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My contention as well. In the end the consumer loses. Washers and dishwashers are breaking apart under 5 years when they use to last decades. Heck they even try to sell you on a 2 to 4 year warranty, basically saying they can’t guarantee the quality of their products any more.

I don’t know if the consumer really “loses” in the example you gave. I see more and more examples of durable consumer products that used to be considered once-in-a-lifetime or twice-in-a-lifetime purchases turned into what is basically a product with a 5-8 year life cycle.

The life cycle didn’t shrink because the quality declined. It was the other way around: the quality declined because the price the consumer was willing to pay declined … since the consumer didn’t intend to keep it for a long time. I see this with appliances all the time. When I moved into my last home the previous occupant sold the washer and dryer to me for $100 because he didn’t want to go through the hassle of moving them. They were still working fine when I moved out 15+ years later … and I gave them to the next owner for free because I didn’t want to go through the trouble of moving them, either.

Try buying a Speed Queen washing machine. Still made in USA.
They are still very simple. You can even buy a dryer with a knob you turn to set the cycle. No board to die after 5-6 years.

Whirlpool, Amana, Maytag, Kitchen Aid are all made in Iowa. All in the same factory. They just put different labels on them depending on how fancy they are.
My 8 year old fridge says Whirlpool on the outside of the door and Maytag on the inside.