Who Builds Kenmore Refrigerators?

Kenmore does not build refrigerators. It is a Sears store brand, owned today by Transformco, that re-badges units made by outside manufacturers. Depending on the model, your Kenmore fridge was actually built by Whirlpool, LG, Frigidaire (Electrolux), GE, Samsung, or another maker. The model number tells you which one.

That single fact is the key to buying the right parts. Once you know who really built your refrigerator, sourcing a genuine door gasket, water filter, or ice maker becomes straightforward. Below, we show how to identify the true manufacturer and why it matters at the parts counter.

Does Kenmore make its own refrigerators?

No. Kenmore is a brand name, not a factory. Sears sold appliances under the Kenmore label for more than a century and always contracted the actual manufacturing to established appliance makers. After Sears Holdings collapsed, the Kenmore brand passed to Transformco in 2019, which continues to license it (part of the public corporate record).

Because the maker changed from model to model and year to year, two Kenmore refrigerators sitting side by side can share almost no parts. One might be a re-badged Whirlpool and the next a re-badged LG. That is why “I have a Kenmore” is never enough information to order a part. You need the model number.

Which companies build Kenmore refrigerators?

Kenmore refrigerators have been sourced from a rotating roster of OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). The confirmed builders include Whirlpool, LG, Frigidaire/Electrolux, GE, Samsung, Panasonic, and Daewoo/Winia (the OEM roster is well documented across the appliance industry). The first three digits of the model number — the manufacturer prefix — identify who made a given unit.

Read this table as a strong starting point, not gospel. The prefix-to-maker mapping is long-standing knowledge among appliance-parts servicers, not something published by Sears or the manufacturers directly. The high-frequency prefixes — 106, 253, and 795 — are well established across multiple sources. Less common prefixes rest on thinner evidence, and Daewoo/Winia-built units do not map to one clean prefix. When you need certainty, use the cross-reference method below rather than the prefix alone.

How do I tell who made my Kenmore refrigerator?

Start with the model number, then read its first three digits. The model number lives on a rating label, not on the door face. On most Kenmore refrigerators you will find it on the inside wall of the fresh-food compartment, along the ceiling or on a side wall near the crisper drawers. It is printed alongside the serial number.

Follow these three steps:

1. Open the refrigerator and locate the model/serial label inside the fresh-food section.
2. Write down the full model number. A Kenmore number typically looks like 106.xxxxxxx or 795.xxxxxxx.
3. Read the digits before the decimal point. 106 means Whirlpool, 795 means LG, 253 means Frigidaire, and so on from the table above.

If the prefix is one of the less common codes, or you simply want to be sure, drop the full model number into the model search at AppliancePartsPros. Our catalog maps your exact model to the parts that genuinely fit it, which sidesteps any guesswork about the OEM. This is the most reliable path because it matches parts to your specific unit, not to a general brand.

Why does the manufacturer matter when buying parts?

Because the physical part is built by the OEM, not by Kenmore. A water filter, shelf, or gasket that fits your “Kenmore” is really a Whirlpool, LG, or Frigidaire part, often carrying that maker’s part number under the Kenmore skin. Ordering by the true manufacturer part number is how you avoid a wrong-fit return.

A clear example is the refrigerator water filter. Many Whirlpool-built Kenmore refrigerators use the EveryDrop Filter 1 (EDR1RXD1), and its own fitment list spans Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, and Kenmore. That one filter quietly proves the point: the Kenmore name is a badge over a Whirlpool part. LG-built (795) Kenmore fridges, by contrast, take an LG-style filter such as the ADQ36006101. Same brand on the door, completely different filter, because a different company built the machine.

You can browse everything that fits your unit on the Kenmore refrigerator parts page, then confirm the exact match with your model number.

What are the most common Kenmore refrigerator repairs?

Kenmore refrigerators fail in the same ways their OEM cousins do, because they are the same machines underneath. The recurring fixes cluster around the sealed system, the defrost circuit, and the water and ice path.

• Not cooling or freezer cold while fridge is warm: often a failed evaporator fan, defrost heater, or defrost thermostat.
• Water dispenser not working: usually a clogged filter, frozen supply line, or failed inlet valve.
• Ice maker not filling or ejecting: commonly the ice maker assembly or water valve.
• Water pooling under the crisper: typically a clogged defrost drain.
• Loud humming or buzzing: often the condenser or evaporator fan, or the compressor relay.

Because the underlying platform is a Whirlpool, LG, or Frigidaire design, the diagnostic steps and replacement parts match that maker’s service procedures. Identify the builder first, and every repair after that gets easier.

Watch: diagnosing a Kenmore/Whirlpool/Frigidaire refrigerator that will not make ice

The bottom line

Your Kenmore refrigerator was built by a major manufacturer, most likely Whirlpool, LG, or Frigidaire, and the model-number prefix tells you which. Nail down the maker, then order genuine parts by matching your full model number. That is the difference between a part that drops in and one that ships back.

Written by: AppliancePartsPros Team