Who Makes Maytag, KitchenAid and Amana Appliances?

Maytag, KitchenAid, Amana and JennAir appliances are all Whirlpool Corporation brands. Whirlpool bought KitchenAid in 1986 (Wikipedia) and completed its purchase of Maytag on March 31, 2006 (AP via NBC News). Amana and JennAir came along in the Maytag deal. So a Maytag washer and a Whirlpool washer from the same years can share a design and many of the same parts. That matters when you are pricing a repair or hunting for a part.

Answer Box

• Whirlpool Corporation owns Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, JennAir and Amana home appliances.
• Brands in one family often share platforms, so parts and fixes carry across.
• Amana air conditioners and furnaces are a separate business made under license by another company.
• The model number, not the badge, is what a tech needs to order the right part.

How Each Brand Joined Whirlpool

KitchenAid started as the mixer brand and grew into a full line of kitchen appliances. Whirlpool bought it in 1986 from the Hobart Corporation (Wikipedia).

Maytag was founded in Newton, Iowa in 1893 (Wikipedia). It was its own company for more than a century, then Whirlpool completed its purchase on March 31, 2006 (NBC News).

Amana and JennAir were part of Maytag when that sale closed, so they joined Whirlpool at the same time. Whirlpool named the Maytag, Jenn Air and Amana brands in its statement that day (NBC News).

Each brand keeps its own name, styling and price point. Under the skin, though, the same company designs, builds and supports them.

What About Amana Air Conditioners?

This trips up plenty of Arizona homeowners. The Amana name on an air conditioner or furnace is not the same business as an Amana fridge or dryer. Goodman bought Amana in 1997 and kept the heating and cooling side (Wikipedia), and Daikin bought Goodman in August 2012 (Wikipedia). Their equipment uses the Amana name under license.

So if your Amana AC needs service, you want an HVAC company. If your Amana dryer needs service, you want an appliance tech. Some companies do both. Our appliance and HVAC listings show those.

Why Shared Parts Matter for Repairs

When brands share a platform, the same drain pump, belt or control can fit several of them. That helps you in a few ways.

• Parts are easier to find. A part used across many models is more likely to be in stock.
• Techs know the design. A tech who has fixed many Whirlpool top loaders has seen the guts of many Maytag and Amana top loaders too.
• Fixes carry over. A known weak part on one brand is often a known weak part on its siblings.

It is not true across the board. Premium lines can have their own parts. Never order by badge alone. Use the full model number and let the parts lookup match it. Our post on where to find your model and serial number shows where the tag is on each type of appliance.

Does a Higher Price Mean a Different Machine?

Sometimes. Higher end lines often add features, finishes, quieter insulation or a different control panel. In some product types the core build is close to a sibling brand. In others it is quite different. The answer is that it depends on the model, not the logo. If you are choosing between two family brands, compare the spec sheets and the warranty terms side by side.

Repair Guides for These Brands

We keep model guides for common machines in this family. A few examples are the Maytag MVWC565FW washer, the KitchenAid KDTM404KPS dishwasher, the Amana NTW4516FW washer and the Whirlpool WTW5000DW washer. The full list is on the model guides page.

What to Tell a Tech When You Call

A good first call saves a second trip. Have these ready.

• The brand and the full model number. Read it off the tag, not the box or the receipt.
• The serial number. It often tells the tech when the machine was built, which can change the part.
• What the machine does. Say what you see and hear. A washer that fills but does not spin is a very different job from one that will not start.
• Any error code. Write it down exactly. Our entry on error codes explains why they help.

With that, a tech who knows the Whirlpool family can often guess the likely part before arriving and bring it on the truck. That is the real payoff of knowing who made your machine.

Warranty and Service

Each brand has its own warranty terms, set by the maker. If the machine is still under the factory warranty, call the number in your owner manual before you hire an independent tech, so you do not lose coverage. Once the warranty is over, any qualified local company can work on it. You can find an appliance repair company near you and ask which brands they see most often.

Studies and Pages

• NBC News, Associated Press, Whirlpool completes acquisition of Maytag, March 31, 2006.
• Wikipedia, Whirlpool Corporation, KitchenAid 1986.
• Wikipedia, Maytag, founded 1893 in Newton, Iowa.
• Wikipedia, Amana Corporation, Goodman 1997 and Maytag 2002.
• Wikipedia, Goodman Global, Daikin 2012.

Photos from Wikimedia Commons. Maytag wringer washer by Acroterion under CC BY-SA 4.0. KitchenAid display by Pear285 under CC0. Timeline made by us from the dates above.

All sources opened October 17, 2026.