Whirlpool Refrigerator Settlement: Frost, Harness, Drain Defects

If you own a Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, or Jenn-Air refrigerator that has failed early, a Whirlpool refrigerator settlement may cover your repair or replacement costs. Three separate class action settlements are in play, each tied to a different style of refrigerator, a different defect, and a different range of model years. Two still have open claim windows; the third is limited to a free replacement part for certain owners through the end of 2026.

The quickest way to sort out which one applies is to look at the shape of the refrigerator and the problem you had:

Three-door French door model made 2012–2019, with frost or ice buildup and cooling problems: the Paperno settlement.
Side-by-side model made 2018–2021, with a broken in-door ice maker, water dispenser, or control panel: the Costa settlement.
Bottom-freezer model made 2009–2018, with ice on the freezer floor or water leaking out: the Corzine settlement.

All three are administered by Angeion Group, and each has a settlement website with a serial-number lookup that confirms whether a specific unit qualifies.

French Door Refrigerators With Frost Buildup (Paperno)

The case is Paperno v. Whirlpool Corp., No. 3:23-cv-05114-RFL, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Judge Rita F. Lin granted final approval on May 13, 2025.¹ The lawsuit alleged that the evaporator in the refrigerator compartment did not defrost adequately, allowing frost and ice to block airflow and stop the refrigerator from cooling properly. Court filings call this the “Frost Clog Issue.”²

Which Models Qualify

The settlement covers Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, and Jenn-Air three-door French door refrigerators made from 2012 through 2019. Listed model families include KFIS29BB, KFIS29PBM, KFIV29PCM, KRFF507E, KRFF707E, MFT2776DEE, MFT2776FEZ, MFT2778EE, MFT2976AE, WRF757SDE, WRF767SDEM, WRF989SDA, and WRF990SLA, among others.³ Not every refrigerator carrying a matching model number is included, so you need to enter both the model and serial number at CoolingSettlement.com to confirm eligibility.⁴

What You Can Claim

If a Frost Clog Issue occurred within eight years of the refrigerator’s manufacture date (or the purchase or delivery date, if documented), you can get cash reimbursement for out-of-pocket repair costs. The cap depends on how quickly the failure hit:²

Years 1–3: up to $300
Years 4–6: up to $225
Years 7–8: up to $150

Owners who replaced the refrigerator entirely after two or more Frost Clog Issues can recover a share of the original purchase price, from 75% in the first three years down to 25% in years four through six, with higher amounts for those who contacted Whirlpool before buying the replacement.² Any money Whirlpool already paid you for the same problem is subtracted.

Deadlines

The June 18, 2025, deadline for Frost Clog Issues that occurred before January 31, 2025, has passed. For any Frost Clog Issue that occurs after January 31, 2025, you have 90 days from the date of service or replacement to file. The absolute final deadline is December 31, 2028.² Claims go through CoolingSettlement.com or by mail, one claim form per refrigerator, with the model and serial numbers plus documentation of purchase and expenses.

Side-by-Side Refrigerators With Broken Wire Harnesses (Costa)

Costa v. Whirlpool Corp., No. 1:24-cv-00188-MN, was filed February 12, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.⁵ The defect is wire harnesses running through the freezer doors of side-by-side units made between May 2018 and September 2021, roughly 850,000 refrigerators. Plaintiffs alleged the wires break under normal use, often within two to four years, disabling the in-door ice maker, water dispenser, ice dispenser, or control panel. The typical fix is replacing the entire freezer door at more than $1,000, on refrigerators that originally sold for $1,500 to $3,000.⁶

Which Models Qualify

Coverage extends to Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, and Jenn-Air side-by-side refrigerators built from 2018 through 2021, across dozens of model numbers.⁷ Confirm your specific unit by entering the serial number at RefrigeratorSettlement.com.⁸

What You Can Claim

Benefits apply to wire harness failures in years two through seven after the in-service date, and the amount depends on when the failure occurred and whether you had previously notified Whirlpool.⁷

If you already paid for a repair before May 5, 2026, reimbursement runs from 35% to 75% of what you spent. If you replaced the refrigerator entirely, you can receive 25% to 50% of the original purchase price on the same sliding scale.⁷

For a current or future wire harness failure, you choose between a free repair (replacement door with labor in years two through four, parts only in years five through seven) or a cash payment of 30% to 50% of the purchase price.⁸ Owners who previously paid for a wire-splicing fix that later failed are eligible for a free replacement door on top of partial reimbursement for the earlier repair.⁷

Status and Deadlines

The Costa settlement received preliminary approval on March 3, 2026.⁹ Final approval is set for a fairness hearing before Judge Maryellen Noreika on July 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. ET.⁸ The deadlines to object or opt out were June 2, 2026.⁷ If final approval holds and no appeals follow:

Past wire harness failures (before May 5, 2026): claims due November 2, 2026.
Future failures: claims due within 90 days of discovering the problem, so long as it occurs within seven years of purchase.

Claims are filed at RefrigeratorSettlement.com.

Bottom-Freezer Refrigerators With Freezer Drain Tube Defects (Corzine)

Corzine v. Whirlpool Corp., No. 5:15-cv-05764-BLF, received final approval on December 31, 2019, in the Northern District of California.¹⁰ It covered bottom-freezer refrigerators made between 2009 and 2018 whose defective drain tubes caused ice buildup on the freezer floor and water to leak out.¹¹

The cash claim window is long closed, but one benefit remains open. Owners of “Group B” models (manufactured 2011–2018) can still receive a free replacement drain tube part from Whirlpool for a qualifying freezing event that occurs within five years of purchase, with the benefit itself available through December 31, 2026. You have to report the problem to Whirlpool’s special service line at 1-888-900-7957 within 90 days of the first freezing event. Reimbursement in that scenario covers 100% of parts, plus a sliding share of labor based on how many years have passed since purchase.¹²

Confirming Your Refrigerator

Model numbers alone are not enough for any of the three settlements; production variations mean only certain units within a listed model are covered. Each settlement site has a serial number tool that gives a definitive answer:

CoolingSettlement.com for the Paperno (French door) settlement.
RefrigeratorSettlement.com for the Costa (side-by-side) settlement.
FreezerSettlement.com for the Corzine (bottom-freezer) settlement.

If your refrigerator predates 2009, was made after 2021, or does not match one of the three defect patterns above, none of these settlements apply, even if the brand and model family look similar.

1
Keller Rohrback. Whirlpool Refrigerator Ice Build-Up
2
CoolingSettlement.com (Angeion Group). Paperno v. Whirlpool Corp. Long-Form Notice
3
ClassAction.org. Settlement Aims to Resolve Whirlpool Fridge Lawsuit Over Alleged Cooling Defect
4
CoolingSettlement.com. Paperno v. Whirlpool Corp. Settlement
5
Angeion Group. Declaration of Timothy N. Matthews in Support of Preliminary Approval
6
Angeion Group. Plaintiffs’ Brief in Support of Preliminary Approval
7
ClassAction.org. Costa v. Whirlpool Corp. Class Action Notice
8
RefrigeratorSettlement.com. Costa v. Whirlpool Corp. Settlement
9
PR Newswire. Court Preliminarily Approves Class Action Settlement Involving Alleged Broken Wire Defect in Certain Side-by-Side Whirlpool-Manufactured Refrigerators
10
Top Class Actions. Whirlpool Leaky Refrigerator Class Action Settlement
11
FreezerSettlement.com (Angeion Group). Corzine v. Whirlpool Corp. Claim Form
12
FreezerSettlement.com. Corzine v. Whirlpool Corp. Settlement