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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES OTHER MATTERS BEFIEX Credits and Other Brazil Tax Matters In previous years, our Brazilian operations earned tax credits under the Brazilian government's export incentive program (BEFIEX). These credits reduced Brazilian federal excise taxes on domestic sales. Our Brazilian operations have received tax assessments for income and social contribution taxes associated with certain monetized BEFIEX credits. We do not believe BEFIEX credits are subject to income or social contribution taxes. We have not provided for income or social contribution taxes on these BEFIEX credits, and based on the opinions of tax and legal advisors, we have not accrued any amount related to these assessments at December 31, 2023. The total amount of outstanding tax assessments received for income and social contribution taxes relating to the BEFIEX credits, including interest and penalties, is approximately 2.3 billion Brazilian reais (approximately $470 million at December 31, 2023). Relying on existing Brazilian legal precedent, in 2003 and 2004, we recognized tax credits in an aggregate amount of $26 million, adjusted for currency, on the purchase of raw materials used in production ("IPI tax credits"). The Brazilian tax authority subsequently challenged the recording of IPI tax credits. No such credits have been recognized since 2004. In 2009, we entered into a Brazilian government program ("IPI Amnesty") which provided extended payment terms and reduced penalties and interest to encourage taxpayers to resolve this and certain other disputed tax credit amounts. As permitted by the program, we elected to settle certain debts through the use of other existing tax credits and recorded charges of approximately $34 million in 2009 associated with these matters. In July 2012, the Brazilian revenue authority notified us that a portion of our proposed settlement was rejected and we received tax assessments of 285 million Brazilian reais (approximately $59 million at December 31, 2023), reflecting interest and penalties to date. We believe these tax assessments are without merit and we are vigorously defending our position. The government's assessment in this case relies heavily on its arguments regarding taxability of BEFIEX credits for certain years, which we are disputing in one of the BEFIEX government assessment cases cited in the prior paragraph. Because the IPI Amnesty case is moving faster than the BEFIEX taxability case, we could be required to pay the IPI Amnesty assessment before obtaining a final decision in the BEFIEX taxability case. We have received tax assessments from the Brazilian federal tax authorities relating to amounts allegedly due regarding insurance taxes (PIS/COFINS) for tax credits recognized since 2007. These credits were recognized for inputs to certain manufacturing and other business processes. These assessments are being challenged at the administrative and judicial levels in Brazil. The total amount of outstanding tax assessments received for credits recognized for PIS/COFINS inputs is approximately 334 million Brazilian reais (approximately $69 million at December 31, 2023). We believe these tax assessments are without merit and are vigorously defending our positions. Based on the opinion of our tax and legal advisors, we have not accrued any amount related to these assessments. In addition to the BEFIEX, IPI tax credit and PIS/COFINS inputs matters noted above, other assessments issued by the Brazilian tax authorities related to indirect and income tax matters, and other matters, are at various stages of review in numerous administrative and judicial proceedings. The amounts related to these assessments will continue to be increased by monetary adjustments at the Selic rate, which is the benchmark rate set by the Brazilian Central Bank. In accordance with our accounting policies, we routinely assess these matters and, when necessary, record our best estimate of a loss. We believe these tax assessments are without merit and are vigorously defending our positions. Litigation is inherently unpredictable and the conclusion of these matters may take many years to ultimately resolve. Amounts at issue in potential future litigation could increase as a result of interest and penalties in future periods. Accordingly, it is possible that an unfavorable outcome in these proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our financial statements in any particular reporting period. Legacy EMEA Legal Matters Competition Investigation In 2013, the French Competition Authority ("FCA") commenced an investigation of appliance manufacturers and retailers in France, including Whirlpool and Indesit. The FCA investigation was split into two parts, and in December 2018, we finalized a settlement with the FCA on the first part of the investigation. The second part of the FCA investigation, which is focused primarily on manufacturer interactions with retailers, is ongoing. The Company has agreed to a preliminary settlement range with the FCA and recorded a charge of approximately $69 million in the first half of 2023. The Company expects the settlement amount to be finalized in the first half of 2024, and to make payment to the FCA in 2024. Although it is currently not possible to assess the impact, if any, that matters related to the FCA investigation may have on our financial statements, matters related to the FCA investigation could have a material adverse effect on our financial statements in any particular reporting period. Trade Customer Insolvency The Company was a former indirect minority shareholder of Alno AG, a longstanding trade customer that filed for insolvency protection in Germany. In 2020, we paid a settlement of €52.75 million (approximately $59 million at the time of payment) to resolve any potential claims the insolvency trustee might have against the Company. We have also resolved certain claims brought by a third party related to Alno's insolvency through a settlement which includes a full release of any and all claims by that third party, and accrued an immaterial incremental amount during the second quarter related to this resolution. Grenfell Tower On June 23, 2017, London's Metropolitan Police Service released a statement that it had identified a Hotpoint–branded refrigerator as the initial source of the Grenfell Tower fire in West London. U.K. authorities are conducting investigations, including regarding the cause and spread of the fire. The model in question was manufactured by Indesit Company between 2006 and 2009, prior to Whirlpool's acquisition of Indesit in 2014. We are fully cooperating with the investigating authorities. Whirlpool was named as a defendant in a product liability suit in Pennsylvania federal court related to this matter. The federal court dismissed the case with prejudice in September 2020 and the dismissal was affirmed on appeal in July 2022. Plaintiffs filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court in January 2023, which was subsequently denied. In December 2020, lawsuits related to Grenfell Tower were filed in the U.K. against approximately 20 defendants, including Whirlpool Corporation and certain Whirlpool subsidiaries. In the fourth quarter of 2022, we accrued an immaterial amount related to these claims in our financial statements. Additional claims may be filed related to this incident. Latin America Tax Review In the first quarter of 2023, we accrued an immaterial amount in our Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements related to prior-period Value Added Tax (VAT) remittances in our Latin America region. We resolved certain aspects of this matter in the second quarter of 2023 and the overall financial statement impact of such resolution was immaterial. We continue to review tax matters within the region for any potential additional impacts, if any; certain matters could have a material adverse effect on our financial statements in any particular reporting period. Other Litigation See Note 13 for information on certain U.S. income tax litigation. In addition, we successfully defended against two lawsuits that were certified for treatment as class actions in U.S. federal court, relating to two top-load washing machine models. In December 2019, the court in one of these lawsuits entered summary judgment in Whirlpool's favor, and that judgment was affirmed on appeal in late 2023. The second lawsuit, which was stayed pending resolution of the first lawsuit, has also been dismissed. We are currently vigorously defending a number of other lawsuits related to the manufacture and sale of our products which include class action allegations, and may become involved in similar actions. These lawsuits allege claims which include negligence, breach of contract, breach of warranty, product liability and safety claims, false advertising, fraud, and violation of federal and state regulations, including consumer protection laws. In general, we do not have insurance coverage for class action lawsuits. We are also involved in various other legal actions arising in the normal course of business, for which insurance coverage may or may not be available depending on the nature of the action. We dispute the merits of these suits and actions, and intend to vigorously defend them. Management believes, based upon its current knowledge, after taking into consideration legal counsel's evaluation of such suits and actions, and after taking into account current litigation accruals, that the outcome of these matters currently pending against Whirlpool should not have a material adverse effect, if any, on our financial statements. Product Warranty Reserves Product warranty reserves are included in other current and other noncurrent liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. The following table summarizes the changes in total product warranty reserves for the periods presented:
|  | Product Warranty
Millions of dollars |  | 2023 |  | 2022
Balance at January (1) |  | $ | 190 |  |  | $ | 286 |
Issuances/accruals during the period |  | 311 |  |  | 267 |
Settlements made during the period/other |  | (303) |  |  | (304) |
Liabilities classified to held for sale (1) |  | 8 |  |  | (59) |
Balance at December 31 |  | $ | 206 |  |  | $ | 190 |
Current portion |  | $ | 136 |  |  | $ | 131 |
Non-current portion |  | 70 |  |  | 59 |
Total |  | $ | 206 |  |  | $ | 190 |
(1)Starting from the fourth quarter of 2022, product warranty reserve, and subsequent movements of the reserve, of our European major domestic appliance business has been transferred to liabilities held for sale. In the normal course of business, we engage in investigations of potential quality and safety issues. As part of our ongoing effort to deliver quality products to consumers, we are currently investigating certain potential quality and safety issues globally. As necessary, we undertake to effect repair or replacement of appliances in the event that an investigation leads to the conclusion that such action is warranted. Guarantees We have guarantee arrangements in a Brazilian subsidiary. For certain creditworthy customers, the subsidiary guarantees customer lines of credit at commercial banks to support purchases following its normal credit policies. If a customer were to default on its line of credit with the bank, our subsidiary would be required to assume the line of credit and satisfy the obligation with the bank. At December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the guaranteed amounts totaled 1,321 million Brazilian reais (approximately $273 million at December 31, 2023) and 1,122 million Brazilian reais (approximately $215 million at December 31, 2022), respectively. The fair value of these guarantees were nominal at December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. Our subsidiary insures against a significant portion of this credit risk for these guarantees, under normal operating conditions, through policies purchased from high-quality underwriters. We provide guarantees of indebtedness and lines of credit for various consolidated subsidiaries. The maximum contractual amount of indebtedness and lines of credit available under these lines for consolidated subsidiaries totaled approximately $3.0 billion at December 31, 2023 and $2.9 billion at December 31, 2022. Our total short-term outstanding bank indebtedness under guarantees (excluding those related to the European major domestic appliance business) was $17 million at December 31, 2023, and was nominal at December 31, 2022. Purchase Obligations Our expected cash outflows resulting from non-cancellable purchase obligations are summarized by year in the table below. Non-cancellable purchase obligations related to the European major domestic appliance business are excluded from the table below from April 2024 onwards, when the European transaction is expected to be completed.
Millions of dollars |
2024 | $ | 257 |
2025 | 119 |
2026 | 49 |
2027 | 20 |
2028 | 18 |
Thereafter | 44 |
Total purchase obligations | $ | 507 |

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