"We surveyed more than 100,000 of our readers who bought a dishwasher within the last five years and found a problem with a big-name brand - LG," said Consumer Reports' Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman.
The survey found that 23 percent of LG dishwashers had repairs.
In its cleaning tests, Consumer Reports found a problem with another dishwasher. To measure cleaning performance, technicians dirtied hundreds of dishes, cups, and cutlery with peanut butter, tomato sauce, and baked-on brownie mix. Then every machine got the same tough load.
Consumer Reports said the Asko D5233XXL dishwasher couldn't always handle it. Seeds from the raspberry preserves used on the dirty dishes often clogged the spray arm and the filter so the dishes didn't come clean.
"That's not what you'd expect from a dishwasher that costs $1,500," said Lehrman, adding that the cleaning cycle runs three hours.
Consumer Reports did find some dishwashers to recommend, including the $800 Bosch SHX43P1[2]UC. It is excellent at cleaning, plus Bosch dishwashers have a good record of reliability.
If you're looking to save a little money, the $650 Kenmore 1374[2], sold at Sears, is a Consumer Reports best buy. Although it's a little less energy-efficient than the Bosch, it does an excellent job of cleaning. Consumer Reports also found that Kenmore has been a reliable brand.
