Samsung and LG dishwashers are the least reliable

In Consumer Reports tests of televisions and refrigerators, LG and Samsung have some of the top models. But when it comes to the reliability of their dishwashers, the South Korean competitors are in a race to the bottom. That’s the opinion of almost 70,000 of our readers who bought a dishwasher between 2009 and 2013, according to the latest Annual Product Reliability Survey.

In our past surveys, LG has been one of the more repair-prone of the 10 dishwasher brands for which we had sufficient data. But this year, Samsung, fell to the bottom of the list becoming the most repair-prone brand of dishwashers.

Bosch, Whirlpool, and Miele are among the more reliable brands in our survey. Of these, Bosch has the most recommended models in our dishwasher Ratings. One particular favorite is the Bosch Ascenta SHK3AR7[5]UC, a CR Best Buy at $730. Our top-rated dishwasher is the Kenmore Elite 12793, $1,350. Readers found this brand to be pretty reliable, especially compared to LG and Samsung.

Three dishwasher brands—Amana, Asko, and Fisher & Paykel—did not make our chart because we lacked sufficient data. Electrolux also missed the cut. Subscribers to ConsumerReports.org can view the full brand reliability report, which also includes rankings of Maytag, GE, KitchenAid, and Frigidaire.

While Consumer Reports’ dishwasher tests cover such performance issues as washing, noise, and energy efficiency, we also recommend that consumers choose a brand with a good repair history to improve the odds of getting a reliable dishwasher. Fortunately, there are many to choose from including the 51 models on our list of recommended dishwashers.

—Ed Perratore

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