Product review (3 stars): Beware the Lower Rack
This spring I bought one of these KUDS40CV dishwashers with a black finish. I previously had a midrange Whirlpool and, although I had been very happy with its performance, I thought this machine would be an upgrade.

After the first load was washed, I found silverware coated with mustard residue, bowls festooned with lettuce leaves, etc. I realized the bottom rack had fallen off the molded tracks and prevented the spray arm on the bottom from turning. The rack was not wide enough! My husband and I started carefully positioning it before turning on the dishwasher. We contacted the local appliance business where it had been purchased. They contacted KitchenAid. The repair guy recommended that we contact KitchenAid, too.

Weeks after we both had been bombarding KitchenAid with emails and phone calls, we received a box with an identical bottom rack. More bombarding of the customer service office and more time elapsed. Finally another box arrived with a new rack. Had the rack been redesigned so it was wider? Nope. The only change was that the four plastic parts that hold the wheels and are attached to the corners of the rack were wider. Did that change fix the problem? Not really. Just about every time I pull out the rack, the wheels track off, the rack falls out of position, and the dishes rattle and shift while I proclaim a choice word or two about this $900 dishwasher that has such bad engineering on a component that should have been a no-brainer. Doesn't anybody test these things during the design process? The latest development is that the front wheel on the left side has started popping out of the assembly. It's time to start bombarding KitchenAid again.

Other issues:
1. This model has a timer that is useless because our water heater is on the other end of the house. The new Energy Star dishwashers use so little water that unless I run and run water through the kitchen sink until it's warm, the dishes won't get clean. Too bad the EPA doesn't care about wasted water.
2. The normal cycle is easily twice as long as my former dishwasher. According to the manual, "some cycles and options will take up to 3.5 hours to complete." How is this energy efficient?
3. There is only a flimsy silvery wide strip of tape that serves as a moisture barrier between the top of the dishwasher and the bottom of the countertop. Our installer managed to crinkle it. Other reviewers claim that if you open the dishwasher before the end of the cycle, moisture is vented out the top.

To be fair, there are a few things I do like about this model:
1. It's quieter.
2. The stainless steel interior results in drier dishes if you wait to unload the dishwasher.
3. There is a bar indicator that shows how much Jet Dry is left.
4. The tall tub design easily accommodates wine glasses, vases, etc. on the top rack. The rack has two positions that allow it to be repositioned for even taller items.
5. The silverware basket has slots for each individual piece of silverware as well as open spaces for larger utensils.
6. There are Sure-Hold clips on the top rack that allow plastic lids and lightweight items to be secured so they won't fall or tip over during the cycle.