5 Frequent Customer Complaints About Whirlpool Dishwashers

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Whirlpool is one of the most recognizable appliance brands. Its name carries weight, and consumers tend to trust it. In 2025, the company reported $16 billion in sales, and its portfolio includes several appliance brands shoppers don't realize Whirlpool owns. Despite the company's high profits, the individual experiences of consumers paint a different picture. Some consumers say the quality of Whirlpool kitchen appliances has gone downhill, its dishwashers included.

If you peek at online forums and threads that discuss appliances, you'll notice a surprising number of people looking for a solutions to their Whirlpool dishwasher problems. Tasting Table read through copious amounts of such threads, and picked up on certain patterns that keep repeating: the poor drying, the faulty detergent dispenser, drainage issues, issues with leaking, and overall a lifespan that's far too short.

The purpose of this article isn't to sway you entirely away from buying a Whirlpool dishwasher. It's only meant to highlight the problems that you might encounter during your ownership of the appliance. Some of these issues can be resolved easily, without a handyman, while others do require a professional service. Here are five frequent complaints about Whirlpool dishwashers, as told by the customers.

Dishwashers are meant to save time, but if the appliance only partially does its job, you might start to question whether it's even worth it. A dishwasher that doesn't dry would be an example of that, and a ton of people report that that's exactly the case with Whirlpool's models. "The dishwasher was delivered yesterday and we were excited to try it out. Washed a small amount of dishes and noticed at the end of the cycle they were all still completely wet," stated a review on Walmart's website. 

Whirlpool's advice for this issue is to load the dishwasher properly, clean it regularly, use a rinse aid, and use the appropriate dry setting — but sometimes none of that solves the problem. "I even selected extended dry time, hoping the dishes wouldn't be dripping wet. It didn't make a difference at all," wrote another customer on Reddit.Oftentimes, the larger problem is hiding in a broken heating element. To fix that, you'll need a professional, and the rates for this repair are around $200. 

Funnily enough, even after replacing the broken heater, several customers continued to have problems with wet dishes, and the new element only started working after running a diagnostic cycle. Could it be any less complicated?

Would you like your freshly washed dishes with a side of detergent residue? Dishwasher tablets not dissolving is a common issue, even with other brands, but Whirlpool's washers appear to have a very specific problem with the dispenser compartment.

"I bought this dishwasher in August 2024 (6 months ago), and the detergent dispenser has not worked properly for probably the last 3 months. It doesn't open and dispense the detergent during the wash cycle," reported a disappointed customer in a Walmart review. Another customer wrote on Reddit, "Whirlpool dishwasher does not dispense soap. [...] Usually it will fall out, other times it'll stay in the dispenser and just half dissolve. I've tried different brands of soap, didn't fix the issue."

Whirlpool primarily recommends keeping the dispenser clean and dry, as well as using tablets or packs instead of powders and gels to avoid residue on the dishes. But these steps don't always resolve the problem. Some people have eventually figured out that having the upper rack set too low can block the dispenser from fully opening — something Whirlpool also acknowledges on its website.

Drainage issues are one of the main reasons why owners of Whirlpool dishwashers call the repair service. "We purchased this dishwasher 3 months ago and it already is having issues. It stops every time we use it and displays codes related to draining issues," complained a customer in a Walmart review. Sometimes, the fix is easy and totally free — all you have to do is check the dishwasher's filter for any blockages from leftover food, clean it, and the water should begin to drain again. This solution also applies if the dishwasher is making your dishes smell weird.

But with many Whirlpool models, the problem is actually in the drain pump. Whether it's a screw coming loose or a faulty motor, the drain pump has been known to start acting up in fairly young dishwashers, sometimes mere months after purchase. A shopper who posted a Walmart review in May said, "Bought this unit [in] January and the drain pump was intermittent. And now it straight up does not work."

Unless you're very handy, you will probably need to call a repair service to replace the drain pump, which can get very expensive. "Had a repair guy diagnose the issue: worn out drain pump. The cost to replace it? $670. The pump alone is $375," reported one customer.

Walking into the kitchen and finding a pool of water leaking from an appliance is an experience that many owners of Whirlpool dishwashers have gone through. "8 minutes into the 1 hour cycle, water pours out from the center of the door," shared a customer on Reddit. "I have a 4 year old whirlpool dishwasher last week it started leaking water out the front left corner. After about a day or two it would start pouring water like 2+ quarts of water during a single cycle," reads another post.

There are lots of different malfunctions that could cause a leak. It could be connected to the drain, the appliance might be poorly leveled, the door could have a damaged gasket, and more. That said, a number of Whirlpool customers specifically had an issue with the spray arms, which were causing the leak.

A spray arm that's clogged can't spin properly, so the water flow isn't evenly distributed anymore. It can start to pour directly at the door, and that results in the leak. The same thing can happen if a dish is physically blocking the arm from spinning. Luckily, replacing the spray arms is something you can easily do on your own to fix a leaky dishwasher without calling a pro.

It's true that appliances used to last way longer, but even within modern standards, most of us would expect a dishwasher to last eight to 10 years without major issues. You might have already noticed that a common denominator in many of the customer complaints spotlighted above is that the issues seemed to pop up fairly early in the appliance's life. "It was working fine but after a little over 2 years, right after Thanksgiving, it stopped working suddenly! Had a repairman looked at it and was told the wash motor is out!" shared one shopper in their Walmart review. "Not working after 3 years. Tried a lot of options to solve the issue. No success. Service is asking almost the dishwasher cost to fix the issue," complained another.

According to the Appliance Directory, the first-year failure rate of Whirlpool dishwashers is 6.4%. There's also a 26% chance your Whirlpool dishwasher will need a repair within the first five years, and as already mentioned, those can get very pricey. "$146 for them to tell me it needs a sump assembly and control board. $499 to fix it," shared somebody on Facebook about their broken Whirlpool model. Whirlpool estimates its dishwashers last between seven to 10 years, but it's certainly worth considering how much it will cost you just to get to that 10-year mark.