Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Briggs & Stratton's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

close

Find a Location

Briggs & Stratton has 12 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

BBB accredited

Near

Country

USUnited States

Please enter a valid location.

Filter

• 

  Briggs & Stratton

  12301 W Wirth St Milwaukee, WI 53222-2110

• 

  Briggs & Stratton

  PO Box 702 Milwaukee, WI 53201-0702

• 

  Briggs & Stratton

  1502 W 4th Ave Holdrege, NE 68949-3132

• 

  Briggs & Stratton

  1803 SW Jefferson St Lees Summit, MO 64082-2312

• 

  Briggs & Stratton

  150 Technology Pkwy Auburn, AL 36830-8137

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/30/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a DR field and Brush mower (Premier 26) for $2,042.49. On this mower is a 10.5 Hp Briggs and Stratton engine. When we received the brush mower, we followed the instructions to put it together and added oil. After 4-5 hours of u intermittent use the mower starter to make a funny sound. Realizing that something was not right I went to shut it off and just before I did it seized up. Upon further investigation I found that the oil drain line on the left side of the engine was hanging down and the cap was off. Said drain line is attached with a small clip that can be pushed off with one finger and minimal force. The cap to the drain line can be taken off with a half turn of the cap. So presumably while mowing the thick brush a branch must have pulled the drain line off and the cap came off due to it only needing a half turn to loosen. We took the brush mower to the local authorized repair shop and after several weeks we were informed that Briggs and Stratton would not follow through on warranty replacement because they said it ran without oil. The repair shop even stated that the engine showed that it had been run with oil. The problem with that is it was run with oil and the faulty design of their drain line caused it to drain all the oil. I have repeatedly tried to reach out to Briggs and Stratton and even wrote them a letter, over a month ago, as it tells your too for further correspondence and have got nothing in return. They use the fact that they only deal with other businesses as a means to not have any type of customer service or recourse for someone who buys a product with one of their engines attached.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/05/2024

  Customer was informed in a letter that he does have the option to send the engine in for a Quality Dispute. If the customer is looking to send the engine in for a quality dispute he must consult with his dealer. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/06/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [Please type your response here.]

  The cause of failure is without a doubt do to Briggs and Strattons poor design choice and engineering of the oil drain line. The drain line should be held vertically with something that prevents it from falling down. The engine was run with oil and the failure because of the poor design of the drain line. The fact that your only response back to the BBB complaint and the letter that I sent ,which is what Briggs and Stratton advises to do for further communication, is a pre done letter does service to your lack of customer service. You sell a poorly designed product and your way to mitigate problems with this is to keep the consumer as far from you as possible. As stated in my letter to your company. My phone number is ************. A phone call is the only remedy to this situation. 
  Regards,
  
  **** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/30/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased an inverter generator from the ***** Base Exchange with a protection plan. The generator has not ran since I purchased it. When I tried to return it, I was told I needed to contact the protection plan I purchased for issues. The protection plan company informed me that I must make a warranty claim with the manufacturer. However, Briggs and Stratton does not handle warranty claims directly. I cannot find a dealer to work with given that I am stationed overseas in *****. The dealer on their website shows an map pin in *****, but the address and phone number for this business is in ************. I did contact the parts store because that is the only email for a B&S contact on the internet. They informed me that they were not B&S, but that they just run the parts store. However, they did reach out to B&S for me and replied with the aforementioned dealer in ************. There needs to be a way for service members overseas to have manufacturer warranty issues resolved. ***** wont allow me to exchange it, the protection plan says its still covered by the Manufacturer, there is no contact for Briggs and Stratton and no dealer I can have it serviced at.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/05/2024

  Customer complaint is being reviewed

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/18/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a new Lawn tractor from a Snapper dealership in *************. The mower was purchase July 2021. When purchasing the mower it was cutting grass unevenly. The mower was returned and they stated a shipping strapped was removed. After getting mower back it was doing the same thing. I took it back then they stated deck was bent and replaced blades. Then snapper replaced the deck after waiting a year for parts to be ordered. After they replaced deck in July 2024 the mower was doing same thing not cutting grass evenly. I shared pictures and took mower to another dealer who initially didn't understand problem. I received a call stating the spindles were different on mower and they would contact Snapper for repairing mower and wondered why previous dealer didn't identify problem. Visited dealership on Monday (14 October) but shared Snapper have not provided how to repair with deck still bent. The Snapper case number is *******.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/31/2024

  The customer was informed that the deck is warped (the dealer will provide pictures for the case). Snapper will be sending the dealer a deck no charge but the deck is still in the raw form and will need to be sent out to a vendor to be painted which I am told will be approx. 4-6 weeks before they are completed. For the inconvenience we will extend the warranty on the mower for 6 months but the extension will not include the engine just the mower. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/10/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The Briggs & Stratton generator I have is unreliable. It always dies after 12 hours operation. I dont see how they can sell genetics that dont run. I would like this genetor replaced with a unit that works.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/15/2024

  The case is being reviewed by the Standby Quality Team Supervisor. Once the case has been reviewed a *** will reach out to the customer. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/09/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My husband and I bought a ****** MT200 riding lawn mower from ********** in June of 2024. A month after purchasing it, the mower started having multiple problems. The rear end was slipping and the back tire would spin like it didn't have the power to go forward. It started blowing black smoke when it was started. I called the ****** warranty phone and could not get a live person and only an automated menu to find a dealer for the mower. I went through all of the that and called the places it suggested to call for warranty work and not one on those places said they did any ****** warranty work. If they did do warranty work it was for commercial accounts only and all the dealers where approximately 2 hours from where I live. I decided to call the ********** where we bought the mower and they tried to contact ****** as well but was not able to. They did give me other local dealers to call. I did call the dealers and none of them said they did warranty work. We decided to call ****** corporate but the phone number only gives a busy signal. We even emailed and have not heard back. We have been dealing with a lawn mower that doesn't work for 4 months. 4 months of trying to get a hold of ****** to get the mower looked at under warranty to no avail. We are extremely disappointed in the customer service that we will never buy another ****** product. We have 5 acres (2.5 are mowed) and the grass is getting taller and our house is for sale. We have literally tried everything to get in touch with ****** and still nothing. I want something done. At this point our money back would be great. We did call ********** back but they said it was past their return policy so they couldn't help. This is absolutely ridiculous. We spent our hard earned money on their product just to get a busy signal from their phone number.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/10/2024

  Customer was informed that ********************** and ********************** only supports the engine not the product. The customer was informed if the issue is with the ****** ***** she must reach out to a ****** dealer for more assistance 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/09/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a $18,000 2022 Scag Turf Tiger 2 zero turn with a 40 hp Briggs and Stratton ************** new in late 2022. The motor has approximately 127 hours on it and is still well within its warranty time period. One day the mower would not start so I took it to an authorized dealer and the it turns out the motor had a issue with a rod, which was submitted via the appropriate channel to Briggs and Stratton. Briggs and Stratton (B&S) denied the warranty stating that the oil was contaminated or had acid in it. This motor had the oil changed every season since new, at times using authorized dealers so the oil was not contaminated. As for the acid, I don't know what others do with their engines but I can only assume that people are not out there dropping acid in their motors. There was no oil samples taken from this motor, only pictures, so B&S has no definitive way to prove their stance that the oil was contaminated. B&S has no way to directly contact them via phone, they use a intermediary called "Power Distributors" who also does not know how a consumer would actually get in touch with B&S. Power Distributors confirmed that B&S is actually who ultimately denied the claim. There is a option to send the motor out to B&S for them to inspect it, but that is a ****** that I am not willing to take since if B&S decides to deny the claim I am on the hook for shipping costs of the motor out to them and then back to me, which makes no sense as that would be almost as much as cost to fix it. The dealer is indicating this is going to cost over $1,600 to repair this motor. If B&S will not honor their warranty and intends to stand behind the statement of contaminated or acidic oil (which there is absolutely no proof of) I will pay the dealer to fix the mower and recover the costs in small claims court.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/10/2024

  Customer was informed that ********************** and ********************** will be completing a GOODWILL POLICY ADJUSTMENT. The dealer will be provided with the warranty claim number. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/21/2024

  Please update this to customer satisfied, the company made the desired repairs

  
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** *****
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/29/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have a Briggs & Stratton 8250 home generator. It has been used twice during past hurricanes in **. I have used nothing but non-ethanol gas and Briggs & Stratton 4-cycle oil. It is stored in a metal building. I bought a cover for it.I live in **. The storm has come and gone. No one has power. I got my B&S generator out, gassed it up, checked the oil and used it successfully for about 24 hours. The generator kept overloading. I had my well, my refrigerator, freezer, one ceiling fan and two lights on the load. This morning, I found my generator off the 12 high patio it was placed on, turned over on its side and it was not running. It is likely ruined if all of the oil drained out of the crank case.People buy these expensive things, follow all the manufacturers maintenance requirements and its still a piece of junk!It should be illegal to sell such an inferior product.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/30/2024

  The customer was informed that all warranty consideration have to be completed by an authorize Briggs and Stratton dealer. The customer was provided with a dealer in her area to take the portable generator too. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/10/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We purchased a walk behind trimmer for our work at our dam project. We put oil and gas in it, loaded up the trimmer head and got to work. We used the trimmer for a total of 4 hours over the course of a few days. The next time we tried to use it, it wouldn't start. We took it to the local servicing dealer who told us that our warranty claim was denied because it damaged a rod internally due to lack of oil. We own a lot of expensive equipment, and most of it lasts longer than it was ever expected to because of our maintenance overkill on it. To say we operated this without oil is insulting. Reading through these recent BBB claims, this exact same thing seems to have happened to quite a few other customers recently. I can't get anyone to contact me in order to rectify this situation. We request that the company stand behind and honor their warranty to cover the repair.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2024

  The customer has been notified that he can send the engine in for a quality dispute. The claim was denied due to lack of lubrication. Customer is requesting more information that has to be approved before sending through email. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/26/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  4/29/23, I purchased Toro model #*****. I faced performance issues immediately. 1 in 10 startups would result in the mower smoking, and I couldnt mow my yard without setting the mower to the highest height, then lowering it gradually. I mow weekly, so the grass wasnt overly long. I contacted ****; they suggested a side discharge attachment, which took months to arrive due to backorders. It arrived at the end of Aug. With the side chute, I could mow, but still had to bag afterward. On 7/8/24, the mower was smoking excessively, with oil spitting from the exhaust. I contacted the dealer, who directed me to a local repair center. I dropped it off on 7/9/24. The shop informed me theres a dent inside the motor on the piston and foreign matter in the cylinderlikely from manufacturing (their words). They opened claim #PD78-BS-149749 and sent pictures to ****/Briggs. On 8/22/24, I was advised the internal damages wont be covered under warranty by ****/Briggs and that Im responsible for $400 worth of shop time. I spent the entire day on the phone trying to talk to someone who could explain how a motor that lasted just over a year wouldnt be warrantable, even when the repair shop thinks it should be. Toro customer "service" said they dont handle warranty issues, and Briggs and Stratton made it clear they dont deal with customers directly. After only 9 months, Im stuck with an oil-leaking, smoke-spewing, underpowered mower thats not covered under warranty. $450 for the mower + $400 shop time + $450 replacement = $1,300 for 9 months of mowing.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/27/2024

  Briggs and Stratton *** spoke with the customer and informed him that he can send his engine in for a quality dispute. The claim that was submitted to Power Distributors was reviewed by our engine quality and they agree with Power Distributors the issue is not a manufacturer's defect. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/27/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.

  I was informed that the internal damage to the cylinder caused by foreign material is not covered under warranty. The repair shop has clearly stated they believe this damage resulted from a manufacturing defect, and I struggle to understand how this does not fall under your warranty coverage.
  To be clear, I have only used this mower for its intended purposemowing my lawn. Ive added fuel and walked it through my yard as any customer would, yet now Im told this somehow falls outside "normal operation." I find this response unacceptable, especially given that the damage appears to be manufacturing-related.
  It feels as though both Briggs and Stratton and **** are trying to pass the responsibility back and forth, hoping that I will eventually give up. If either company stood behind its product, this issue would have been resolved promptly, without the need for endless back-and-forth.
  I would like to know what steps are required to resolve this matter. Must I provide additional evidence, such as an X-ray of the engine block or a laboratory analysis of my fuel? Should I be keeping a detailed log of every use of this mower?
  I request that someone from Briggs and Stratton or Toro take responsibility and offer a fair resolution. I trusted your product and invested in it with the expectation of quality and reliability. I am asking you to honor that trust and resolve this issue in good faith.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/27/2024

  The piston is not a manufacturer's defect. According to our engine quality team the piston is designed that way. The customer has already been informed his only option is to send the engine in for a Quality Dispute. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/21/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a snapper xd on 11/21. My grass cutter is 2 3/4 yrs old and the battery door hinge is broken. I call the 1800 related to snapper and you can't talk with an actual adult. The message states to call a dealer. The dealer tells me to call snapper or go on line and look for the part I need. The web sites I have gone to state that the item is not available. I want to speak to snapper to find out what my options are for repair. Like I said the mower isn't 3 yrs old and the hinge broke. Snapper has the worse customer service. How do they expect the consumer to get a hold of them. I want new hinges or a whole to battery door with the hinges. Very unhappy with snapper company Thanks ****

  Business Response

  Date: 08/27/2024

  The customer has been contacted - we are unable to send the part directly to the customer and have secured an authorized service dealer to inspect the mower for warranty determination.  Once the customer takes the mower to the service dealer we will work directly with the dealer to resolve the issue.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/28/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************