Whirlpool / Maytag Dishwasher VS Keurig MINI Plus
Verdict DROP IT DROP IT
The Reality CPSC's own recall history shows this exact rinse-aid-dispenser fire defect recurring across multiple recall cycles over nearly a decade. In 2007, Maytag recalled about 2.3 million Maytag and Jenn-Air dishwashers because leaking rinse-aid could contact internal wiring and short-circuit, creating a fire risk. Around 2010, Maytag recalled roughly 1.7 million more dishwashers for a heating-element fire hazard, with 12 reported electrical failures leading to fires. In 2015, a related rinse-aid dispenser recall covered Maytag, Whirlpool, KitchenAid, and Jenn-Air models made between 2009 and 2013, with Whirlpool reporting approximately 557 incidents of dispenser leaking, including 7 reports of fires and 23 reports of smoke or burning smells. In 2023, CPSC separately fined Whirlpool $11.5 million for failing to promptly report a different defect (glass cooktops posing burn and fire hazards) as required by federal law. CPSC's December 2014 recall notice documents a real burn hazard: water inside the MINI Plus (model K10, previously B31) could overheat during brewing and spray out, burning consumers -- a risk Keurig itself said was more likely when brewing more than two cups in quick succession, an entirely normal use pattern. Keurig received about 200 reports of hot liquid escaping the brewer, with 90 of those resulting in reported burn injuries. Roughly 6.6 million units were recalled in the US (plus 564,000 in Canada), covering brewers produced between December 2009 and July 2014.
SHORT ANSWER
Whirlpool / Maytag Dishwasher: A rinse-aid-dispenser fire-hazard defect triggered separate Whirlpool-family dishwasher recalls in 2007 (2.3 million units), 2010 (1.7 million units), and 2015 (557 incident reports across Maytag, Whirlpool, KitchenAid, and Jenn-Air), and Whirlpool was separately fined $11.5 million in 2023 for failing to promptly report an unrelated cooktop hazard.
Keurig MINI Plus: CPSC's 2014 recall of 6.6 million Keurig MINI Plus brewers found that water could overheat and spray out during normal use -- especially when brewing more than two cups in a row -- resulting in 90 reported burn injuries among roughly 200 incident reports.