GE Refrigerator Class Action Lawsuit Over Defective Compressors

A class action lawsuit against GE Appliances is pending in federal court in Kentucky, alleging that certain GE refrigerators contain defective compressors that quit cooling roughly two years into what should be a ten-year lifespan. The case, Blurton et al. v. Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. d/b/a GE Appliances, was filed on April 4, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky (case no. 3:24-cv-00225-GNS).¹ It seeks to represent buyers nationwide, with separate subclasses for California and Virginia purchasers.

What the Lawsuit Says Is Wrong With the Refrigerators

The complaint calls it a “Compressor Defect”: compressors in affected GE refrigerators fail prematurely and the units stop cooling food and beverages entirely. Both named plaintiffs say their refrigerators broke down around the two-year mark.¹ The suit also alleges that replacement compressors GE provides are frequently defective themselves and can produce excessive noise.²

Plaintiffs claim GE learned about the problem through its own internal testing and a pattern of consumer complaints, but kept marketing the refrigerators as reliable and durable without disclosing the defect.³

What a Compressor Failure Costs Owners

According to the complaint, owners hit with a compressor failure typically face:

$100 to $300 for a technician’s diagnostic visit
$1,100 to $1,800 for compressor replacement, parts and labor
$150 to $200 in spoiled food per incident

The suit alleges GE frequently denied warranty claims or billed consumers for diagnostics and repairs even when the refrigerator was still inside its warranty period.³

Who the Proposed Class Covers

The plaintiffs are Debbie Blurton, a California resident who bought a GE refrigerator (Model No. CFE28UP2MS1), and Travis O’Brien of Virginia (Model No. GYE22GMNES).³ They ask the court to certify a nationwide class of consumers who bought GE refrigerators affected by the alleged compressor defect, plus subclasses for California and Virginia purchasers.¹ The court has not yet certified any class, so no formal claim process exists at this stage.

The legal theories include violations of the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, California’s Unfair Competition Law, False Advertising Law, and Consumers Legal Remedies Act, and the Virginia Consumer Protection Act, along with breach of express and implied warranty, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and unjust enrichment.²

The Warranty Fight

Warranty coverage sits at the center of the dispute. GE Appliances’ standard manufacturer warranty on refrigerators runs one year from the date of purchase.⁴ Higher-end GE Profile and GE Café models carry a separate five-year warranty on the sealed refrigerating system, which includes the compressor, condenser, evaporator, and connecting tubing, with parts and labor covered at no charge during those five years.⁵

The lawsuit alleges that in practice GE has refused to honor compressor claims or shifted costs onto owners who should have been covered.

Who You’d Actually Be Suing

The defendant is Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc., which does business as GE Appliances. General Electric sold its appliance division to China-based Haier in June 2016.⁶ The company is incorporated in Delaware with its principal place of business in Louisville, Kentucky.⁷ Buyers often assume they’re dealing with General Electric, but the legal entity behind the manufacturing and warranty obligations is Haier’s subsidiary.

Where the Case Stands

Chief District Judge Greg N. Stivers is handling the case. On March 27, 2025, the court issued a memorandum opinion and order addressing a motion to dismiss filed by the defendant.⁸ No class certification decision and no settlement have been reported. The litigation is still in its early stages.

A Different Recall to Know About

A separate GE refrigerator problem sometimes gets confused with the compressor case. In April 2022, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of about 155,000 GE-brand French door refrigerators with bottom freezers because the freezer drawer handle could detach during use, creating a fall hazard.⁹ GE received 71 reports of handles detaching and 37 injuries, including three serious falls.¹⁰

The recalled units were built in Mexico between February 2020 and August 2021 and sold at Best Buy, Home Depot, and Lowe’s for $1,900 to $2,500. Affected model numbers are GFE26JYMKFFS, GFE26JYMNFFS, GNE27EYMKFFS, GNE27EYMNFFS, GNE27JYMKFFS, and GNE27JYMNFFS.¹¹ GE offered a free in-home service call to replace the handle mounting fasteners. Owners can check their unit by calling GE Appliances at 888-345-4671 or visiting the company’s recall page.⁹ This recall involves different models and a different defect than the Blurton compressor lawsuit and is not part of that case.

1
Bloomberg Law. GE Hit With Class Action Over Refrigerators That Won’t Stay Cold
2
ClassAction.org. GE Refrigerator Lawsuit Claims Defective Compressors Make Fridges Unusable
3
Lawsuit Information Center. Blurton et al. v. Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc., Class Action Complaint
4
GE Appliances. Warranty Information
5
The Home Depot / GE Appliances. GE Profile and GE Café Refrigerator Warranty
6
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama. Patterson v. Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
7
NLRB. Haier U.S. Appliance Solutions, Inc. d/b/a GE Appliances, Case 09-CA-206151
8
Leagle. Blurton et al. v. Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc., 3:24-CV-00225-GNS
9
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. GE Appliances Recalls Bottom-Freezer French Door Refrigerators Due to Fall Hazard
10
CBS News. GE Recall Refrigerators
11
MLive. GE Recalls 155,000 Refrigerators After 37 Injuries Reported