A Whirlpool hotwater heater broke in my house, destroyed 4,200 sf of hardwoods.
It was 10 year heater and broke 1 year and 4 days after install. On inspection, it appears they missed 18 inches of weld.
The heater was made in the USA, which is why I bought it.
They offerred a new crappy hot water heater in settlement.
I don’t care what happens to them.
We bought an new model home in 2004. The kitchen was outfitted completely with Whirlpool stainless steel appliances. By 2009, the motor failed in the side by side refrigerator. We replaced it with a Frigidaire. No more Whirlpool.
One lesson I learned the hard way, like you did, is never put a water heater where it can damage interior flooring. With almost all water heaters, it’s not whether or not they will leak but when.