Siemens AG's iQ100 refrigerator series has recently been engulfed in a large-scale quality controversy. Numerous consumers have taken to platforms such as Xiaohongshu, Weibo, and the Hei Mao Complaint platform to collectively voice their grievances, highlighting issues including leakage of butyl sealant, failure to cool, frozen sealing strips, and jammed drawers.
Amid the escalating public discourse, a familiar voice has once again entered the fray. Luo Yonghao reposted a consumer complaint about the Siemens iQ100 refrigerator, commenting, "Based on public information and user complaints, the iQ100 appears to be a refrigerator model with an exceptionally high complaint rate. I gently suggest that Siemens' after-sales service promptly resolves this consumer's issue to avoid further complications." Prior to this, he had publicly criticized the product, stating, "The iQ100 is indeed a poorly designed, inferior product, and Siemens has been feigning ignorance about it."
According to statistics, since the beginning of 2026, Luo Yonghao has published approximately ten posts publicly urging Siemens Home Appliances to address the related problems. The history between the two parties dates back 15 years.
Regarding allegations of widespread quality issues with the iQ100 refrigerator, Siemens' official customer service stated, "Currently, after a comprehensive inspection and investigation by our technical team, it is determined to be an occasional malfunction." Attempts to contact BSH Hausgeräte GmbH, the parent company of Siemens Home Appliances, have so far yielded no response.
**Batch Failures: Has the Siemens iQ100 Quality Issue Erupted?** Positioned as a core series for the mid-to-high-end market, the Siemens iQ100 refrigerator promotes "frost-free cooling and long-lasting freshness" as its key selling points. Priced generally between 6,000 and 10,000 yuan in the domestic market, it has been a preferred choice for many households seeking a high-end refrigerator. However, quality complaints about this series have surged recently, with batch failures sparking widespread discussion.
An analysis of feedback from a vast number of维权 users reveals that the malfunctions of the Siemens iQ100 refrigerator primarily fall into three categories, all of which are severe issues affecting core functionalities:
First, leakage and overflow of butyl sealant: Multiple users who purchased this model reported that after 3-5 years of use, significant amounts of butyl sealant leaked from the seams of the freezer and refrigerator doors. This not only contaminates food and corrodes the inner lining but also causes the sealing strips to melt and deform, completely compromising the sealing performance. One complainant noted the leakage was so severe that "a gel-like substance covered the floor, repeatedly overflowing after cleaning," while after-sales service refused to address it, citing the product was "out of warranty." Another user stated, "After countless repairs, I finally gave up and bought a new one."
Second, failure to cool and refrigerant leakage: Many users reported that their refrigerators suddenly stopped cooling after 2-4 years of use. Post-service inspections often attributed this to compressor refrigerant leaks, damage to the inverter module, or corrosion of the water collection pan leading to coolant leakage. A user who purchased the unit in 2021 reported that in March 2025, the refrigerator suddenly failed to cool. A repair technician cited a compressor issue, but after replacement, the problem recurred within six months. The user declared, "I will never buy Siemens again in my lifetime."
Third, frost/ice buildup and jammed drawers: Despite being marketed with "frost-free" technology, the iQ100 has been heavily criticized by users for "frequent frost buildup in both the refrigerator and freezer compartments." In severe cases, ice layers can be several centimeters thick, completely freezing drawers shut and causing food to spoil.
On the Hei Mao Complaint platform, there are a total of 1,528 complaints related to "Siemens refrigerators," with many consumers reporting quality problems, unsuccessful repeated repairs, and severe sealant leakage. For the "Siemens iQ100" model alone, complaints number close to one hundred.
An anonymous home appliance repair professional commented in an interview: "If issues like butyl sealant leakage and cooling failure occur on a large scale, it's likely due to defects in a specific batch of compressors or control systems, or inherent design flaws. Every product has some design shortcomings. The brands understand their products better than consumers do, but whether they choose to address them is another matter."
In the face of this flood of collective complaints, Siemens' official responses have consistently been "uniform in wording and evasive of the core issues." Their core stance can be summarized as "refusing to acknowledge defects, offering only repairs (not replacements), and attributing problems to individual cases."
When consulted about the concentrated user reports of iQ100 malfunctions, Siemens' official customer service stated clearly: "If the product experiences a performance fault within the warranty period, after-sales on-site repair is free of charge, and we focus on inspection and repair. For sealant leakage issues, even outside the warranty period, we will arrange for after-sales service to visit for repairs." Regarding the allegation of widespread quality problems with the iQ100 refrigerator, the客服 reiterated, "Currently, after a comprehensive inspection and investigation by our technical team, it is determined to be an occasional malfunction."
**Luo Yonghao's Ten Public Appeals to Siemens, Still Unanswered** Fifteen years later, the longstanding feud between Luo Yonghao and Siemens is not over; it has even gained a new layer of dramatic historical resonance.
In 2011, Luo Yonghao was not a top live-streaming host but a "网红 entrepreneur" running an English training school. He repeatedly complained on Weibo about the door of his purchased Siemens refrigerator not closing properly, leading to frost buildup in the freezer. His post instantly resonated, with hundreds of users commenting that their Siemens refrigerators had the exact same issue.
Faced with collective complaints, Siemens officially responded on September 29 of that year, stating, "The occasional difficulty in closing the refrigerator door is confirmed not to be a quality issue," and offered only on-site inspection and maintenance services. This dismissive response彻底 ignited Luo Yonghao's anger.
On November 20, 2011, Luo Yonghao publicly smashed three Siemens refrigerators with a sledgehammer in front of the Siemens headquarters building in Beijing. Volunteers on-site held signs reading "Gently demand acknowledgment and resolution of the refrigerator door problem," calling for Siemens to admit the quality issue and recall the products.
This "smashing refrigerators for维权" incident quickly ignited nationwide舆论, becoming the most high-profile consumer维权 event of that year. Under public pressure, Siemens' stance began to soften. On December 4, 2011, Roland Gerke, President and CEO of Siemens Home Appliances (China), publicly apologized and promised to provide free on-site service for all consumers experiencing refrigerator door closure issues.
In July 2025, 14 years later, Luo Yonghao once again called out Siemens, targeting the iQ100 refrigerator's issue of "frost-free turning into frost buildup." At the time, a consumer complained that their newly purchased Siemens iQ100 frost-free refrigerator developed frozen sealing strips and jammed drawers due to ice within just one month of use, with three售后 visits failing to根治 the problem.
Luo Yonghao reposted the complaint and publicly addressed Siemens: "Below the post I转发, there are many victims of your company's iQ100 series refrigerator. You should resolve their issues as soon as possible, or face the consequences." He also mocked Siemens: "Are you serious about naming this series iQ100?"
On April 27 of this year, Luo Yonghao reposted a consumer's criticism of the Siemens iQ100 refrigerator, once again publicly blasting the product, reigniting the 15-year-old grudge. Luo Yonghao stated bluntly, "The iQ100 refrigerator is indeed a poorly designed, inferior product. I have received countless messages from people reporting this, and Siemens has consistently feigned ignorance about it."
On May 17, Luo Yonghao again reposted a consumer complaint about the Siemens iQ100 refrigerator, writing, "Based on public information and user complaints, the iQ100 is a refrigerator model with an exceptionally high complaint rate. I gently suggest that Siemens' after-sales service promptly resolves this consumer's issue to avoid further complications."
Statistics indicate that since the beginning of 2026, Luo Yonghao has published approximately ten posts publicly urging Siemens Home Appliances to address the related problems. To date, Siemens has not formally responded to Luo Yonghao's相关 comments.
**Persistent Contraction: Parent Company's China Market Revenue Declines for Fourth Consecutive Year** The eruption of the Siemens iQ100 quality controversy coincides with a critical juncture in the Chinese home appliance market characterized by "the rise of domestic brands and pressure on foreign brands."
In recent years, domestic home appliance brands like Haier, Midea, and Gree have continuously strengthened their efforts in technology R&D, quality control, and after-sales service. The performance gap between their products and international brands has been narrowing, while their prices offer greater advantages, gradually making them the preferred choice for Chinese consumers. Simultaneously, foreign home appliance brands like Siemens and Bosch have been gradually losing market share due to declining quality control, insufficient innovation capability, and rigid after-sales systems.
In 2014, the Bosch Group acquired the 50% stake held by Siemens in the合资 company BSH Hausgeräte GmbH for 3 billion euros, achieving 100% ownership of BSH. Subsequently, Siemens-branded home appliance products continued to be operated by BSH. Before and after the acquisition, BSH increasingly emphasized the Chinese market, evolving from an early goal of "surpassing the German domestic market by 2015" to a further升级 strategic objective around 2015: "making China BSH's largest global market by 2025."
However, relevant data shows that in recent years, Siemens' market share for high-end refrigerators in the domestic market has been continuously shrinking.
A report titled "Market Share Distribution in China's Refrigerator Industry in 2025" released by Guanyan Tianxia indicates that from a market share perspective, China's refrigerator industry shows a significant trend of concentration among leading enterprises, with a持续强化 pattern of "the strong getting stronger." Among them, Haier refrigerators hold the largest market share at 47.7%, nearly 50%. Hisense follows with 16.4%, and Midea with 14.8%. BSH (including the Siemens brand) accounts for only 8.2%, already left far behind by domestic brands. The so-called "German quality"光环 is rapidly fading.
Furthermore, the decline of Siemens Home Appliances in China has long been evident in the financial reports of its parent company, BSH.
Recently, BSH released its 2025 fiscal year data, reporting revenue of 15 billion euros. After adjusting for currency effects, this represented a 1.6% decline compared to 2024, but a 2.8% year-on-year growth in local currency terms. As Europe's largest home appliance manufacturer, BSH saw recovery across its core markets: North America grew over 5%, Europe itself saw steady growth of 1.2%, and emerging markets like Turkey, Eastern Europe, and India surged by 24%.
However, as the operating entity for Siemens home appliances, BSH Greater China's revenue has declined for four consecutive years,陷入 the尴尬困境 of "global recovery, China独自下跌." Data shows that for fiscal years 2022 through 2025, BSH Greater China's revenue declined year-on-year by 4%, 10.5%, 4.5%, and 3.2%, respectively (when calculated in euros, impacted by exchange rates, the declines were 7.1%).
Particularly in its core refrigeration and laundry sectors, BSH has entered a downward trend. It is reported that in fiscal year 2025, sales of BSH refrigerators and laundry products declined by 4.0% and 1.0%, respectively. BSH explained this, stating, "This is mainly due to the highly competitive market environment, an impact particularly pronounced in the Greater China region, where both product categories showed declining sales trends."
Analyzing the four consecutive years of revenue decline for BSH Greater China, Zhou Ting, President of the Yaoke Research Institute, pointed to five core reasons: "First, against the backdrop of消费多元化和个性化, a lack of product innovation has led to a gradual contraction of BSH's market space. Second, a sparse service network, slow service response, and poor quality have severely eroded BSH's brand power, leading to significant customer流失. Third, the rise of Chinese brands, especially high-end Chinese home appliance brands, has captured a large portion of the消费升级 market from BSH's大众 consumers. Fourth, the大举进军 of luxury brands into the home appliance industry has caused BSH to gradually lose吸引力 among高端客户群体. Fifth, the home appliance market has entered a存量竞争 stage, where customer operation becomes the key competitive point. BSH's冷漠 and disrespect towards customers are handing over its original market share."
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