these issues and have the manufacturers of the products they sell, redesign them. They force customers to purchase another part that will only fail again. The Sears Service Dept has to love it as most people are going to opt to have them repair it or end up buying a new Sears washer when they are told how much it will cost to repair the broken one. Until these ill informed customers refuse to ever purchase another item from Sears and research how the other brands are made. Sears will continue to rape them. Perhaps that is one reason Sears is on its way out, and I personally hope it is sooner than later.
It is hard to disagree with anyone writing about this problem, when it is so obvious and so well documented on the internet.
For now i will continue to use my Kenmore washer and start researching who makes one that does not have a built in design that will fail. For the ill-informed the name to avoid is SEARS KENMORE, FRIGIDAIRE/WHIRLPOOL AND ANY OTHERS THAT MAKE A FRONT LOADING WASHER WITH AN ALUMINUM SPIDER.

I have the Frigidaire ModelGLTR1670as0. The same thing happened to me. The spider arm broke in two places. Corroded! I called Frigidaire customer service as it was covered under the 25 year warranty. I talked to Customer Service three times, I have emailed them several times, complained to BBB. No luck. They refuse to send me the part, because of their "policy." No where in the warranty does it state that I have to have a service tech install it. They make it too expensive and inconvenient to ever have to honor their warranty. If anyone has taken them to small claims court, please let me know. Who did you send the file forms to and how did it go? I would like to know if there is a class action suit going, because this is an obvious defect and they are not honoring their warranty. I think everyone needs to file a small claims action and keep them honest in honoring this warranty.

I will never ever buy another GE, Kenmore, Electrolux, Frigidaire product again. Never. Never. Their customer service could not have ticked me off more. Good job.

Same thing happened to me... I thought it was the bearing so I bought the plastic/bearing basket package (175 $). Dismantled all the machine to finally realize it was the spider arms broken in two places. I went to the store buying another brand. When I said to the salesman that my washing machine was broken, he asked: you have a Frigidaire with a broken spider ? Then he told me the whole story... I was laughing of the situation !

Well it just happened on our GE model we bought in 2008. All front loaders are made with this issue. And yes we are furious and think the design was horrible. Spider should be stainless steel if basket is. No Brainer really. Sad.

So did any of you that tried the European Zanussi/Electrolux spider get the correct part? I am looking at them now and the disclaimer is they are not for US machines (which I think is a flat out lie) but I would like to make sure before I order it.

My "Kenmore" front loader just started going bonkers - loud banging sounds. Took it apart to repair and surprise cracked spider in multiple locations and of course you can't just replace the spider it has to be the whole tub which for parts alone is roughly 50% cost of a new washer.

I must say the spider was one and only part of the whole system that looked as if it had been floating in the tropics for a year.

Other piece of this was poor condition of equally expensive plastic shell around the tub... there is a screw to secure each of the three "vanes" mounted to stainless tub...these screws stick out through stainless tub where instances of the tub being unbalanced scrapes at the plastic shell until it eventually compromises the shell.

Whether incompetence or stab at planned obsolescence will be avoiding these brands in the future.

I have had several of my neighbors machines die from spider failure . Poor choice of materials . I have worked on a commercial version of the same basic setup . Its brand name is Wascomat which i believe is a US subsidiary of Electrolux who holds design patens inmost of the home versions.It has the same spider design but is made out of stainless steel . The machine is close to 40 years old and still runs good.They can and do make machines that will last BUT NOT FOR HOME USE. GREED and Planned obsolesces.

We can manufacture spiders from stainless steel only what needed is Core ( brocken spider with shaft )
Cost US $175.00 + S/H or US $200 + S/H Includes Bearing's and seal
Turn around 7 working days
More question E-mail to : customwasherspiders@rogers.com

Frigidaire patr number [protected] Fits Models: [protected], [protected], [protected], [protected], 970-C48112-10, BTF1240ES0, BTF1240ES1, BTF1240FS0, BTF1240FS1, CFW2000FW0, CFW2000FW1, CFW2000FW2, CLCE900FW0, CLCE900FW1, CLCE900FW2, CLCG900FW0, CLCG900FW1, CLCG900FW2, CLCG900FW3, CRTF1240AS0, CRTR9300AS0, CTF140ES0, CTF140FS0, CTF140FS1, CTF140FS2, FCCW2000LS0, FCCW3000ES0, FCCW3000FS0, FCCW3000FS1, FCCW3000FS2, FCCW3000FS3, FCCW3000FS4, FTF1040AS0, FTF1240FS0, FTF1240FS1, FTF1240FS2, FTF530ES0, FTF530ES1, FTF530FS0, FTF530FS1, FTF530FS2, FTF530FS3, FTF530FS4, FTF630AS0, FTR630AS0, FWT425RHS0, FWT445GES0, FWT445GES1, FWT445GES2, FWT449GFS0, FWT449GFS1, FWT449GFS2, FWT645RHS0, FWT645RHS1, FWT647GHS0, FWT647GHS1, FWT648GHS0, FWT867GHQ0, FWT867GHS0, FWTB59RGS0, FWTB69RGS0, FWTB8200DS0, FWTBB30DS0, FWTR425RHS0, FWTR445RFS0, FWTR445RFS1, FWTR445RFS2, FWTR549GG, FWTR549GGS0, FWTR645RHS0, FWTR645RHS1, FWTR647GHS0, FWTR647GHS1, FWTR865RHQ0, FWTR865RHS0, FWTR867GHQ0, FWTR867GHS0, GCEH1642DS1, GCEH1642FS0, GCEH1642FS1, GCEH1642FS2, GCEH1642FS3, GCEH1642FS4, GLEH1642DS0, GLEH1642DS1, GLEH1642FS0, GLEH1642FS1, GLEH1642FS2, GLEH1642FS3, GLEH1642FS4, GLGH1642DS0, GLGH1642DS1, GLGH1642FS0, GLGH1642FS1, GLGH1642FS2, GLGH1642FS3, GLGH1642FS4, GLGH1642FS5, GLTF1040AS0, GLTF1240AS0, GLTF1570ES0, GLTF1570ES1, GLTF1570FS0, GLTF1570FS1, GLTF1570FS2, GLTF1570FS3, GLTF1670AS0, GLTF1670AS1, GLTF2070CS0, GLTF2070DS0, GLTF530DS0, GLTF530DS1, GLTR1670AS0, GLTR1670AS1, GLTR1670FS0, GLTR1670FS1, GMT1670AS0, GSTF1670AS0, GSTF1670DS0, GSTF7200DS0, GSTR1670AS0, GSTR1670DS0, GTF1040AS0, GTF1040CS0, GTF1040CS1, GTF1040FS1, GTF1040FS2, GTF1040FS3, GTR1040AS0, GTR1040CS0, GWT445RFS1, GWT445RFS2, GWT445RGS0, GWT445RGS1, GWT445RGS2, GWT645RHS0, GWTR645RHS0, LEH1642DS0, LFW201EW0, LGH1642DS0, LTF1670DS0, LTF530DS0, LTF530DS1, LTF530FS0, LTF530FS1, NGST127AQ0, NGST127AS0, NGSTR127AS0, WTF330HS0, WTF330HS1, WTF330HS2, WTR1240AQ0, WTR1240AS0, WTR430ES0, WTR430ES1, WTR430FS0, WTR430FS1,

Just replaced 3 Wascomat front loaders and will sell good spider arms if anyone is interested email: KimMulligan22 (at) yahoo.com
I have other good parts as well. I had bought a new basket due to premature corroded parts and understand the problems in this thread.

My 7 yr old Frigidaire front loading washer has a broken spider.. all three sides are broke.. it's actually cheaper (sadly) to purchase a new machine with warranty $750.. vs $382 plus tax. With myself doing labour (if nothing else is found to be wrong once i get it back together.). At least the new one should be under warranty... any suggestions on what type of washer I should purchase next?

Jan 16, 2017. I have the Frigidaire model, gltf1670as0, front load washer, has the same defective spider, , the wobble broke the shocks, , barely 5 years old, broken arms from corrosion, , , I may make steel arms and put it back together, , , there should be some compensation!, , I had a matching Frigidaire dryer that broke in 6 months, metal screws on tub vibrated out, , i had to take it all apart to drill and install machine screws, , it is still working, , , , , when I bought this set I made a homemade platform to mount, stack, left space between in case I had to remove one for repairs, , , never thought I would actually have new appliances break?never buy Frigidaire again!