Ghost in the (LG) Fridge

Peter Blackford's example of the LG refrigerator in Made by Monkeys certainly struck a nerve. I bought an LG French door fridge about three years ago. Shortly after it was delivered, I received a legal notice regarding a class-action suit against LG because its French door refrigerators used more electricity than what was claimed in their product specs. I receive a very small check annually as compensation.

Shortly after the warranty expired, the ice maker stopped working. I checked the mechanism, the electrical connections, the water feed tube for ice and foreign material, and the house water supply. All seemed OK. I unplugged the fridge and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Nothing helped. The fix was to use ice cube trays. About two months later, while I was sitting in the kitchen, I heard ice cubes drop into the ice maker bin. It started working by itself.

About three months ago, I opened the door and the light was out. I thought it was a bit strange that two bulbs would go out at the same time. When I went to remove the cover, it was warm. Later in the day, the lights were working again. That night, I walked by the fridge and saw light seeping out of the doors (which doesn't say much about the quality of the seals).

The lights were going on and off randomly, whether the doors were opened or closed. After about two weeks of that, the light problem fixed itself and has been functioning properly since. A week ago, I received another legal notice regarding a class-action suit against LG for French door refrigerator lights that go on and off at random or stay on permanently.

This refrigerator either has a mind of its own or it was made, tested and inspected by monkeys.

This entry was submitted by Lewis Goulfine and edited by Rob Spiegel

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