Lawsuit Investigation: Is Your A.O. Smith Water Heater Leaking?

Attorneys working with ClassAction.org want to hear from people who’ve experienced leaking from their A.O. Smith water heaters. 

They’re investigating whether a defect is causing the water heaters’ interior lining to corrode and fail well before their useful life expectancies, leading to leaks from the top, bottom or side of the product. If a defect is to blame for the problem, the attorneys may be able to get a class action lawsuit on file to help customers get their money back. But first, they need to speak with people who have noticed leaks in their A.O. Smith water heaters to learn more about the problem.

Consumer Complaints: A.O. Water Heater Leaks

Although A.O. Smith claims on its website that the water heaters are “built to last” and typically have a lifespan of “well over a decade or more,” many consumers have stated in online reviews that the product began leaking within a few years, months or even weeks of normal use. Some say they noticed rusty water dripping from the product, only to find that parts of the water heater had rusted over prematurely. 

A handful of complaints can be seen below [sic throughout]:

I replaced a 12 Yr old GE 30 gal (6 yr warranty) tank that was never touched with this 30 gal AO Smith in April 2020, that didn’t last more than 2 years. It was never dry fired, and heated water fine, but then one day this summer, I took notice of a rust stain on garage floor, which was originating from this heater which had sprung a leak. Insulation was soaked when I opened panel to investigate, and much rust staining …”
— Disappointment, Lowes.com

Bought one of these in 2017 and it started leaking from the base and needed to be replaced in 2020. Plumber said there was an internal failure. It was under warranty, and I was able to replace it, but AO Smith would not refund the installation of the new unit. Poor product, poor customer service.”
— Matt, Lowes.com

Three months into using the water heater it starts to leak and leak badly. And the leak came from the top element area.”
— Evil, Lowes.com

We bought ours in late 2021, it initially worked great but has recently started feeling weak. It appears the bottom heater seeps water and has corroded the electrical connections. Upon removing the bottom cover, rusty water and mold poured out. The entire bottom of the unit is full of rust and water. I’m honestly impressed that it failed so quickly.”
— Sean, Lowes.com

The unit itself worked great for a couple of weeks then we started noticing there was water leaking from the hot and cold water valves. We thought it was the connections so we tighted everything up and monitored for awhile longer. After alot of testing and making sure it wasnt leaking from the connection we realized it was leaking from underneath the ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ rubber mats that connects directly into the water heater. Seems like a factory issue.”
— Kathy, Lowes.com

Purchased this tank June 20, 2020, and after only 28 days it was leaking rusty water from the top seal in several locations and the electric connection box on top of the tank was full of water. Household is on public water, no idea why this rusted out in less than one month ...”
— Kathynot2happy, Lowes.com

How Could a Class Action Lawsuit Help?

If filed and successful, a class action lawsuit could help buyers get back some of the money they spent on their water heaters, and it could also force the company to recall or redesign the products.

Before commenting, please review our comment policy.