Briggs & Stratton Reviews

Bought this snowblower last year, only ran it six times total, and it's already a complete lemon. The directional chute keeps freezing up, the control handle barely moves the chute halfway, the auger won't engage when you start it up, and a retaining screw from the gas cap fell off and ended up in the fuel tank which really worries me about engine damage. The electric starter switch just snapped off completely and the foil-like metal bracket broke. The throttle lever won't stay where you set it and keeps moving around, which causes the engine to bog down. I don't know what else is going to fail next. Absolutely do not recommend this to anyone.

The Australian Briggs and Stratton sales and service team is basically nonexistent. I sent emails four days back with zero response. I ended up reaching out to the New Zealand office, and Sarah got back to me in just an hour and a half with actual enthusiasm to help. The Australian operation needs to take some serious notes from their New Zealand colleagues about how to run customer service.

My experience with Briggs and Stratton's India operations has been terrible. After two decades of partnership, the company used underhanded tactics to force us out as a distributor. They dumped inventory on us and then favored other distributors for personal reasons, ultimately removing us from the network. According to their policy, they won't take back any remaining stock after you're terminated. Now they're facing declining after-sales support since they want to sell directly to customers and bypass distributors completely. The management lacks vision for growing the business, and anyone who questions their practices or points out ethical issues gets pushed out without explanation. That's exactly what happened to us when we tried to address misconduct. It's a deeply frustrating situation after all the work we put in to help establish their business.

I placed an order on the Briggs and Stratton website for a part that showed available stock at checkout. Then I got notified that the item was backordered until October. I right away asked for a cancellation based on their stated policy allowing returns for backordered items and even submitted documentation to prove it. Customer service kept rejecting my request, claiming the item was already being shipped and insisting I wait and then pay return shipping plus a twenty percent restocking fee. After numerous annoying email conversations, I finally got it canceled through their chat support. But the fact that they initially refused to honor their own cancellation policy and threatened me with bogus fees is really disappointing. It shows a lack of transparency and customer consideration, especially around how they handle inventory and cancellations. I'd recommend checking stock status directly with them before you buy and be prepared for frustrating interactions if something goes wrong with your order.

Got stuck in a bad cycle with a Bear Cat chipper that has a Briggs and Stratton engine. The first three years went fine, then suddenly it wouldn't start anymore. The dealer said the carburetor was shot because of ethanol in fuel and charged me about three hundred fifty dollars to replace it. The following year I switched to ethanol-free gas before storing it for the winter, but it still wouldn't start when I needed it again. Another four hundred dollar carburetor replacement from the dealer. Now I'm stuck using only ethanol-free fuel which costs thirty dollars per gallon. Meanwhile, I've got a forty year old Honda mower made in Japan. It runs on regular gas and I've let it sit for years without draining the tank, but it starts on the first pull every single time. If Honda figured out how to make an engine that's reliable, why does Briggs and Stratton keep failing?

Purchased a Husqvarna electric pressure washer from Costco back in March and have used it maybe five or six times. Recently it developed a crack in the pump assembly that's causing leaking and making it completely unusable. The real nightmare started when I tried to get help with the warranty. The phone numbers listed in the documentation just disconnect after a few minutes without connecting you to anyone. Eventually I tracked down a Husqvarna rep who said I needed to speak to their Forest and Garden division, which sent me to yet another number. That department then informed me that Briggs and Stratton actually manufactures all Husqvarna pressure washers and that they're who I need to call. Calling Briggs and Stratton gets you trapped in an automated system directing you to local dealers with no option to reach a real person. Trying to work around the system just results in getting disconnected. Bottom line is there's zero real customer support available for this product. When you pay good money for a recognizable brand, you shouldn't have to jump through this many hoops just to get help.

Got a pressure washer last May and it was always a pain to start, plus it would backfire constantly. By August the pressure completely died and the starter rope got stuck. I spent more than four hours trying every phone number I could find and searching online just trying to file a warranty claim, and I finally gave up because it was pointless. They've made it deliberately hard to reach anyone so they can avoid actually dealing with warranty issues. Skip Briggs and Stratton products and find something else. Their engines are manufactured in China now anyway.

Really pleased with this engine swap. My 2007 40 inch Murray lawn tractor originally came with a 12.5 horsepower cast iron Briggs engine, and after nearly 19 years of use it failed during some brutal summer heat. A brand new mower would've run me anywhere from three to six thousand dollars, so as someone who likes tackling projects myself, I grabbed the EX1900 19 horsepower cast iron Briggs engine instead. The crankshaft diameter matched perfectly, the mounting locations and size were identical to what was on the old engine, and everything else like the throttle cable, fuel line, wiring, and original pulley went right on without any tweaking needed. The upgrade in power is fantastic and makes a huge difference when cutting high grass with the mulch plate. Starting it up and breaking it in was smooth, and this new engine fires up easily, runs quieter than the old one, and has a much smoother operation overall. I also appreciate the easier oil filter design on the newer motor. This saved me thousands of dollars and I'm really grateful for having a compatible replacement option available. THANKYOU!!!!

Swapped out a Briggs engine on my Husqvarna four-wheel drive mower and ran into a nightmare. No warranty paperwork came with it. After I followed up multiple times, they sent me a poor quality photocopy of a single page that clearly wasn't complete. When I questioned the incomplete documentation, the response was that this is exactly what Briggs provides and there's nothing they could do unless I wanted to call Briggs in the States myself. Now I have absolutely no idea what coverage I actually have or how I'd even go about filing a claim. This has to be some of the worst customer service I've ever experienced. It's like they genuinely don't care at all.

New generator arrived with several important parts missing. They won't answer their phones, just trap you in an automated loop that never connects you to anyone. When you call, they tell you to reach out to a local authorized service center, which can't get through to them either. These service centers say they often don't get reimbursed for warranty work and when they do it takes months. The shop wants you to pay them upfront before they might eventually get reimbursed, and then they'll refund your money if that happens. It's a complete lack of support.