Kenmore 63952 / 63954 / 63956 Electric Dryer

Pros: Ability to clean king size comforters and Evenheat minimizes dampness
Cons: Somewhat noisy. Wrinkle Guard gimmicky. Not reliable!

This Kenmore 63952 has served me and my wife well in the two months that we have owned it. It does its job and does not get in the way. I almost always use the Evenheat feature when drying my clothes, which uses two sensors to determine the drying time ...

Pros: Great features...I love the model.
Cons: Reliability is terrible.

I have always purchased Kenmore products...until now. Last year (13 months ago) I purchased all Kenmore appliances for my new home. This evening my Kenmore Elite dryer would not operate. The motor would turn only while depressing the start button. ...

Pros: dries well (when working), fairly quiet
Cons: unreliable, noisier than expected. Based on sears repair person this is likely to occur again.

I bought this dryer in the end of Aug 2002 and here it is March of 2006, there are two of us and we dry about 2 loads/week. The unit worked flawlessly until it just decided it would not run. You press the start button and everything spins but let go ...

Pros: Capacity, looks nice
Cons: Short life, costly repairs, noisy

I too purchased this dryer in 2002 and have recently experienced the same symptoms as everyone else... dryer only stays on when start button is depressed. I luckily found a NIB (new in box) even heat electronic control assembly (part # 8546229) from a ...

Pros: dries well (when working), fairly quiet
Cons: unreliable, alarm not loud enough, lint hard to remove, noisier than expected

I bought this dryer in the end of July of 2003 (Aug. delivery) and here it is March of 2004, only 8 months of light use. I have no kids and one other person. We do about 1-3 loads of normal clothes per week. The unit worked flawlessly until it just decided it would not run. You press the start button and everything spins but let go of the start button and it shuts off again. As a new home owner, I may also reconsider the "new" Kenmore line as well as the service times. (edited)

Update (10/03/2005): the board went out again! same problem 1 year and 1 mth later. I've ordered the new part through pcappliancerepair.com (part #8546229). I paid the 10% for a lifetime warranty. What is not mentioned by the "Service Flash" person is that you still have to pay $65 for a Sears rep to "validate" the Service Flash. Only the part is "free". It also takes about a week for someone to come to the house and THEN order the part. Kenmore will not get my business again.

Pros: None
Cons: Takes too much wattage to run. Fuses need to be reset often.

The bad reviews are right on the money. The Kenmore Elite Dryer is a waste of money, and I will NEVER buy a Kenmore dryer again. After 16 months of use, the dryer no longer engages after the start button is depressed, and I found the problem out from the following website:

http://fixitnow.com

The Even Heat Control board is no longer functioning, and it costs $109 to replace it. If it's going to cost my family $109 every sixteen months to run this dryer, I give up! I discourage anyone interested in a Kenmore dryer to strongly RECONSIDER! You'll need a ten year warranty to keep the damn thing running.

Pros: Held a ton of clothes
Cons: inoperable after only 4 years.

We purchased this dryer 4 years ago and it was running great. Then, the infamous "start button" problem plagued our Kenmore Elite dryer. We feel that, with this problem being so common, Sears should take the high road and recall this dryer and/or the part(s) that are causing the machine to be inoperable. It's awful that we cannot depend on high quality, long lasting appliances anymore. Sears should be working towards selling dependable, durable machines--not protection agreements. We all know why a protection agreement has become so popular these days, because the item we are protecting has been made so poorly.

Pros: Very happy with dryer performance
Cons: Dryer has defective computer board

My dryer comes on while I push the button, but then turns off once I let go. I did a little research and found that the issue is with the Even Heat Electronic Control Assembly (part number 3978949). That part has been updated by Sears/Whirlpool to part 8546229, probably because of this problem. I called Sears and after about 6 transfers was able to determine from the parts people that there is a "Service Flash" on this dryer for this exact problem. The guy quoted the service flash as reading, "dryer will shut off after start button is released". Apparently, Sears will fix even out of warranty dryers for free if they were manufactured within a certain time period and fall under this service flash. So if you're having this problem, don't let them charge you for it and let them know that you know about this "Service Flash".

Pros: Great all around when working
Cons: Not Reliable. Expensive to Fix.

Having used Kenmore products all my life I was surprised to find out that my elite dryer stopped working after only one and a half years of light work. We only have two adults in the house and only do between 3 or 4 loads a week. When the start button is pushed it will run but when it is released it stops. Found out that the microcomputer needs to be replaced at well over $200 for parts and labor. I always thought Kenmore's were reliable and have always purchased their product. When I go out to buy a new dryer it will be the first time in over 40 years that I will look at brands other than Kenmore.

Pros: Same features that others offer.
Cons: Poor electrical design. Probably made in China.

We have the same bad circuit board. Resistor R2 and adjacent capacitor are fried. This one lasted about 2 years.

Have a matching washer. Needed to replace the timer circuit in that too after about 2 years.

Just had a Kenmore (Elite) stove that had a similar problem after 7 months. Fortunately, that was under warranty.

Will try a different brand next time.

Pros: None
Cons: Even heat control board, Sears offered no assistance!

We had the same problem as the previous users. The Start button when pressed in refused to stay on and the dryer would not stay on. We called SEARS & were told 3 separate times that there was no SERVICE FLASH or recall listed on this dryer. Other than offering to send out a technician for 50.00 plus the parts and labor! Please call SEARS on this problem!!If you have this problem and don't call them they cannot document it and start a recall! UPDATE: Called sears repair to see if they had the Even Heat Control Board. They couldn't find it in the computer! After 30 minutes on the phone they found it under ELECTRONIC CONTROL PANEL and I even gave them the part #8546229 (the new one) and it would not come up. It will only show up under the old part #3978949 and it will take SEARS 7-10 WORKING days to order it for 116.49! When the tech comes out Friday, he will have to order it as well and it will take 7-10 days! We are ordering this off repairclinic.com for 95.95 and installing it ourselves so we can get our dryer fixed ASAP!

Pros: Drys well.
Cons: Sears did not offer to replace defective part for free.

I owned this dryer for 18 months and was very happy with it. Then, one day it would not stay on when the start button was released. After doing some research, I found that the printed circuit board (Kenmore calls it the Electronic Control Panel) had a badly burned resistor. I spent about an hour talking with various representatives from Sears about the defective part, but no one could locate a service flash on it.

I found a replacement board (with a lifetime warranty, no less) on the Internet at www.pcappliancerepair.com. With shipping, it was $100. Sears wanted $50, just to walk in my door to evaluate the dryer. I replaced the part myself in about 5 minutes.

I used to respect the Kenmore brand. No longer. Any manufacturer can put out a defective product, but I expect them to replace defective parts at no charge. They couldn't even locate the service bulletin on it, even though this is clearly a common failure of the product.

Pros: There is help out there.
Cons: Sears/Whirlpool do not stand by their product and do not address obvious issues. NEVER AGAIN

I want to thank everyone. I recently had the same problem with the start button. I am the least mechanical person around, but we are adopting twins very soon and do not have the extra cash. After finding this board I took the top off- saw that the Heat Control Board had a part that looked burnt out. Order a new part for $91 ( that is with shipping) replaced it (easiest thing ever) and is working like a champ.
THANK YOU

Pros: big size
Cons: it burns the electronic board when you use the high heating cycle

I've been using the dryer for past 5 years without any problems. Recently it broke - the same problem like everybody else - I pushed the button and it started to run but as soon as I released the button it stopped - the electronic board was burned. It burns the electronic board when you use the "high" heating cycle. Durability is a very weak point when you use the "high heating cycle".

Pros: None
Cons: Dryer is defective. Sears will not back this product.

This dryer is defective. Has the same problem the others who have reviewed the product. Hit the start button, but the dryer will not stay on. Sears will do nothing to repair this defective product. This is my last purchase from Sears.