Kenmore review: no cold air in freezer 40

I, too, purchased a Sears Kenmore Elite Trio refrigerator and have had nothing but problems. I have had Sears repair techs out to look at the freezer 4 times since we purchased the refrigerator back in December 2005. The freezer hinges are junk and there seems to be no repair kit or recall on the item. The hinges freeze up, then when the freezer is opened, the hinges break. The doors (all three) don't align properly and they don't shut properly. Each technician at Sears that has come out has given me a different explanation for the problem and how they will fix it. And, all of them mentioned that this seems to be a design problem! Why can't they fix it if so many people have complained! Good thing I bought the extended warranty, but the techs also said it would be a recurring problem even after the term is up and then I would be responsible for the cost of getting someone to come out!

We bought a Kenmore Trio refrigerator with the ice maker on the door in Jan,2007 while we remodeled our kitchen. We install the new refrigerator the end of Feb and it wasn't working at all. Luckily, we had a backup one in the basement to save our food. It was replaced in March, 2007 by Sears after a few frustrated phone calls. Since then, the ice maker has problems at least three times. It stopped making ice and the ice inside was melting onto the hard wood underneath. We are really thinking hard and may want to push Sears to replace a different model for us this time.

I to have now started to have problems with my Kenmore Elite Trio. I have researched the error code that appears on the LCD on the internet since it is not in any owners manuals I got with the machine. According to what I have found I need to turn off the ice maker and unplug the unit for at least 3 minutes to reset the error code. I just got off the phone with Sears who informed me the soonest they could send a tech repair person was a week from today (12/21/2007). They also informed me to put any food that goes bad in a bag and keep it to show them when they get here. Will be going to Sears tomorrow to see what can be done.

My kenmore trio that I purchased 12/07 will not make ice. The tray does not fill with water althought you can get water from the water dispenser.

Sears have sent people out to fix the problem, the last person said he can't fix it.

Has anyone had the same same problem, but since has gotten fix.
PLEASE tell me how to fix it.

I bought the same fridge in July of 2006. I've had the thermostat replaced 3 times. They say there is no recall. Two days ago the temp. rose to 55 degrees in the fridge and 30 in the freezer. I can't tell you how much $ I've lost im food.

Bought the sears trio in late 05, paid a bundle.
have had at least 6 service calls, frezzer iced up often, fan was very noisy and finally siezed Sears repalced with the same model once and all the problems remain. Today the ice make quit.
be carefull, many manufactuers have the same design.

We purchased Kenmore "elite trio" (LG) 25cu ft bottom freezer "piece-o-junk" in Dec 2006. Now lots of failing, one year and one month later.

Water dispenser dribbles. Lo-tech electronics in control panel pierced water dispenser water line. And there may be more to it, like bad water shut-off in frige.

Icemaker won't produce ice... so have been looking at the posts here, and like the one where the technician said it cannot be fixed.

Reading instructions one finds instructions to clean (vacuum off) the heat exchanger, which can only be reached by pulling out the frige, and removing a panel on the back.

Icemaker tray allows ice to fall all over when the freezer tray is pulled out to get any ice (when the icemaker used to work).
Control panel reports only the target frige/freezer temps, not the actual (or so it appears... there is no information in the user manual to suggest otherwise).

And the door fit is horrible. French doors will only close with careful pressure (never by themselves). And now the rubber/plastic seal on the left door is falling apart (and there are only two mature adults in our home using this frige).

In short, Sears ought to be ashamed of this product. No wonder Sears is having trouble with its financial recovery.

Last night when I opened up my Kenmore Trio (Model 46-76519) to find the temp for the top refrig part was 40 and quickly rising while the freezer was -3 and quickly dropping. I purchased this 7/31/2005 (delivered 8/6/2005) and had numerous problems with Sears in Aug/Sept 2005 getting them to send the right parts to fix little things that the Sear's deliverers broke when they installed the unit. At the time I was very unhappy with Sears now I'm fuming! From what I can tell from all these emails is that the Kenmore Trio is a lemon! I expect a refrig that cost me about $1700 to last MUCH longer than 2.5 years.

Who makes the Kenmore refrigs? I don't want to purchase another LEMON!

Bought my Trio 15 months ago. Water dispenser quit working. Ice maker is very slow. I repalced the filter and checked the water inlet. No problems there. I took a look at the switch and it's making contact. I tend to believe it's a bad solenoid. Tech is coming Saturday. Bet he doesn't have the part and the saga begins...

Have had the Trio for about 2 yr: works but is really noisey when first starting. Sounds like a loose tinny metal panel. If I gently lean or pry (with a soft wood dowel) the condensor coils (under 'fridge) buzz goes away. Buzz goes away after about 1 to 2 minutes after starting. Buzz is lound enough to be heard throughout the house.

I just had a tech here for my Trio and after waiting 4 days for him to come and they knew that the refer part was not cooling, they did'nt have the part on the truck and now I have to wait 7 more days. This frig has been in use under 3 years - cost a bundle - and now will cost about 400.00 to fix. same evaporator and thermostat that others are having problems with. Why no recall?a80ec

These refrigerators are not worth the money Sears charges for them. The water dispenser does not work. The doors don't seal, and the temps. are either too warm or too cold and you don't even have to touch the dial. Noticed last week that the freezer stopped cooling for a period of time and everything started to melt.
Wish we had this decision to make over again. First we had a new GE that dripped and ruined our hardwood floor, and now we have the Kenmore Elite Trio which is only a few years old and is just awful. We have spent $4, 000 in 7.5 years on refrigerators and are facing having to purchase another.

We purchsed our Trio in "06. Since then it's been slowly disinagrating. First the ice maker didn't work properly. The water never froze into cubes and water would run into the ice bucket forming one large chunk. Then the lever broke that controlled how much ice was being made and dumped cubes all over the freezer. Next the wheels on the vegetable drawer broke off. The following week the wheels on the fruit drawer broke. Now the entire lower shelf has broken, the drawers don't open and shut and we can't put anything on the shelf. I am waiting ... waiting...waiting for the repair man to fix this POS.

I agree with everyone on this post. My wife and I purchased an Elite Trio Model 596.[protected] in 06’. We also had the delivery crew break 3 shelf tabs upon delivery (detrash instructions probably are wrong or not being followed). I walked right back into my sears store and told the guy if he did not have the shelf tabs in stock I would remove them from one of the refrigerators or return it. I ended up pulling 2 tabs out of the floor model. The next thing was the really bad noise/vibration coming from the freezer. I called a tech in after week #2. He took a look at the evaporator fan motor and said it was spinning fine. I have been working as an electronics tech for 16 years and I know that new AC motors should be quite as a mouse. He said he could not replace it unless it wasn't spinning. Guess what, it just failed 2 weeks ago (Fridge temp went to room but freezer was fine). I did not purchase the extended warrantee because I can fix anything that fails as long as I can get parts. When I pulled the cover panel off the evaporator coils I quickly noticed that the fan making noise for the last 2 years was frozen. I could just barely get it spinning with a little nudge but as soon as it powered off it would not spin up again. Appliance Parts Depot has a replacement fan for $31.00. It takes about 15 minutes to replace it and once replaced you will never have to hear that thumping noise again. The old fan has a PWM control board with a poorly balanced armature and crappy bearings (Made in Korea). The new fan has no control board (a little less energy efficient) but it has a higher RPM and is quite as a mouse. I have some video that I will post on You-Tube shortly. I also removed my Ice maker because of the noise it was making and noticed that every other Ice making cycle ends up with one or 2 pieces of Ice jammed in between the plastic guide rails. I believe it is poorly designed. If you hear a noise like a motor hunting back and forth then there is ice jammed causing the ejector shaft to bind up and the gear-motor is slipping. I haven’t tried the Pam nonstick spray trick but it probably doesn’t last too long and leaves ice cubes tasting funny. I haven’t had the water dispenser problem yet but I look forward to it. This fridge is made by LG (Life is not good).

I purchased a Kenmore Elite Trio model #795.[protected] in August 2005. I have never been happy with it. The doors have never seemed to seal properly and the bottom freezer does not even seem to completely close. Of course Sears has told me that all is well and that the seals are all working correctly. Yesterday I noticed an error code er ff. I tried to contact Kenmore to ask what this error code was and of course could reach no one in the evening. This morning after holding 35 minutes I was informed that they would have to send a "tech" out to look at it for a fee of $70.00. The could not tell me what the er ff was or if there was anything I could do to fix it. They also tried to sell me several extended service agreements over the phone. Why should you have to buy these extended service agrements when you are buying from a company you believe to be reputable. These refrigerators are expensive and should last longer than 3 1/2 years.

Urb, what was the model # of the fan u purchased to fix your problem it sounds the same as mine?

We bought the Kenmore Trio refrigerator (made by LG) and the icemaker failed at about 1 year. Called Sears and they came out and changed some kind of computer board. They knew right away about the issue and were very nice. No problems since then.

We purchased the same quality piece of junk 3 years ago and we get the same "er ff" code.What the hech does this stand for ? We just got a letter last week from LG regarding the stated energy consumption.The Dept. of Energy nailed them for mis stating the rating of course it uses much more than it was supposed to.The letter also states that if this is one of the effected models they will fix it and possibly pay back electric bills.What the hech is that code? Has any one had to pay to get it fixed? What did it cost? HELP.

Agree with everyone else, this fridge is a POS. We've had to replace the icemaker (2x), something with the defrost sensor (needed replacement), it hums really load occasionally. All the other complaints apply like the doors don't shut. Jeez...

In 2007 we purchased a $2600 Kenmore Trio French Door ENERGY EFFICIENT fridge made for Sears Kenmore by LG. Fastforward, 2 years later, April 2009 - we receive an undated letter with no letterhead - from stating that LG misinterpretated the Department of Energy (DOE) testing rules for refrigerators, and NOW the rating for this product reflects a higher energy useage than was indicated on the labels and purchase materials than when we bought the product! It states we are entitled to cash payments for past & future energy use AND a modification to our refrigerator ice maker. The phone number to call was a Sears number.
Why upgrade just the ice maker, why not the refrigerator itself? Where is the recall? LG/Sears, get it right before we shell out $2600 for a refrigerator! $2600 dollars ~ And this is the best you can do? We deserve a better return on our investment. April 2009

We're getting the ER FF on our Kenmore (LG) fridge too. purchased 2005. Ice maker has broken a few times. we eventually quit calling to get it repaired. Spent too much on the fridge to just get rid of it, so we'll get someone to deal with the ER FF problem. I did take off the back panel behind the freezer and didn't see anything obvious. Lots of dust, so we cleaned it out.

What is the phone number to call for the energy use rebate/recall?

The Kenmore Elite French door is not the quality that I expected for $2499. The freezer drawer rollers freeze up so that the drawer can only be opened about eight inches. To get anything out of the freezer, the door has to be pulled downward and even then access is still limited. I have had two service techs to come out twice and even they could not fix the problem permanently. I called one of them back to ask why he didn't fix the door and he said that he did. Well, if he did, it only lasted for a couple of hours. He did admit that others had the same problem that I did. Still, no solution! Will never buy a french door again regardless of brand.

Shame on you LG,
I will make it my life’s mission to tell everyone I know (and everyone else) not to buy anything that is manufacture by LG, because LG Lies, Cheats, and Misrepresents its products and takes no accountability for the crap it manufactures. I am one of the lucky ones who bought a Kenmore Elite Trio (bottom freezer) refrigerator that is manufactured by LG. You know the one, the one that LG lied to the DOE about the Energy Star rating, the one that even after your “so call fix” will still not earn the Energy Star rating and will continue to waste energy and pollute out environment. I will find every website and talk to everyone that I can and let them know what kind of company LG is. Lucky for me that mission will not be difficult because it’s not very hard to find websites that are complaining or bad mouthing LG or finding someone who will listen; just today this is my 10th posting.
LG I say this again shame on you for lying, shame on you for deceiving the consumer, Shame On You…
Life’s Mission

I have a Kenmore elite Trio door refrigerator. After reading all these horror stories I feel I am in the same boat. First the two crisper drawers broke (plastic parts) need to purchase entire assembly for a high cost. Now the top frig part does not work while the frezzer does. erroe code of Er FF on panel. Of course no info what so ever in manual. Only where to Buy extended warranty. REALLY ! Can't wait for this repair bill. on a $1800 fridge thats 4 years old. Bought mine in 2005 like many others. Must have been a bad year. Wont but Sears again.

So almost three years shy of owning my own Kenmore POS..about four techs to fix the icemaker becuase it would melt and not produce ice every time the first year. Only to have it fail again the following year. I got suckered into buying the warranty, thinkin it would be of help. Had the whole ice maker replaced with a new one etc., so thinking I might get longer use of my refrigerator. well, wouldnt you know the same thing happened, as did previous. I walk into the kitchen. My floor is covered in water. all the ice melted, not producing any more, as it happened about 6 times since owning. I called today to have it repaired, and guess what. I am about two weeks outside of the year service agreement I paid for last year. Now my options, are to buy a new warranty at 265, or pay a 70 service call with parts labor etc on my own. I am so extremely upset, I paid over 2400, than the warranty last year, and now am faced with this again. after all of these complaints, how can they let this continue...

Sear Kenmore Elite Trio. We bought our unit in 2007 and had 3 icemakers replaced before Sears replaced the machine, now just one month out of warranty we have the ER FF code and that means the fan is gone. There is definitely a design flaw. We have had problems with the ice build up on hinges so the freezer doesn't shut and we have had a problem with the light staying on. My biggest problem is SEARS. The lack of concern for their customers is disgusting. They gouged my $5, 000 Brazilian Cherry floor because they put nothing under the fridge when they pulled it out(WHO DOES THAT) and now they want me to pay 295 to fix the fan. We spent 9K on appliances with them and I have been a 25 year customer are they serious! From all the posts here I can tell we bought a lemon when we thought we were paying for quality

We bought the Sears Kenmore Trio Elite in July of 2007. Wish I had checked this site first! It has completely broken down just short of 2 years old. I was told the Seal System was under warranty, and scheduled a service appointment. Had to wait 3 WEEKS! When the serviceman came, he ordered parts and said it would be another week. That turned into 2 weeks. We received the parts - no charge. The serviceman came back and said, sorry, this unit is not under warranty after all. We could have paid to have it fixed 6 weeks ago!
He wanted $800.00 to fix it, however, he is afraid the coolant is leaking into the walls of the refrigerator, so doesn't think he can fix it permanently. Not worth one more penny. I can't get anyone to admit they manufactured this piece of junk. I have talked to Kenmore, Whirlpool and Amana/Whirlpool. Since my model # is similar to others here posted, I guess it was made by LG. I'm thinking it won't do me any good to complain to them, either. Has anyone gotten LG or Sears to replace one of these units? And yes, I believe they should have recalled all of them. If anyone has received any help, please email me at regroyale@aol.com. Thanks!

We bought the Trio in September 2006. The day after it was delivered, it stopped working. No freezing or cooling at all. The tech came (after a couple of days) and replaced the control board. He advised me to buy an extended service policy on the refrigerator and the new electric Elite stove we purchased at the same time.
I did eventually purchase the policy on both appliances.
Six months later the ice maker started spitting out water, freezing what few cubes it did make into a block. They replaced the ice maker. That lasted about two months and they came out and replaced it again.
We would often find condensation on the food in the freezer and partially thawed popsicles. My guess would be a bad door seal. Sears says it is caused by not closing the door tightly. BS.
August 14, 2008 they replaced the ice maker yet again.
Starting in September of 2008 the freezer problems really started. The following list was always for thawed food.
On Sept. 10, 2008 they replaced a fan and motor.
On Sept. 29, 2008 they came out and replaced the door slides and door seal on the freezer.
On Oct. 07, 2008 they came and replaced the main board.
For the next year, the problems seemed to go away but occasionally we would find the soft popsicle problem and condensation on the food but the problem would always correct itself after a day or two.
On August 17, 2009 I opened the freezer to find everything thawed and the refrigerator cool but not very cool and called Sears again (I have their number saved in my cell phone directory).
On August 18, 2008 the thing started working again.
The tech showed up on August 19, 2008 and said there was nothing he could do or any part he could change since it was working.
I asked the tech if they have a Lemon Policy and he informed me that they did.
I called the Lemon Line the next day and was informed that I didn't qualify for a replacement because the criteria is five parts failures within a one year period. I missed the Ausgust 14, 2008 ice maker repair by a couple of days but he would not budge on the policy. He said if I have another parts failure by September 10, 2009 they will replace the unit.
This refrigerator, and the stove are both the biggest POS I ever purchased (well, maybe second to the YUGO) and I will NEVER buy a Sears appliance for as long as I live.
Stay tuned, I know this thing is gonna crap out agin, soon.

`II TOO ...HAVE PURCHASED A KENMORE ELITE AND THE FREEZER DRAWER HAS GIVEN ME FITS...I FEEL THIS SUPER PRICED REFRIDGERATOR IS A LEMON...I WILL TRY AND GET SEARS TO REPLACE THE PIECE OF JUNK THEY SOLD ME...SEARS IS NOT THE SEARS I GREW UP WITH...THEIR NEW GUARANTEE IS TERRIBLE...THE ONLY GOOD POINT ON THIS BOX IS ITS APPEARANCE...I MUST ADMIT IT LOOKS GOOD BUT DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY...peterp1933@yahoo.com

Don't be discouraged by all the negative complaints, everyone is quick to complain when something goes wrong, but few people will go online to praise a fridge that works fine. My Kenmore Elite Trio refrigerator is about 3 years old now and is still running strong, ice maker works, water dispenser works, it seals up fine, no problems at all. Its a good fridge.

I bought one in July and just five months got the O FF code - I googled it and it appears to be the freezer fan. When I called sears for a warranty repair Hailey told me that code did not come up. I had to tell her twice that it was NOT in the owner's manual and I found it online. They can't come to my house for a week. When I needed warranty service from KitchenAid the person I talked to apologized that it had broken with in a few months of purchase and at no cost to me extended my warranty they also sent some one out the next day. I've so learned my lesson.

We too bought a Kenmore trio refrigerator about 5 years ago. I love the French door styling and features but the fridge broke down and we lost a lot of food in the process. When I called the Sears repair I had to wait a week for a tech to come and was told it needed a new compressor. I know my fridge is not as bad as some others noted here but it's very frustrating to pay so much for an appliance from a supposedly reliable company and have it function less than 5 years! Then they sold me a repair plan that would last for a year. So far the repair has continued to function but after reading all of the other complaints I'm not holding my breath!
What happened to fridges that last 20 years?

I have the kenmore elite trio, the freezer is working fine, however the refridgorate stopped workimg, before i call Sears I want to clean the coils. Are they located on the bottom or behind the fridge?

Yes I also purchased a lg fridge had problems from the start bought from home depot .they have replaced the door with ice maker then they replaced the fridge . now I am hving problems with the door latch. and the front panel goes to er as well .I will never purchase anything from LG

I too purchased a Kenmore Elite Trio and it was nothing but trouble. The temperature control is a rubber band. Belt driven. Just check it. No wonder you can't keep the temperature constant. These were made by Amana for Sears and they could not have been cheaper. I purchased mine in mid 2004 and exactly 5.3 years later the compressor went out. Cost to repair this: $750.00 and that's when I decided to buy a new refrigerator. Except of course not from Sears. I have now added to my "rules for life" that not one additional penny of my money will ever be spent with Sears. I encourage all of you to buy your products from stores that care about customer service and stand behind the products they sell. If it helps anyone, the Kenmore Trio is now fixed and improved and being produced by Whirlpool. So go to another appliance store and buy the whirlpool
product from someone you like. kka

The Elite Trio came with the house when we bought it last year. The wife thought the bottom freezer/french door was novel. I looked at the computer controls in the fridge and knew the day would come when I hated this fridge. The day came today.
The relay that turns the fan on and off sending air from the freezer up to the fridge ceased to function. The relay is on that well hidden computer board on the bottom rear of the thing. The new part is $180 bucks. I'm glad I'm doing the replacement. It's just a dang shame when something this new and expensive lasts for around three years. Oh by the way for those that care. The machine is made by Maytag.

I still can't believe they replaced what did the job for less than twenty bucks with a $180 circuit board. What a bunch of dorks.
The lady at sears parts was sweet. Satisfaction Guaranteed! I'll never buy another piece of crap anything from Sears again.

I too am disgusted with the so-called quality of Sears appliances. My Kenmore Trio model 795.[protected] quit cooling after only four years. The Sears service tech said there was a coolant leak inside the case that would cost the same as a new refrigerator to fix. The cause, according to him, was cheap materials used in manufacture, steel coils instead of copper, and that Sears knew of the problem. I have written to Sears corporate and received no response. I also experienced the LCD control panel error message. The cause was ice build up around the freezer fan which kept it from turning. Manually defrosting the freezer every couple of months helped but just another example of faulty manufacture. I will never purchase another Sears appliance

Sears really needs to do something about these fridges! I purchased a Trio elite no. 596.[protected] back in 05 and it has been nothing but trouble! It worked fine for the first 2 years, they boom, the bi-metal went out in 07. (fortunately we had a service agreement) The tech said it was a fire hazard so he unplugged the part and ordered a new one, but the guy who came to install the new one was a hvac guy so he replaced the part, but did not plug it to electric since the first one wasn't! There went fridge load number 2 of food. In 09 the motor quit just in time for Thanksgiving. And in 2010 the main board died in early December. By this point we have paid repeatedly for aftermarket warrantees, lost I don't know how much food, and when I asked, was told Sears would not replace the food or fridge. Well by Jan 2011, just a month after the last repair, the main board went out again. This fridge is only 5 and a 1/2 years old. Bought in May of 2005. Shouldn't it last longer? The whole guts have been replaced by now! Each time it breaks the fridge goes to room temp or higher and the bottom freezer dips below 20. Why hasn't this been recalled? Please! If you have had these kinds of troubles, call your state attorney general and file a consumer complaint so the ball gets rolling on this. I did!

Thermador is as bad or even worse than Kenmore. They don't manufacture refrigerator, but contract it out for manufacturing.
No service, what so ever. Very rude and bad customer service.
Thermador should be shame on themselves for the bad quality of both products and the services.

We purchase elite trio bottom freezer refrigerator in 07. We have had none stop problems. Freezer froze up had to take completely apart and defrost. Circuit board had to be changed because sears lied about energy efficency. Interior light housing had to be replaced do to staying on when door closed and melting. Turns out there was a recall on that we were not told of. Ice maker died. Deli drawer face cracked. Crisper rollers broke. Now no water. Repair man comes says need new door cause wire broke inside door and can't get to wire cause door is sealed and foam filled. $800 for new door. I say no. I get a look into conduit running down edge of door and see 3 broken (cut) wires. Had to be damaged building unit. $2600 fridge. Don't get me started on the rest of my kenmore stuff.

They are still peddling JUNK Refrigerators. I too bought a Kenmore Elite Trio fridge in April 2015. It cost over $2, 000. Now, July, 2018, COMPRESSOR went out. This company, is selling these JUNK refrigerators STILL! I wish I would have known about the PIECES OF C###, refrigerators, before I spent all this money on one. I wish (LG) and Sears were held accountable. It costs alot of money just to get it fixed, even though the PARTS are under warranty. Where is the consumer protection. THIS MODEL's Defect has continued for OVER A DECADE!