"Kenmore Progessive" Canister Vacuum Cleaner Model 116.25614 or Model 116.25615

Purchased at Sears Roebuck, Richmond CA 2005. Failure in 2006.

Model # for this vacuum on the "Power-Mate Parts" List shows model numbers

116.25614500 AND 116.25615500. The agitator (the carpet cleaning brush) is

part # 8192535 - it fails within 1 year when it stops turning slowly at

first, requiring one to remove the cover and pull on the belt to free the

agitator from being stuck, however eventually, within 2 months of that

initial failure period, the agitator altogether freezes up permanently on

this right side and cannot be repaired. The central axle as I call it locks

up and does not allow the agitator belt to turn the agitator itself.

This is made in China, and built this way to fail within 6-12 months of

LIGHT usage (I vacuumed once a week at 1500 SqFt home with carpets covering

80% of said space)!

The vacuum costs $250 retail, yet this agitator part costs $59 + shipping &

handling & taxes. That's roughly 25% of the cost. Ridiculous.

Comment On This

Exact same thing happened to me also. Bought 116.25615506 in 2006, worked fine until last week. Failed with the same characteristic noise and smell. I lubed the right bearing with some lithium grease (probably should have used graphite given the temps it's operating under), and as a stop-gap measure it works ok, but I'm looking to replace the agitator bar, as it doesn't look like the bearing itself can be replaced.

I think cheap manufacturing techniques are to be blamed here.

I guess Kenmore brand is not what it used to be. Sad!

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Mine is 2 years old. Used once a week for about 1200 ft. of carpeting. The whisper quiet isn't quiet any longer. It's became very noisey and has a vibration. From what I just read I guess it could be the bearings.Iv'e had 2 other Kenmores, but never this problem. They just got old and the plastic parts starting failing.

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I agree with the rest of you. My girlfriend has a Power Mate Power Head Model #116.53613300 and experienced the same problem almost a year ago. The bearing on the right side (NOT the belt side) was destroyed, and the one on the left side was rough. Not wanting to pay for the replacement agitator assembly, I was able to take the roller apart and remove the bearings, although the end cap on the right side was somewhat worn from the locked-up bearing spinning in it. After measuring the bearings with a caliper, I was able to call a bearing supply house and get the bearing number. After buying a pair on Ebay for a total of about $5.00 including shipping, I replaced the bearings with a couple I purchased online and the vacuum worked great. I told her to make sure to let her cleaning lady know to STOP using the vacuum if it started making any noise.

Well, the new bearings also lasted about a year, but because the cleaning lady is apparently DEAF (or didn't care about the noise and potential damage), the right end cap is severely damaged. We now therefore have no choice but to buy a new agitator/brush/roller assembly. As stated on other reviews, the present cost is $37.79 and none of the Sears Parts Centers carry it, so as of now it appears the only way to get it is to have it shipped. With a minimum shipping cost of $10.99 with a projected two-week delivery time, that makes the cost (waiting two weeks to get the part) a total of nearly $50 plus tax.

I, like everyone else, am EXTREMELY upset at the fact that there is clearly a design flaw here... the bearings are too small to handle the speed/load of normal operation. Unfortunately, there is no "recall" for this sort of thing and I guess we're just stuck with eating the cost!

Comment On This

We have had the exact smae problem as mentioned above. Agitator freezes up on one side only. I thought at first that it was due to hair getting caught in the bearings somehow, but we use the machine VERY infrequently (mostly hardwood floors, a few area rugs, vacuum once every couple of weeks). Poor design, and I think Sears needs to pay to fix this one, not us.

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Same - have a model 116.53813300 for about 1 year plus, and am about to buy my second replacement agitator. Since it is only the side of the roller where the belt runs that failed 3 times on mine, I suspect their design has a bit too much tension on the belt and is overloading the bearing. It then heats up and seizes, and then the plastic (crappy) end cap starts to spin on the outer bearing race and that melts down within a minute or so, game over! I request everyone reading this take 5 minutes and go to Sears and complain - let's be their squeeky wheel of the week on this one!

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I just ran into the same problem with the Power Mate I bought in March, 2007 (model #116.56312601). I've used it less than 50 times on a 1100 sq ft house and have noticed a burning rubber smell the last 2 times. The agitator assembly froze up and when I took it apart, I found that it wasn't in fact hair or something preventing it from turning. The right end cap was very hot and when I attempted to remove any debris, the cap covering the bearings was completely fried and crumbled apart. I'm frustrated it cost $250 and only lasted a little more than a year but still I needed to replace the agitator. $39 plus tax and shipping?? That's CRAZY. This is yet another SEARS product I am THOROUGHLY dissatisfied with and sealed the deal of never purchasing another product of theirs in the future.

Comment On This

i have a sears with the powermate also, same problem the bearing melted the plastic end cap and sears only sells the assembly and thats backordered, looks like sears has forgotten about being loyal to the people that made them a big business, i guess thats the new american way

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Yes, I have had the exact experience with our model# 116.25614500 also. This appears to have been intentionally designed to fail.

Comment On This

I would agree with this statement, although I've found replacements for $30-$36 online. What actually happens is the bearing on the right side freezes. I could smell the bearing burning up for a while when I vacuummed. The brush is sold as an assembly, so just the bearings cannont be replaced. It is a bummer, the vac is not that old.