I had a kitchenaid dishwasher which was fine, but I got a Bosch when it needed replacing, and I liked it better. I also had a kitchenaid range, which I had 3 expensive repairs ($700 + each). In the first few years. Finally at 6 yrs old, I got rid of it after it broke again and when I called kitchenaid they told me tha I should consider myself lucky that it lasted 6 years! Also had a lot of trouble with a kitchenaid fridge. Maybe I was just unlucky, but I really didn't lke the attitude.

KitchenAid has been little more than "fancy Whirlpool" for many years now. Maytag also is "fancy Whirlpool" now; the differences pretty much are styling, some longer warranties, and some features sprinkled among the lines.

Any experience with either brand that's older than maybe five years is almost ancient history, since Whirlpool bought Maytag in 2012 and proceeded to rationalize several brands into just a few groups (higher-end, mass-market, labeled-for-resale) of essentially-identical guts in different cabinets.

For what it's worth, I had a KA refrigerator I loved. Never needed a service call in 12-13 years. I replaced it proactively with a Whirlpool that has turned out to be distinctly inferior in every way. C'est le guerre...

Just do a search on this site for Kitchenaid dishwashers and read through post after post from people complaining about the issues they've had with them.

Actually I have read a lot of owner reviews for various brands of dishwashers and Kitchenaid stood out for the variety of problems reported by owners. You don't have to take my word for it though. Just do a search in this Houzz appliance forum for Kitchenaid dishwashers and read through the information.

Here are some Houzz threads where Kitchenaid dishwasher owners discuss problems with design and reliability. You also could read the owner reviews for Kitchenaid dishwashers on the Home Depot website and sort lowest to highest rating. You will notice a lot of the same comments about reliability problems. Reading actual reports of specific problems that Kitchenaid dishwasher owners experience is not that complex. The beauty of online owner reviews is that it makes it difficult to hide legitimate product problems from consumers.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2287464/kitchenaid-dishwasher-vent-issues?n=106

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2242802/kitchenaid-dishwasher-leaking-water-defective-pump-clamp-recall?n=71

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2248275/new-kitchenaid-dishwasher-worst-ever?n=39

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2331659/ka-dishwasher-wont-start-control-lock-blinks-3x?n=34

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2311319/our-11-month-old-new-kitchenaid-dishwasher-craps-out

We had a Hobart Kitchenaid dw for 35 years. Now I wouldn't take a new one for free. Miele has been the replacement.

Steve-O is a bit off with the Maytag-Whirlpool timeline: Maytag was acquired by Whirlpool over 11 years ago. I've had experiences with all 3, and all under Whirlpool's corporate umbrella. There are styling differences, of course. The greatest difference in substance & refinement is probably between Maytag and Whirlpool... and Maytag will always have an added 10-year warranty on the motor or other main component. But Whirlpool's quality was nothing to sneeze at, so that only speaks to Maytag being a great product line. Over the past decade, I've lived in 3 homes, all kitchen / laundry renovations... The first had a KA dishwasher & Whirlpool W&D - all performed excellently. Second home 2010, Whirlpool Gold gas range / refrigerator, W&D & Maytag dishwasher (at the time, Whirlpool only offered plastic tub, so Maytag it was). Again, no issues, great experience. Current house, Maytag dishwasher, smudge-proof stainless fridge (French 4-door - love it!), and Bravos XL W&D... Got to say, great experience with all... For what it's worth, in researching prior, I found that between the 3 brands, Maytag had the overall best feedback on retail websites (Lowes, HD, etc), closely followed by Whirlpool, then Kitchen-Aid.