Maytag Refrigerator Repair in Toronto — Running constantly / never shuts off

• Dust-blanketed condenser coils are the number-one Maytag 'runs constantly / never shuts off' cause and the cheapest real fix: when the coils load up with Toronto apartment dust and pet hair they can't shed compressor heat, the box never reaches setpoint, and the compressor runs nonstop trying to catch up. RepairClinic's 'Maytag Refrigerator Runs Constantly' guide names dirty condenser coils as a primary cause and advises cleaning them every 6 to 12 months. On the MFI/MFF French-door and MSS side-by-side platform the coils sit at the base behind the toe-kick; we brush-and-vacuum them and re-check run time before metering any electrical part, because a new part dropped onto a dust-blanketed coil just re-loads and the unit keeps running.
• A weak or stalled condenser fan motor turns a clean-coil call into a runs-constantly call: the condenser fan pulls air across the compressor and condenser to shed heat, and when it slows or seizes the compressor runs hot and never cycles off, with the cabinet exterior staying warm. The genuine Whirlpool/Maytag OEM part is the condenser fan motor W11127829 (AP6261414 / PS12114471 / 4547471; replaces W10527155 / W10909387 / W10917708 / W11505535), a 115V 4-pin motor on the MFI/MFF French-door and bottom-mount families. Distributor literature lists 'refrigerator runs continuously with the exterior surface staying hot' as the signature failure. We confirm the blade spins freely (a frosted or debris-jammed blade mimics a dead motor) and meter the windings for continuity before condemning it, since a compressor starved of condenser airflow runs until it eventually overheats and trips its overload.
• Thermistor drift is the classic Whirlpool-platform runs-constantly fault on modern Maytag units: the refrigerator/freezer temperature sensor feeds the JAZZ board, and a sensor reading falsely warm makes the board call for cooling that never ends so the compressor and evaporator fan run continuously. The OEM sensor is the WPW10384183 (AP6020677; replaces W10384183 / 2118228), an NTC reading about 2.7k ohms at room temperature (77F) and rising to roughly 7964 ohms (~8k) near freezing (36F / 'ice water') per the OEM service sheet. In the board's diagnostic mode a failed sensor surfaces as OP (open) or SH (shorted) per zone. We read the diagnostic result and ohm the suspect thermistor against that published R-T curve before touching the board, because a false-warm sensor mimics a weak compressor while every mechanical part is fine.
• On a LEGACY pre-2007 Maytag-built (Newton/Amana heritage) or any cold-control unit, a compressor that never cycles off traces to the temperature control thermostat (cold control) stuck closed: the genuine OEM part is the WP2198202 (AP6006166 / PS11739232; replaces 2198201 / 2161284), and distributor literature explicitly lists 'refrigerator running time is too long' and 'compressor does not turn off' among the symptoms it fixes. A bimetal cold control welded or drifted closed keeps feeding the compressor power so it runs continuously regardless of box temperature. We meter the control for proper open/close action against its dial before condemning it, since on these electromechanical boxes there is no display code and the cold control, not a sensor, governs cycling.
• A failed defrost thermostat or open defrost heater makes the box run constantly the indirect way: when the auto-defrost never melts the coil, frost sheets the evaporator, airflow chokes, the box can't pull down, and the compressor runs nonstop chasing a setpoint the iced coil won't let it reach. On these platforms the bimetal defrost thermostat WPW10225581 (AP6017375 / PS11750673) must close cold to let the defrost heater WP12729128 (AP6005557 / PS11738607; replaces 12729128) fire each cycle. We continuity-test the thermostat at the coil AND the heater element separately, because a Maytag that runs constantly and shows a fully frosted back panel is a defrost-circuit verdict, not a compressor one, and a coil that re-ices within weeks of a manual thaw is heat not reaching the fins.
• Worn or compression-set door gaskets are a quiet runs-constantly driver and a common Toronto call on older MFI/MSS units: a gasket that no longer seals lets cold air leak out and warm room air in, so the compressor runs far longer than it should to hold temperature, and a door not shutting tight also lets the evaporator coil ice over. RepairClinic names a torn or defective door gasket as a runs-constantly cause. We run a dollar-bill seal test around the perimeter, confirm the French doors are square and not held ajar by an overloaded in-door bin, and replace the model-coded perimeter gasket if it's set or torn before condemning any electrical part, because a leaking gasket reads identical to a weak compressor until the seal is checked.
• The Whirlpool/Maytag JAZZ main control board WPW10503278 (AP6022400; supersedes W10165748 / 8208187) is the no-code runs-constantly cause when every metered component reads good: it is the adaptive-defrost timer AND the compressor/fan controller, so when it mistimes or skips defrost the coil slowly ices, airflow fades, and the compressor runs progressively longer over several days with NO display fault code (these boards surface only the 'PO' power-outage flag to the homeowner). Because the board does so much, the honest sequence is to prove the condenser fan (W11127829), evaporator fan (WPW10189703), thermistor (WPW10384183), heater (WP12729128) and thermostat (WPW10225581) all good FIRST, then condemn the JAZZ board, never lead with the most expensive part.

Maytag running constantly / never shuts off in Toronto — the local specifics

• The recurring Maytag-in-Toronto runs-constantly pattern is a clean split: on dusty condo and rental MFI/MFF units it's almost always a dust-blanketed toe-kick coil or a tired W11127829 condenser fan, while on the older cold-control and pre-2007 Maytag-built boxes it's a WP2198202 thermostat that won't cycle the compressor off. The trap we see most is a fridge that 'runs all the time but feels cold-ish' which turns out to be thermistor drift (WPW10384183) or a slowly icing coil from a stalled defrost circuit, not a failing compressor, so the cheap fix gets sold instead of an expensive sealed-system quote.
• We roll to these calls carrying the runs-constantly fast-movers: the W11127829 condenser fan motor, WPW10189703 evaporator fan, WPW10384183 thermistor, the WPW10225581 defrost thermostat with the WP12729128 heater, and the WP2198202 cold control for older units, plus a coil brush/vacuum to clear the toe-kick before anything is metered. The JAZZ board WPW10503278 is ordered to the model/serial only after those are proven good.

For the full Maytag refrigerator module — every fault, part number and code — see Maytag refrigerator repair in Toronto, and for the same fault across all brands the refrigerator running constantly / never shuts off guide.