Technicians working Whirlpool, Maytag, and Crosley top load washers may open a unit and find no bushing in the front suspension rod channels. On serial numbers starting with C91200000 that is an intentional factory design change, not a missing part.
Manufacturer(s)
Whirlpool, Maytag, and Crosley (Whirlpool Corporation family brands). Technical Service Pointer W11457833, Laundry Products, June 2020. Action required: mandatory awareness. This is a service notice only. It is not a recall.
Appliance Type(s)
Top load washers. The change applies to the front suspension rod channels on the listed platforms. Rear suspension channels still use a bushing.
Model(s) Included
Applies to the models below when the serial number starts with C91200000. The asterisk covers engineering digits and color suffixes.
Whirlpool: WTW5000D*, WTW5005K*, WTW5100H*, WTW5105H*, WTW6120H*, WTW7000D*, WTW7120H*, WTW7500G*, WTW8000D*, WTW8120H*, WTW8500D*, WTW8700F*
Maytag: MVW6230H*, MVW6230RH*, MVW7230H*, MVW7232H*, MVW8230H*, MVWB757J*, MVWB765F*, MVWB766F*, MVWB835D*, MVWB855D*, MVWB865G*, MVWB965H*, MVWC565F*, MVWX655D*
Crosley: CAW42114G*, ZAW47115G*
Confirm the exact model and serial on the cabinet rating plate before treating a missing front bushing as a defect.
Symptom(s)
The technician may notice that the suspension rod bushing is missing on the front suspension rods. The front channel looks empty compared with the rear channel, which still has a bushing around the rod. The washer may otherwise operate normally. This notice is about that visual difference, not a required noise, leak, or off-balance complaint.
Possible Cause(s)
Intentional design change. Whirlpool removed the front channel bushings and left the rear bushings in place. A missing front bushing on a covered serial is not a failed, omitted, or previously removed service part. Do not assume a prior tech left the bushing out or that the part “fell out” of the front channel.
Diagnostic Procedure
- Record model and serial. The pointer applies to serial numbers starting with C91200000 on the models listed above.
- Gain access to the upper suspension rod channels.
- Compare front and rear channels.
- Front channel suspension is designed without a bushing.
- Rear channel suspension still has a bushing.
- Confirm the front channel is the later open-style plastic seat with the rod captured and no separate bushing insert.
- Confirm the rear channel still has the bushing installed.
- If the serial does not start with C91200000, or the model is not on the list, do not use this tech tip as the reason a front bushing is absent. Diagnose that unit as a conventional missing or worn suspension part.
- If the customer complaint is noise, walk, or out-of-balance, complete a normal suspension diagnosis (rods, springs, tub wear, leveling, load size).
- A correctly empty front channel on a covered serial is not the cause and is not corrected by adding a bushing.
Recommended Repair
No correction is necessary. Do not order and do not install bushings in the front suspension channels. Installing a front bushing on these serials works against the current design.
Leave the front channels without bushings. Leave the rear bushings in place. Do not replace rods or channels solely because the front bushing is absent on a C91200000-and-later unit.
If a rear bushing is actually damaged or missing, repair that rear channel to the current rear design. If suspension rods, springs, or related parts are worn for a real noise or balance complaint, replace those parts on their own merit. Do not add front bushings as part of that repair on covered serials.
This tech tip is based directly on Whirlpool Technical Training Pointer W11457833, Suspension Rod Bushing Elimination, for quick field reference by certified appliance repair technicians.