Don't dare buy the Kenmore Elite Induction. My Mom had one
for one year and kept getting error codes which caused the unit to stop working. Then, if that is not bad enough, Sears
did not have a clue how to work on induction. Customer Service
was terrible - My Mom finally had to pull the darn unit out
and put it in the garage, and went out and got a new regular
electric cooktop. Can't begin to tell all the stress and cost
that went into that Kenmore cooktop and the sorry customer service.

The Kenmore induction cooktops that I'm familiar with appear to be clones of the Electrolux induction cooktops. I believe that this was also reported here by others. While Electrolux refrigerators have earned a bum rap on this site for temperature problems, I haven't seen a comparable series of complaints about their induction cooktops.

Sears should have replaced the cooktop if they couldn't fix it. If out of warranty, perhaps a repair service familiar with the Electrolux models could fix the unit. By now the usual sources of repair booklets published for independent repair shops should have manuals available. (That is, if independent shops still exist in a throw-away economy.)

kas

cpccarolyn_2008, Wow! What a hassle for your mom. So sorry to hear about that. On Sears website, they have 29 (??) reviews that are all very positive except for a few and those few sound like what your Mom experienced.

kaseki, Yes, it is my understanding that Electrolux makes the Kenmore Induction unit. So IF Kenmore is bad, should one stay away from Electrolux, too? I have the chance to purchase the 36" Electrolux Icon induction for a good price, but the Kenmore was even less so fits my budget constraints better. But don't want to get a lemon.

Thanks, just very unfortunate that customer service would not
help my Mom with the problems she had with her induction cooktop. The cooktop was only 13 months old.

Yea, Electrolux-Frigidaire makes all of Kenmore, Kenmore Elite, and Kenmore Pro cooking appliances.

AGH - I'm having this same issue on my 2 month old cooktop. It gives me error messages (#40) when I cook on it, and now it does the same when I put a heavy pot on it when the cooktop is OFF! The Sear's guy is coming on Monday - but I'm not hopeful. Any helpful ideas out there for me? thanks!

If it is under warranty or extended warranty have them fix it or replace it.

Be sure that the air vents are not blocked, either underneath or at the top rear.

Be sure that there is a way air can enter the unit from within the cabinet without too much pressure loss. (Cabinets are usually so leaky that this isn't a problem, but there could be exceptions.)

Please let us know what you learn.

kas

there are the best induction cookers!

www.go2better.com

I have a Kenmore Elite Induction cooktop range. It was OK for almost exactly 2 years. Then one morning I was heating a pan of water which usually takes no time to come to a boil, but this time it didn't seem to be heating up. I turned on the front burner and move the pan. Then I heard a loud pop and then an error message (E031) came on which meant that there was a problem with the burners on the left side. But, it should have said "none of the burners will work. According to the paperwork inside the back of the stove, it was going to need a "generator board". I looked up the part on the website and it said the part would cost over $300 and the service call would be $75. When I called, they said I could still buy the repair warranty for $269 but I would have to wait a week for service. To make a long story short, they never told me that the warranty only covered $500 ($230 of their money) and the service man said the 2 parts were going to cost $1200 (which was around what we had paid for it since it had minor cosmetic damage). We told him we couldn't afford to have it fixed. The $500 is not cash but a voucher you have to spend at Sears. Now, if we can't trust them to stand behind their products, why would we want another one?

I bought the 30" induction cooktop in 2008 for our kitchen remodel, and it went out within three weeks while I was cooking Christmas dinner. Since it was under warranty, Sears replaced the electrical board (I think, can't remember the exact part since it was 5 years ago). Fast forward a few months, and the same thing happened again, so this time they replaced it with a Bosch which I absolutely love and have had zero problems with. Now granted this occurred 5 years ago, so perhaps their reliability has changed, but we've moved to a new home, and I plan to stay far away from Kenmore induction cooktops.

I can only report that mine is still working the same as when it was new.

kas

I have had mine for 3 years. The only thing I've noticed is you cannot put two elemens on power boil or high at the same time. The convection oven has worked great.

Update: mine is now defunct, awaiting time for me to see if individual components can be replaced without requiring entire $700 boards that likely have the same longevity. In the meantime, I am using a Frigidaire unit that fits. Details on fit and performance can be found in a recent thread:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2246536/36-induction-cooktop-with-bridge?n=71

kas

I've had the kenmore elite 30" induction cooktop 790 for 12 years. It worked fine until about a year ago when it became touchy about starting.. would get error codes but if we were persistant it would finally start up. Last week it suddenly began flashing codes non-stop and we had to flip the breaker to shut it off (it's hardwired in). It performed beautifully for those years and the glasstop never discolored or scratched. I loved that it had no knobs to clean and heated instantly.

We have the 36 in kenmore elite 790 induction cooktop and has had error codes 88/92 flashing @llazy1 is that the issue you had? Wondering if we should replace or try to fix it. its had a good 10 yr run. Any help would be great

I’m getting the 88/92 error too, did you figure it out?

Bad Thermostat

Changeable?

I have own one for about 10 years. I live in PHX area and I love the induction as only the pan hot not the stove. Extremely fast when using cast iron, equivalent to a larger gas BTU. It can boil a liter of water in a few minutes.

The bad, I am an electrical engineer and I have repair it a couple of times.

The first time I clean the poor manufacturing residue. The main boards were not clear thoroughly. Also, there were a few cold solder joins.

Another time, the serial bus connector needed to be re-inserted. Also, a third failure, after a blown out the mapping of the burners was lost and needed to be reset.

As you can see you will need some technical information and a little bit of skill to fix. Also, the repair guys that you may call know close to zero.

Right now the oven just broke, yesterday. It does not heat up but very very slowly and only a bit above 200 F. I have reset the thermostat and the stove itself. I will take it apart, it may be a relay, (we'll see).

But when it works and it is most of the time, it is brilliant. The oven is great and accurate and the range of top is incredibly fast to heat and the range is excellent.

Well, the problem was not a relay, but a solder join that melted. Yes, the oven relay pole became unsoldered. A bit of solder and back to normal.

This brings me back to a final comment.

The technology is wonderful!. The stove is brilliant and safe. All homes in hot climates should consider this appliance. But, the board quality and manufacturing quality are where the problems stem from.

The use of mechanical relays instead of solid-state switches, single layer boards for high current traces, not bending lead to increase solder area in high current spots. All these areas can easily be fixed and produce a superior, long-lasting product.

This is why LG and Samsung have come into the appliance market and swept it. The USA manufacturers are too use to a monopoly and only care to produce a product that lasts the warranty period (was sure my case).

Would I recommend it... yes. It is unique. What other stove can boil water in minutes, faster than any non-commercial gas stove, and at the same time place one's hand right next to the pot and be only warm. The stovetop always looks brand new, as it does not get that hot (no burnt-in oils). Also, the temperature range control can deal with chocolate and confectionery.

Can you tell I do the cooking at home :o)

My replacement Frigidaire 36-in Gallery induction cooktop is still operating after 5+ years. I extended the warranty so it will probably take longer to break. :)

My link above seems to fail the GET command, so here is the table of compatibility between my original Kenmore, my present Gallery, and a few other candidates that would fit, perhaps, in the counter cutout. (A support frame may be needed.) This chart is 5 years old so newer models should be evaluated for fit and function if replacement is needed.