Defective GE Dishwasher

Recently, we were assigned to a case where water damage had occurred inside a residential kitchen.  In this case, the dishwasher was placed in operation and allowed to run while the homeowner was away.  Upon returning, the homeowner discovered that their kitchen and part of their family room had been flooded with water.  After recovering the dishwasher and conducting an examination, it was discovered that the gasket between the drain and tub housing had failed.  The failure resulted in massive water leakage.  The photographs shown below illustrate how water was pouring out of the wash tub housing.  It should be noted that the dishwasher was approximately four years old when the incident occurred.  Dishwashers typically do not experience water leakage at the drain and gaskets last for the lifetime of the appliance.  In this case, the manufacturer used three rotating locks to hold the drain assembly in place while pressing down on the gasket to maintain a seal between the drain and housing.  This particular problem applies to General Electric dishwasher model # GDF520PSJ2SS.  It is recommended that owners with this dishwasher should not leave this appliance in operation with no one in attendance but, instead carefully monitor the operation.  At the first sign of water leakage, turn the dishwasher off.  Doing so will deenergize the water control valve and stop the flow of water into the tub.  However, water will continue to flow out of the area of leakage until the tub is completely drained.  It will become necessary to remove the dishwasher from its position, usually beneath a countertop, in order to dry the floor.  At this point, the homeowner will have a decision to make: have the dishwasher repaired or replace the appliance.  Remember that if the appliance is repaired, because of the design, the appliance will most likely leak again.               

Water observed streaming down from drain area

Close up view of water leaking from drain area

A Successful Trial

Recently, one of our clients successfully defended themselves against a lawsuit alleging faulty workmanship.  The circumstances were such that our client performed an oil change on a 2007 Dodge Ram 3500.  Once the truck was returned to their customer, the vehicle was driven between 1700 and 1800 miles when oil was observed to have been leaking from the truck.  In the process of leaking oil, the engine was damaged and was going to have to be replaced.  Upon investigating, it was determined that the oil filter gasket had torn and allowed oil to leak from the filter.  The company that owned the truck subsequently filed suit against our client and the manufacturer of the oil filter.  During the trial we were able to prove that the damaged gasket was not the result of installation and that the oil filter and gasket were manufactured by the oil filter company named in the lawsuit.  Our client was found to have been completely blameless and the filter manufacturer 100% at fault.