The Samsung ice maker lawsuit, Bianchi v. Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (No. 2:17-cv-01263), was a proposed class action filed in 2017 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey over allegedly defective ice makers in Samsung French door refrigerators. Judge Claire C. Cecchi dismissed the case on December 28, 2023, after Samsung sent individual settlement offers to potential class members rather than agreeing to a class-wide resolution.1ClassAction.org. Looking for Updates on the Samsung Ice Maker Lawsuit The dismissal was without prejudice to consumers who never received or accepted an offer, so those owners can still pursue their own claims.
What Owners Were Experiencing
The complaint described a consistent pattern of failures in Samsung French door refrigerators with pull-out freezer drawers and built-in door ice makers. Owners reported water pooling beneath the crisper trays, frost and ice accumulating inside the ice compartment, ice buckets freezing in place, and grinding, clicking, buzzing, or knocking sounds from the fan.2ClassAction.org. Samsung Refrigerator Ice Maker Lawsuit
The alleged root cause was a design choice: Samsung placed the ice maker in the refrigerator compartment instead of the freezer, with insufficient insulation between the cold ice-making components and the warmer fridge air. Each time the door opened, humid air reached the assembly, condensed, and froze on the ejection arm, water fill tube, and molds. As frost built up, it blocked the drain and interfered with the fan, which then struck the accumulated ice.3BozmanFix. Samsung Refrigerator Ice Maker Problems
Which Refrigerators Are Affected
Between its July 2015 and May 2017 service bulletins, Samsung identified 43 distinct French door model numbers with the ice maker defect, all with external dispensers and built-in door ice makers.4Fayetteville Observer. Website Lists Refrigerator Models With Icemaker Issues The 2015 list included:
- RF23HCEDB, RF23HCEDT, RFH23HSESB, RF23HTEDB
- RF23J9011, RF24FSEDB, RF25HMEDB
- RF263BEAE, RF263TEAE, RF26J7500
- RF28HDEDB, RF28HDEDT, RF28HFEDB, RF28HFEDT, RF28HFPDB
- RF30HDEDT, RF31FMEDB, RF31FMESB
- RF323TEDB, RF32FMQDB, RF34H9950, RF34H9960
The 2017 bulletin added models including the RF22K9381, RF22K9581, RF22KREDB, RF22M9581, RF23FSEDB, RF23M80, RF23M85, RF24J9960, RF265BEA, RF28HMEDB, RF28JBEDB, RF28K9070, RF28K9380, RF28K9580, RF30HDED, RF30KMEDB, and RF349950, among others.5Top Class Actions. Samsung Refrigerator Class Action Enters Mediation
Samsung’s Service Bulletins and the Absence of a Recall
The plaintiffs’ central allegation was that Samsung acknowledged the ice maker problem internally but never disclosed it publicly. A July 2015 technical service bulletin identified affected models, and a May 2017 bulletin titled “French Door Direct Cool Ice Maker Frozen” expanded the list and set out a seven-step repair for technicians. Steps included sealing gaps between the ice room housing and the liner wall with RTV sealant, inspecting and replacing the ice route flapper assembly, installing an “Ice Room Service Kit,” and replacing the entire ice maker assembly in every case.6ClassAction.org. Samsung Service Bulletin – Ice Maker
The bulletin stated it was “published for informational purposes only” and did not expand Samsung’s standard limited warranty. In practice, that meant no free repair, no recall, and no extended warranty for owners.6ClassAction.org. Samsung Service Bulletin – Ice Maker The Consumer Product Safety Commission has confirmed it was investigating Samsung refrigerators but has not disclosed details, and no recall has been issued.7Consumer Reports. Samsung Refrigerators Cited in Consumer Complaints to CPSC
Samsung has publicly disputed that its refrigerators suffer from a systemic problem. In a statement to Consumer Reports, the company called the spike in complaints “inexplicable” and said the increase “must have a cause completely independent from the quality of our products.”8Top Class Actions. Samsung Refrigerators Subject to Hundreds of Consumer Complaints
How the Case Ended
The court sent the parties into mediation in 2019, and the case remained there for more than a year.9Top Class Actions. Class Action Over Samsung Refrigerator Defect Dismissed Instead of a class-wide settlement, Samsung took a different route: it extended private settlement offers directly to consumers identified as potential class members. Some accepted.1ClassAction.org. Looking for Updates on the Samsung Ice Maker Lawsuit
On December 28, 2023, Judge Cecchi signed a two-page stipulation and order dismissing the case. The specific terms of the individual settlements were not publicly disclosed.10Lawsuit Update Center. Samsung Ice Maker Class Action Lawsuit
What that means in practice: no class was ever certified, there is no settlement fund, and there is no claims process an affected owner can join now. The collective action ended without a public accounting of how many refrigerators were involved or what Samsung paid out.
What Options Remain for Owners
Because the dismissal was without prejudice to consumers who did not receive or accept a settlement offer, those owners can still bring individual claims against Samsung.1ClassAction.org. Looking for Updates on the Samsung Ice Maker Lawsuit There is no active class-wide remedy to sign up for, no repair program, and no recall. Samsung directs customers experiencing problems to contact the company at 800-726-7864 or through its website.7Consumer Reports. Samsung Refrigerators Cited in Consumer Complaints to CPSC
Related Cases
Two other actions are worth knowing about. In May 2022, consumers Matthew Jordan and Lisa Saghy filed a separate class action in New Jersey alleging that certain Samsung French door and twin-door models failed to maintain safe food-storage temperatures and that Samsung routinely denied related warranty claims.11WRTV Indianapolis. New Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Samsung Regarding Defective Fridges
In Canada, the firm Lambert Avocat Inc. filed an application in Quebec Superior Court on March 17, 2021, seeking authorization to bring a class action on behalf of Quebec residents who purchased any of 56 Samsung French door models covered by the 2015 and 2017 service bulletins. The case alleges violations of Quebec’s Consumer Protection Act and remains pending authorization.12Lambert Avocats. Samsung Class Action