I have the February issue of CR that lists the Washers and it doesn't have the LG WM2050CW on the list at all. So does this article have the correct washer machine name or was there a misprint in the magazine?

I'm still going to pass on Kenmore. Here's why:

I purchased a Kenmore front-loading washer in Jan 08.

In November, 2009, the machine stopped working.

The Sears Home Service repairman diagnosed this as a problem with the PRESSURE SWITCH. We were told that this was past warrantee and the part cost was $150 and the labor cost was $135 (total = $285).

Immediately, after the machine was repaired we noticed that there was now a leak coming from the machine. We assumed that this was related to the repair that was just done and we called Sears.

The first tech couldn't find the leak. Water kept leaking. The second tech found a tear in the rubber gasket (the one that you have to keep dry to prevent mold).

The repair for the "new" holes in the rubber gasket is another $250+ charge.

In addition to these charges, the service by Sears has been horrific. Twice they have cancelled on us. Once, after waiting all morning, the tech calls at noon saying that his truck broke down (the appointment was from 8am to noon). No apology whatsoever.

This is totally unacceptable service in my opinion.

I called the Home Service number and asked for a supervisor to complain to. I was told to complain to Sears.com. I spent 5 minutes looking for a place to lodge a complaint. I only found a Website feedback window but no customer service complaint option. I find this an unacceptable service policy.

I have been a loyal Sears customer all of my life. At this point, I am never planning to purchase another Sears product.

I am a Consumer Reports.org subscriber, and I have just read all the information I could find on the CR.org site regarding washing machines. The Kenmore 4027(2) and the LG WM2050C(W) have top ratings. Yet, many of the reviews on the site state that when there is a glitch,- Sears does not back up their products.--Do you still recommend the Kenmore and the LG, and have the problems now been satisfactorily remedied??? We plan on purchasing a machine in the next day or two. Thanks.

i have a ge energy saving appliance and when stops running
when motor goes off smell smoke is there a recall or that model.

Looking to buy a washer in the next day or two. Would prefer a top loader. Reviewed your recommendations. Also what about the up dated Kenmoore. After reading your reviews I'm uncertain.

Help!Can anyone make a good product? It's 2010

As a subscriber (and therefore supporter) of Consumer Reports, I do not understand how you can continue to give Kenmore products any form of posative recommendations. Sears/Kenmore simply rebradns other manufacturers products and then offers customers poor service support and another layer of retail crap to deal with. How does this help the consumer? How does this make anything better for us?

We just had our Whirlpool (about 8 years old, top loader) diagnosed to need a new motor ($400 parts and labor). So we've decided to buy a new machine. The repair guy recommended a high efficiency top loader (Whirlpool, Kenmore, Maytag, Crowsley,) because they still break down less often and are less costly to fix. I purchased a Kenmore vaccum a few years back and when we accidentally broke a part it took almost a month to fix it under warranty. I might have to agree to forego the Kenmore. Whirlpool is what we've typically had over the years and always liked them. But we're shopping around today to see what is available.

I'm in dire need of a new machine, mine is now totally dead. I'm under pressure to find something soon but am getting such mixed feelings, whether to go with consumer reports rating for Sears front loader Model 4027 or LGs top rated model or the other alternative is a Bosch 6450 which is doing a terrific $400 extra rebate on top of the $200 Federal rebate.

I'm reading up on the Bosch but have no real testing data on this model to compare to Sears products that have been tested. The bosch is generally rated less than Sears, but I hear horror stories on review with Sears and also there repair follow-up work.

Help, what should I do go with the german engineered super deal or Kenmore /LG way. Sears extended warranty is so much more than through Superstore or any online store purchases extended 100% warranty. Sears whould be making big money on pushing their service contract too, which i'm almost tempted to have to go with since anything made these days is not made like the old days.

So you want to buy a new Kenmore made by LG; or Lucky Goldstar from South Korea. Note this; if this machine needs service, the entire unit must be taken apart. Look at the prior front load Kenmore, or the Maytag, Whirlpool; there is an access cover on the front of each machine (completely across the lower front; below the drum) that enables the repair without the complete disassembly of the entire washer like the new Kenmore, and the LG units. I found this out when I had my new Whirlpool front load dryer converted to LP from NG. Repairman was so happy it was a Whirlpool and not a Lucky Goldstar unit. Pulled off the front cover and installed the LP parts no sweat. He said the LG Lucky Goldstar unit needed to be entirely taken apart to do the same job.

@Help!
You asked "Can anyone make a good product?"
Sure, but not at a price most people will pay. Why did Sears switch from the former maker of their Kenmore line (Whirlpool) to use LG Electronics as the manufacturer. I wish I knew the secret story from inside Sears. I have no connections, so I will probably never know. But I am left to wonder whether conversations about low costs were more significant than conversations about cleaning quality and product testing.
But I will give them credit for fixing the problem.

Of course, we bought a Samsung washer instead since it had no reported problems.

You know, there is a market for quality-concious testers to test products independently for manufacturers with the same care that Consumer Reports does. They could operate with secrecy to protect their customers. Then if problems were found, they could be fixed before products were released. Clearly, many internal product testing departments do a poor job.

I have had the most unsatifactory Sear's service repair. After years of paying for warranties on all of our appliances, this time the washer (Kenmore) was in need of repair. Leaking was the problem, so the Tech said. The service tech (the first one) said the "machine needed to be rebuilt" his words exactly. He ordered the parts, 3 weeks later the machine sits unused as recommended by the Sear's Tech. The parts came one at a time on different days via UPS. A tech came to repair (second visit) and realized ALL the parts were not in. I spoke with Sear's customer repair service and they said it showed all parts were delivered. That afternoon yet, another part was delivered. Sear's customer service wanted to know what was in the boxes delivered by UPS. I told her I was not a technician and could therefore not answer her question. 20 minutes later we were still on the phone, I was giving her the numbers/labels on the UPS delivered boxes. She was going to call "repair service" and "see what was up".....I am totally exhausted, disappointed and frustrated with Sear's..We will definitely be shopping elsewhere for our applicances.

Geeze, i just bought the LG at Sears, now i am concerned anout the access panel and the problems with the rinse cycle. I thought LG was a qualtity product?

Another reason to avoid Sears is their service organization is contracted out. Find a local appliance store which uses their own personnel. I've had bad experiences with Sears repairmen when my dryer died 6 months out of warranty. He wanted to replace the entire motherboard when a follow-up visit by another repairman diagnosed a bad relay. This is a huge difference in price. I will probably never buy a Sears appliance again.

We purchased a Kenmore series 90 (top loading) about 10 years ago and it gave out with a loud "thump!" followed by a humming sound and no movement yesterday. Being a family of 4 with two young ones, we tend to wash lots of clothes. Since, it had been ten years, we decided to go get another Kenmore instead of worrying about trying to fix this one.

Being more energy conscience, we did some research and found that the front loaders are more efficient. This #4027 has a 126 Kwhr rating and we had it delivered this afternoon. We have started using it and I am impressed by how little water is used per load. The high efficiency detergent (required for this washer) was $9.99 for a box that will wash 120 loads. It's like 2 tablespoons and it's biodegradable and septic tank safe.

The washer is quiet overall but does seem to shake the house more than the old top loader. The RPM's are 1100 on the spin and the clothes really come out well drained. We cut the drying time down on the dryer to 1/3 of the other washer.

I know this is an early review but so far I like it. I believe that over the long term, this washer will save us money. It feels right to save energy too.

We purchased a Kenmore 4027 front load washer in Nov. 09. We received a notice that there was a software problem and the Sears repair guy came out and replaced a board. We noticed that the machine would not dispense liquid bleach in the sanitize cycle. We called Sears. The repair guy was supposed to show up by noon. They called right before noon to tell us he did not come into work that day. We set up another appointment and another guy came out. He did an electrical test and said it all tested out OK. We said if it didn't work, we would be calling. Needless to say, the machine still did not work. Another guy came out and tested the machine with bleach. It did not dispense and we had said. He ordered another board and came back about a week later and installed it. Machine would still not dispense the blead. Sears has not decided that the machine cannot be repaired. Sears offered to only give us back the money we paid, but would not replace the machine without charging $190 more for it. They said the price of the machine has gone up and it is not their problem, it is the manufacturer.

Washing Machines that state a Stainless Steel Tub really Stainless Steel or is it a coating ?

Wow. Interesting comments. Learned some things too. I am shopping for a washer, and the common thread of the Sears/Kenmore/LG love triangle seems to be; profits over service. I have been talking with local Sears appliance store about model 4027. Thanks for your input that will add to my decision to purchase this model.

Price is a concern, but I want something durable. And reading CR's reliability table show's LG has the least repairs, while Kenmore is near the top for repair issues. Is LG saving the best software "tweaks" for their own products, and holding out on Sears? Plus your alls posts say Sears' service is horrible, and expensive. Are there any updates out there?? Not many posts on this issue are recent, and I plan to purchase soon.