This is a relatively high-end model. It is a very attractive unit, well priced for its functional level, and often discounted with an attractive incentive. However, it has an engineering design flaw that can cause the drain pump assembly to break loose from the bottom of the washing machine tub and dump the entire contents of the tub. This can cause serious damage to your home or apartment and render the unit inoperable.

Samsung is very much aware of this issue. However, they continue to sell this model and Samsung has, so far, failed to issue a recall for the problem. Furthermore, Samsung is being very hesitant to fix the problem for units that are past the one-year warranty period. In our case, the unit failed less than a month after warranty expiration. Repeated calls to Samsung have failed to result in satisfactory action on their part, and after over two months we are still without a functional washing machine. The cost to have the unit repaired by a local service company was estimated at $350 (half the price of a new replacement washer).

Our unit was located in the garage, so water damage to our home and belongings was low. However, complaints from people who had the unit inside their home indicate that the sudden release of 20 to 30 gallons of water can cause very significant damage. There are hundreds of complaints about this machine logged on the internet.

The units affected include Samsung models WA400, WA422, and WA456.

If you have one of these Samsung units that is still under warranty, contact Samsung and ask that the unit be repaired in accordance with service bulletin ASC20130222001, dated June 6, 2013. If you have one of these units that malfunctioned after the warranty period, aggressively contact Samsung to repair the unit without charges to you. Be advised that it will not be easy to get action from Samsung and you will need to be EXTREMELY persistent. Also contact the retail vendor where you bought the unit about the problem.

If you don't have one of these units, consider yourself lucky and avoid Samsung washer machines until Samsung demonstrates that they are willing to stand behind their products. This is not a case of wear and tear, this is an engineering design flaw and it should be fixed at no cost to the consumer, regardless of how old the unit is.