Maytag serial number lookup: how old is the appliance?
The serial number is on a tag inside the appliance. A Maytag serial that ends in two letters is the original Maytag code: the first letter is the year and the second is the month. A serial that starts with a letter is the Whirlpool code used since 2006: the second character is the year and the next two digits are the week.
Decode a Maytag serial number
How to read a Maytag serial number
Maytag has used 2 serial formats. Find the one that matches the shape of your serial.
Plant letter, year code, then week
The first letter is the plant. The second character is the year, as a letter or a digit. The two digits after it are the week.
Shape: a letter, a letter or digit, then seven or eight digits.
M44819595 reads as week 48 of 2014 (around November).
Year code
- 0 2010
- 1 2011
- 2 2012
- 3 2013
- 4 2014
- 5 2015
- 6 2016
- 7 2017
- 8 2018
- 9 2019
- X 2020
- A 2021
- B 2022
- C 2023
- D 2024
- E 2025
- F 2026
- T 2006
- U 2007
- W 2008
- Y 2009
Whirlpool moved the Maytag plants to this layout one at a time after buying the company in 2006. The first confirmed unit is a dishwasher from week 39 of 2008.
Year letter and month letter at the end
Only the last two characters are letters. The first of them is the year and the second is the month.
Shape: six to eight digits followed by two letters.
12772864EL reads as June 2004.
The same code also fits 1980. Year letter
- H 1969, 1993
- K 1970, 1994
- M 1971, 1995
- Q 1972, 1996
- S 1973, 1997
- U 1974, 1998
- W 1975, 1999
- Y 1976, 2000
- Z 1977, 2001
- A 1978, 2002
- C 1979, 2003
- E 1980, 2004
- G 1981, 2005
- J 1982, 2006
- L 1983, 2007
- N 1984, 2008
- P 1985
- R 1986
- T 1987
- V 1988
- X 1989
- B 1990
- D 1991
- F 1992
Month letter (two letters for each month)
- A January
- B January
- C February
- D February
- E March
- F March
- G April
- H April
- J May
- K May
- L June
- M June
- N July
- Q July
- P August
- S August
- R September
- U September
- T October
- W October
- V November
- Y November
- X December
- Z December
The year letters repeat every 24 years, so most of them fit two years. Several websites say this code ended in 2006 or 2007. Recall notices show it on Maytag dishwashers built as late as September 2008.
Where to find the serial number
Maytag appliances built since 2006 use Whirlpool’s tag positions. Older models differ in a few places.
| Appliance | Where the serial tag is |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator | Inside the fresh-food compartment: left wall on top-freezer and bottom-freezer models, right wall on side-by-side models. Older models: top middle or upper left of the liner |
| Washer | Front-load: on the rim of the door opening. Top-load: under the lid, on the rim of the tub |
| Dryer | On the rim of the door opening. Older gas dryers: inside the door |
| Dishwasher | On the left side of the tub frame. Older plastic-tub models: inside the tub near the left of the door opening |
| Range | On the oven frame or the storage-drawer frame. Gemini double-oven ranges: on a flip-up tag behind the upper left corner of the control panel |
| Microwave | Over-the-range: on the front frame, visible with the door open |
If the serial number does not decode
- Whirlpool bought Maytag in 2006 and moved its plants to the Whirlpool code one at a time. Both codes appear on units built from 2006 to 2008.
- Jenn-Air, Admiral, Magic Chef and Crosley appliances built by Maytag use the Maytag two-letter ending.
- The print date in the owner’s manual or on the installation sheet shows which decade a repeating code belongs to.
- The manufacturer can confirm the date from the serial: Maytag registration, warranty or serial lookup.
What the age tells you
| Equipment | Typical service life |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator | 12 to 14 years |
| Clothes washer | 10 to 13 years |
| Clothes dryer | 13 to 14 years |
| Dishwasher | 9 to 15 years |
| Range or oven | 13 to 17 years |
About Maytag
Maytag of Newton, Iowa kept its own two-letter date code until Whirlpool bought the company in 2006. Whirlpool then moved the Maytag plants to its own code, one plant at a time. Maytag heating and cooling equipment is a separate business, built by Nordyne under licence.
Brands that share this serial system: Whirlpool, Amana, KitchenAid.
Questions and answers
Which characters in a Maytag serial number show the date?
The first letter is the plant. The second character is the year, as a letter or a digit. The two digits after it are the week. This applies to units built since 2006.
Why does my Maytag serial number look different?
Maytag has used 2 serial formats: plant letter, year code, then week (built since 2006); year letter and month letter at the end (built until 2008). The decoder tries each one.
The decoder shows more than one possible year. Which one is right?
Part of the Maytag date code repeats, so the serial alone fits more than one year. A manufacture date printed on the rating plate, the print date of the owner’s manual or the installation record settles it. For equipment that is still running, the more recent year is usually the right one.
How do I tell the two layouts apart?
Look at where the letters are. A serial that ends in two letters is the older Maytag layout: the first of the two letters is the year and the second is the month. A serial that starts with a letter is the Whirlpool layout: the second character is the year and the next two digits are the week. Both were in use from 2006 to 2008.
Sources
- Electrical Forensics (Ray Franco, forensic engineer): Whirlpool date codes (independent reference): https://www.electrical-forensics.com/MajorAppliances/WhirlpoolDateCodes.html
- CPSC recall: Whirlpool and Kenmore dishwashers sold June 2004 to January 2005, serials from FR22 (US Consumer Product Safety Commission): https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2005/CPSC-Whirlpool-Corporation-Announce-Recall-of-Dishwashers
- CPSC recall: Whirlpool and Kenmore washers and dryers sold January 2000 to May 2002, serials starting MK, ML or MM (US Consumer Product Safety Commission): https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2002/cpsc-whirlpool-announce-recall-of-washer-and-gas-dryer-units
- CPSC recall: Maytag, Amana and Jenn-Air dishwashers sold 2006 to 2010, serial codes by build date (US Consumer Product Safety Commission): https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2010/Maytag-Recalls-Dishwashers-Due-to-Fire-Hazard
- Building Intelligence Center: Whirlpool appliance age (independent reference): https://www.building-center.org/whirlpool-appliances/
- Electrical Forensics (Ray Franco, forensic engineer): Maytag date codes (independent reference): https://www.electrical-forensics.com/MajorAppliances/MaytagDateCodes.html
- CPSC recall: Maytag and Jenn-Air dishwashers sold July 1997 to June 2001, serial endings SM to YZ (US Consumer Product Safety Commission): https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2007/Maytag-Recalls-Dishwashers-Due-to-Fire-Hazard
- CPSC recall: Maytag washers sold April and May 2005, serials ending GA to GJ (US Consumer Product Safety Commission): https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2005/CPSC-Maytag-Corp-Announce-Recall-of-Washing-Machines
- Building Intelligence Center: Maytag appliance age (independent reference): https://www.building-center.org/maytag-appliances/
- Maytag: where is my model and serial number located? (manufacturer): https://producthelp.maytag.com/FAQ/Where_is_my_Model_and_Serial_Number_Located%3F
Formats last checked against these sources on October 5, 2026. Found a serial that does not fit? Send a correction. How formats are verified: method and sources.