Viking Range Corp. is voluntarily recalling some built-in refrigerators, because their doors can detach, posing a risk of injury, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission stated in a press release yesterday.
“Viking has received about 57 reports of doors detaching, including four reports of injuries involving bruises, broken toes/fingers, and strains,” the CPSC states. “Also, several incidents of minor damage to floors and counters have been reported.”
The recall includes built-in 48-inch-wide, side-by-side refrigerator/freezers and built-in, 36-inch-wide refrigerators with bottom freezers. Here are the model names and serial numbers, as listed on the press release:
| Model Numbers Starting With | Date Codes |
|---|---|
| VCSB481, VCSB482, DDSB482, DFSB482 DTSB482, DDBB362, VCBB360, VCBB362 DFBB362, DTBB362, DTBB363 |
All units |
| VCSB483, DDSB483, DFSB483, DTSB483 | Date codes before 030104 |
| VCSB483D, DDSB483D, DFSB483D | Date codes before 030105 |
| VCBB363 | Date codes before 102005 |
| DDBB363 | Date codes before 112305 |
| DFBB363 | Date codes before 041006 |
The refrigerators were sold between July 1999 and April 2006.
Click here to read the full press release and see images of the products.–Victoria Markovitz
Tags: Appliances, kitchen products, recalls
I have owned a Viking Built-in 48 inch side-by-side unit with ice and water dispenser for 5 years. This has topped the list of bad decision I have ever made. The ice and water dispenser has been repaired at least 6 times and it would have been more had I not adjusted my expectations and level of tolerance. I unclog the ice dispenser at least once a week and put my finger behind the water dispenser push plate to make sure it moves forward so the water does not over flow and cover my floor. Last call was in towards the end of 2007 and I have been putting up with it since.
Approximately 3 years ago my unit stop cooling. Yet another part needing replacement and the spoiled food was my problem. I am currently having a cooling problem again and the answer (which is now recurring) is you are out of warranty. Also the customer service representative I spoke to make it clear that she was the only one I could speak to and her answers were final said in the nicest way but firm. So equally in a nice way I am saying I truly believe that Viking has let me down.
Now we have a recall. The doors might fall off. I as a dutiful customer called immediately and scheduled the parts to be delivered. Well they are on back order. You would have expected Viking to know the number of parts they would need. Perhaps they thought not everyone would call. It has been 4 weeks and I am waiting. With two small children open these very heavy doors you can imagine how anxious we are to get this corrected.
I feel it is important to make sure everyone knows my story since spending $7,000.00+ on a Refrigerator plus $2,000.00 for the panels should entitle the buyer to an excellent experience. My suggestion is until Viking starts to produce a unit that truly works as good as a $500 one you can get at the local appliance store look else ware. Just an opinion.
I totally agree with Mr. Faust. Our Viking ice machine NEVER worked. Our new home is in the mountains in Idaho so we could only get service once a week…on Tuesday!! They came out three times over the course of MANY months of trying to logistically BE at the home at the time of service and finally put new parts in. The ice maker still doesn’t work! We are in the process of building another home and you can bet your life that I am NOT PUTTING an expensive Viking Frig in my home…in fact I may not put the cooktop this time either…I’m looking much harder at Wolf this time around.
I thought it serious enough to have VIKING do the recall work. The first company came out and replaced the hinges. The work was done incorrectly and the doors were misaligned. I had gaps between the doors and on top. The appliance looked liked garbage. VIKING hired another company who came out today to do the work again. NOW, my fridge is still not alligned properly and has an AWEFUL sound when opening and closing. DO NOT DO THE RECALL ….it is engineered incorr4ectly. I am looking to start a class action suit against VIKING. I WANT A NEW MACHINE( I also own a VIKING range and two Dishwashers)
i have the 48 inch viking side by side and its only two year old. ice machine had never worked properly, but just recently completely stopped making ice.i have the custom wood panels so i am not ready to go out and replace without a huge expense and worry the wood stain will never match.
I had so many problems with my 2004 model,I don’t know were to start. Thankfully most were under warrenty and the local tech was way smarter than whoever designed this $6,000 junker. Multiple control boards, ice maker, water dispenser, door gasket, and of course…the door. About two years before the recall, after the door fell off for the second time I had had enough. My 40-pound 4-year old daughter had just opened the refrigerator prior to the door coming off in my wife’s hand, completely unexpectedly. They sent me a new unit with a new warrenty. Sadly they still haven’t learned well enough. The new unit has also had warrenty work. My second warrenty has now expired and now the water dispenser quit working and I recently heard an ominous squeek coming from the upper door hinge……again… $6K plus all the burden…what a waste.
We have all viking appliances in our kitchen. I just found out about the recall 1/4/10. The ice making in our 48in wide s/s refrig has never worked properly. We have had it looked at 3 times and apparently there is a short and it will not make ice on a consistent basis unless we wiggle the inside. We also have a stand alone ice maker that has never worked properly. It has been worked on 4 to 5 times and now does not work at all – it is out of our house at a viking authorized appliance shop. We also have a Viking microwave that does not work without sparks flying. It is currently at the same authorized appliance shop. We are without an ice maker and microwave after paying all this money for viking appliances. Needless to say we are very disappointed in viking and will never buy viking again. I will call tomorrow on the recall and am expecting a long wait for the fix. I hope they fix it properly cuz I can’t deal with constantly leaving work to meet a service guy at my house. I will be extremely disappointed it they make it worse than it currently is.
We have all Viking appliances. The refrigerator door fell off twice, the first time I thought it was my fault. The ice dispenser never works. The seals don’t seal. A piece of junk!
We have two ovens, VESO 105 and 127. The thermostats have been replaced twice, on each oven. The ovens heat inconsistently. The doors lock after self-clean and refuse to open. The decals on the cover plate rub off very easily. More pieces of junk! The gas cooktop hasn’t been repaired. . . yet. However, it is difficult to set the correct gas level and the paint is chipping on all the covers. Very poorly designed. Needless to say I won’t buy another Viking appliance, and you should nevey buy one.
Oops, I forgot we have Bosch dishwashers. I love those.
The doors aren’t the only problem with Viking refrigerators, which by the way are nothing more than a glorified Amana. I’ve been working on refrigerators since 1966 and am not only disappointed with the Viking products, but feel compelled to warn the consumer of the impending repair costs associated with them. For example, Viking has been ripping-off not only the consumer with replacement parts, but the tradesmen also and driving up the cost of repairs. A part that cost .50 cents to make now costs $90.00 to buy. I guess they are loosing market share because of the inferior design that they have to make up for it buy overcharging for replacement parts. I would not recommend buying a Viking refrigerator or wine cooler and any cost. Try Sub-Zero (cheeper) or GE Monogram.
Why Viking are not defending their brand is surprising. This fridge (lower freezer unit)looks great and is absolute junk. I assumed my children were somehow responsible when it started leaking water due to what later turned out to be a faulty seal and defrost unit. I was told I could get a “kit” at my cost that might rectify that problem after the water stained my expensive wood floors. My next experience was coming home this week to find the door binding on one side due to the top hinge breaking (blamed the kids again). When I tried to close it I put my back out trying to lift it up and was furious. I finally got online and discovered both of these issues are very common. I spoke to a viking rep, explained I had put my back out dealing with this and told her I wanted my fridge replaced. She told me she did not have the authority to do that but took my information to call a local repairman. If my fridge is fixed in 48 hours I’ll probably just forget about it (until I purchase appliances again). If not, I’ll do everything i can to spread the word about what a terrible product this is and how Viking does not care enough to ensure these are repaired before someone gets hurt.
Lower freezer model here as well. The first one was such a lemon that they actually replaced the whole unit after about two years of all the problems above. The second unit worked right for only about six months before all the above problems. We did the door recall, and while now aligned properly, it still makes a terrible noise. Repair guys have been out endlessly and currently can’t even figure out why the panel doesn’t work at all. The store treats us like war criminals every time we call them, and all we want is for the thing to cool off or freeze the food, not leak all over the floor, and keep the door on the hinges where it doesn’t hurt anyone. The stove isn’t all that much better. The dishwasher has worked flawlessly for years though. I’ll give Viking that. But the fridge is the worst purchase I have ever made, by far.
I have the Viking 48″ side by side, double oven, stove with grill, double oven, undercounter ice maker.. what a disappointment. All broke except the stove which is hard to maintain. Ice maker in side by side clogs weekly. Under couter ice maker repaired 3 times broke again. Double oven broke 3 times. Service company office staff and management in the metro New Orleans area are difficult to deal with. They are rude,inconsiderate, independant, like it or not this is the way it is attitude.. Techs okay. Problem is there are only 2 companies in this area that service Viking. You wait at least a week to get an appointment. I would not recommend purchasing Viking products in this area. Best of all no more warranties. Not good!!!
I have a viking prof refrig model VCBB363. Had no idea about the recall. Today I opened my refrig and the door literally fell off! Hit my leg, arm and strained my back and chest from the sheer weight of the door. My 4lb maltese who always stands by the refrig when I open somehow escaped being crushed by some devine intervention. I cannot imagine what would have happened had a small child opened that door! Not to mention the severe damage to my hardwood floor which has a hole in it from the door crashing down! So dangerous and I found out that my refrig is not even on the recall list! Beware, my refrig is from April 2006!
My ice maker and dispenser have never worked properly. after two years of repairs, I settled for an ice making function no dispenser.
Now the freezer does not freeze. I am now working off one week waiting for an answer. I thought it was just me but an appliance this expensive should last longer than a few years. I am so disappointed.
Just moved into a house with all Viking appliances. I was so excited about them, they sold the house…..now I’m so disgusted with them I’d like to haul them to the curb! Been here since August and have already had to repair the refrigerator and now it looks like I’m going to have to throw away the microwave. The service guy wants $90 just to come look at it. It pops the breaker everytime you open the door, then it burns out the internal fuse. We disassembled it and replaced the fuse, but it just did the same thing. We even replaced the breaker. Cheaper to buy a new one that I can depend on than pour money into a lemon. All of the insides of our refrigerator are broken. None of the drawers stay on the tracks; we have them just sitting in there. The hood makes some kind of weird noise everytime the wind blows! You can hear the flap falling closed. By the way, we live in Chicago….you know, the WINDY city. My Thermador fridges were sooooo much nicer!!! Viking…it’s just a name….no quality whatsoever….
Owner of 48 inch range— currently going through Viking nightmare— Buy Wolf—- Viking is garbage with no customer service!!!!!!! How the founder continues to operate with these buiness ethics is repulsive!!!!!!
To Julie-Jan 20/2011, your story sounds exactly like mine even down to the hole in the hardwood floor. I have the same fridge and yes it was actually recalled although the point is how would you know? You are right, a child could be killed.
My door fell off in exactly the same way as yours during July 2009. After 5 visits by the repairman it was finally fixed in December 09. Viking’s failure to be pro-active wih this problem is incredible given the propensity for litigation in our world today. In my view, there should be a federal investigation of this matter.
I am on this website today because my ice maker has just stopped working #@%^#$%^%$!!!!!!!
we have had months of service calls to repair the gasket in a 36″ wide full regrigerator. the back wall kept freezing up during the process. now we need a new inverter board. the service guy says it sounds like a direct coorilation to the gasket issue. I called Viking today …talked to customer service and all they could say is that it is out of warranty…and kept repeating the same thing.
Viking issues? We’ve had too many to count. Our refrigerator door actually DID fall off. The service company then repaired it. Then came the formal recall. Because the service company did such a hack-job, they couldn’t use the new repair kit that was issued for the recall. Had to order a new door. It took months with REALLY bad followup from Viking. New door was installed and there are visible repair marks all over the hinges. I cringe anytime the door swings open to the stop point.
In addition, we had to replace the heat unit on the Electric Glass Range top we have. It now burns pots on one burner and does not heat on one other. In addition, our top of the line convection oven is SOOOO unreliable. For example, my wife bakes the same batch of cookies on the same temp and one batch burns and the next is underdone. We got a cheap oven temp gauge that we hang on one shelf. In addition, the temp control settings are etched on SOOO poorly that they have worn off. Viking says I have to replace the whole front control board , at my expense, just so I can have readable controls (conv bake, bake broil, etc as well as the temperatrure settings on the other dial. Completely worn off. The Viking units were purchased in 2005.
[...] been surgically repaired, and Budnick says he is still sour about the whole experience. A complaint board is littered with others sharing that sentiment such as this one from [...]
In 2007 we installed the 48” Professional counter depth refrigerator, the 36” Professional cook top and the 42” Professional hood vent. It was a tremendous amount of money for 3 appliances but as they were purported to be of superior quality, they should outlast all others. I can’t begin to tell you what a complete and utter disappointment all of them have turned out to be – not just one appliance – ALL.
The icemaker and water dispenser have not worked correctly from the 1st day the refrigerator was installed. The ice jams at least 3-4 times weekly and the water dispenser usually does not shut off without putting your finger behind the push plate. Can’t begin to tell you how many service calls there have been. The filter and cooling section of tubing had to be bypassed to get the right pressure to run the ice maker and water dispenser. Numerous heaters had to be hooked up thereby making any and all claims of energy efficiency null and void.
The cooktop has already been replaced (under a year). I can’t wait for this replacement to die so that I can send it to recycling and buy something that actually works.
Viking Customer Service – little to no help. Better Business Bureau as useless as the Viking customer service. A mediator on the side of Viking. You know where the customer fits into this equation.
We saved a good many years so that we could by quality appliances, the “best of the best”. When an appliance is advertised as “professional”, especially when the appliance is a Viking, there are definite expectations from a potential buyer’s perspective. My Maytag fridge performs flawlessly as did my Kitchen Air cooktop before Viking. I would have liked to be able to say the same about Viking.
Wow, glad to know I am not the only one. I was surprised that my ice maker kept jamming up as soon as I got it. It is like the Ice is too big for the hole. Now I have to buy a new BIN for 265.00 because the little piece on the back that turns the ice to come out has worn out. It is a 5.00 piece I have to replace the Whole Ice Bin. RIP off!!! 8,000 for a refridgerator that is crap. Seals are cracking, drawer handle broke. Crap I tell you!!! I am super bummed!!! Never again!!!!!
Unplugged my Viking Ice Machine two years ago when it leaked all over and ruined my wood flooring. This after numerous repairs since 2003 purchase. Major components replaced 5 times and of course not covered by warranty.
Fridge needs new compressor as it is leaking freon. Produce drawers do not glide so I never use them. What’s that? 1/3rd of the fridgenot in use?
Can’t afford the contractor to rip down the ceiling in order to tilt the fridge on it’s belly to replace the compressor. Guess the original contractor never thought about getting behind the fridge. He’s now out of the business (wonder why).
In the meantime, I get up at least once every night to turn down the temperature and turn off the alarm on the fridge.
Tried numerous calls to Viking and so did Famous Tate that sold us the units. Neither Famous Tate nor I got anywhere. Viking does not care!
Spent $80K on my new kitchen. Beautiful design with gray cabinets that match the gray appliances. So when I decide to finally replace the Viking appliances they will not match! But you know, that would be a small price to pay to have working appliances.
Viking appliances are among the very few produced in the USA. Buy American? Is this a lobby to get us out to restaurants where the food is not spoiled due to faulty appliance?
I had a call from Viking today telling me that the recall repair that they did in late 2009 is needing another repair. I was given two options: 1) Have the free repair by an authorized Viking vendor, or 2) Buy a new Viking at 50% off – which would cost me $3500 before tax. Anyone else get this second call?