What this KitchenAid vs LG comparison is based on#
A useful way to read a component table is to ignore the components for a moment and look only at the distance between first and second place. That distance says whether a record has a subject or a shortlist, and on this page the two columns sit at opposite extremes of it.
KitchenAid's record: first place 62%, second place 15%. LG's record: first place 30%, second place 28%. One is a spike. The other is a plateau.
The evidence is 360 CPSC SaferProducts filings naming a component on a KitchenAid [dishwasher](/blog/repair-or-replace-dishwasher) and 47 doing the same for an LG, both made between 2011 and 2026.
The spike#
KitchenAid's control board row is 223 filings, the largest single share in this comparison set. Its second row, wiring or the power cord, is 55. Everything after that is in single digits: the heating element and the motor at 4% each, then two rows of 1%.
A column like that answers the question it is asked. What are KitchenAid dishwasher reports about? The control board, and then, some distance behind, the wiring.
The plateau#
LG's record does not answer that question with one component. The board takes 30%, which is 14 filings; wiring or the power cord takes 28%, which is 13; the motor takes 15%, which is 7. Three components share that column and the first two are separated by a single report.
The difference is not only a matter of proportion — it is also a matter of what can be said. With 47 filings behind it, one report is worth about two points in the LG column, so the ordering of its top two is not a fact worth defending. What is defensible is that all three of those components are substantially represented, which is not true of any component below KitchenAid's second row.
Where the two records disagree, and how far#
The control board separates them by 32 points, 62% against 30%. Wiring or the power cord runs 13 points the other way, and the motor 11 points, both in LG's favour. The heating element differs by 2 points — 16 KitchenAid filings against one LG filing — which the table marks as one-report noise, correctly: the LG side of that row means nothing was filed, not that little failed.
What all of that supports is a description of two records and no comparison of two machines. Neither column has a count of installed dishwashers behind it, and no public source publishes one. The corpus also leans toward fire, smoke, burn and melt reports, so components that can overheat are over-represented in both columns before any difference between the brands appears.
For a repair prior the two shapes give different advice. On a KitchenAid the filed record points hard at the board, with wiring the plausible second. On an LG it points at three places at once and cannot rank them.
KitchenAid vs LG dishwashers: what the reports mention#
Both columns are shares of their own corpus, and the corpora differ in size. KitchenAid: CPSC SaferProducts incident reports for KitchenAid dishwashers, 2011-2026, n=360. LG: CPSC SaferProducts incident reports for LG dishwashers, 2011-2026, n=47. A difference no larger than one report on either side is marked "within one-report noise".
| Component mentioned | KitchenAid | LG | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control Board | 62% (223 of 360) | 30% (14 of 47) | 32 points more often for KitchenAid |
| Wiring or Power Cord | 15% (55 of 360) | 28% (13 of 47) | 13 points more often for LG |
| Motor | 4% (13 of 360) | 15% (7 of 47) | 11 points more often for LG |
| Heating Element | 4% (16 of 360) | 2% (1 of 47) | 2 points more often for KitchenAid (within one-report noise) |
| Drain Pump or Hose | 1% (3 of 360) | 2% (1 of 47) | 1 point more often for LG (within one-report noise) |
About the corpus: these are CPSC SaferProducts reports — incidents someone chose to report, not units sold — so the shares on this page are shares of the reports and never a failure rate. The corpus is weighted toward safety events: 12,007 of its 20,581 records (58%) are fire, smoke, burn or melt reports, which over-represents the components that burn and under-represents the ones that merely stop working.
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KitchenAid dishwashers: the reported component split#
KitchenAid dishwashers — every share in this table is a share of: CPSC SaferProducts incident reports for KitchenAid dishwashers, 2011-2026, n=360.
| Component mentioned | Share of reports | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| Control Board | 62% | 223 of 360 |
| Wiring or Power Cord | 15% | 55 of 360 |
| Heating Element | 4% | 16 of 360 |
| Motor | 4% | 13 of 360 |
| Thermostat or Sensor | 1% | 4 of 360 |
| Drain Pump or Hose | 1% | 3 of 360 |
Shares of reports, not failure rates — see the corpus note above.
LG dishwashers: the reported component split#
LG dishwashers — every share in this table is a share of: CPSC SaferProducts incident reports for LG dishwashers, 2011-2026, n=47.
| Component mentioned | Share of reports | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| Control Board | 30% | 14 of 47 |
| Wiring or Power Cord | 28% | 13 of 47 |
| Motor | 15% | 7 of 47 |
| Compressor | 2% | 1 of 47 |
| Drain Pump or Hose | 2% | 1 of 47 |
| Heating Element | 2% | 1 of 47 |
Shares of reports, not failure rates — see the corpus note above.
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How to use these numbers#
What this comparison can settle: which components the reported incidents of each brand actually concentrate on, for this appliance. What it cannot settle: which brand fails more often. That would need units sold, and no public source states it. Use the component split to plan for the repair each brand is most reported for, not to rank the two.
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