UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): March 10, 2009
WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as Specified in Charter)
| Delaware | 1-3932 | 38-1490038 | ||
| (State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) |
| 2000 M-63 North, Benton Harbor, Michigan | 49022-2692 | |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
(269) 923-5000
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| ¨ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ¨ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
| ITEM 8.01. | Other Events. |
In a joint press release issued today with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Maytag Corporation, a subsidiary of Whirlpool Corporation, announced a voluntary recall of 1.8 million refrigerators sold in the U.S. and Canada between 2001 and 2004. The recall is due to a defect in an electrical relay component purchased from a supplier. Maytag’s actual costs related to this action will depend on several factors, including the number of consumers who respond to the recall, the costs of repair and administration, and whether costs will be recovered from the supplier.
For the full-year 2009, Whirlpool Corporation continues to expect earnings per diluted share from continuing operations to be in the range of $3.00 to $4.00, and free cash flow for the year to be from $300 million to $400 million. For a reconciliation of cash provided by continuing operations determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in the United States to free cash flow, a non-GAAP measure, see Whirlpool Corporation’s Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION | ||||||
| Date: March 10, 2009 | By: | /s/ ROBERT J. LAFOREST | ||||
| Name: | Robert J. LaForest | |||||
| Title: | Vice President and Associate General Counsel | |||||