KitchenRisk
door-type dishwasher

CMA Dishmachines CMA-180: Used-Buy Risk, Repairs & What to Check

Used CMA Dishmachines CMA-180 buying guide, pump/booster pump risk, recall check, repair costs and what to inspect.

Status: published
Used rangeresearching
RecallON RECORD
Known risks3
Sources16
Verified2026-08-19

⚠ Recall on record for this model family

  • Active/historic safety recall — see dossier CRITICAL VARIANT FLAG verify-before-publish — official notice

Verify the unit's serial number against the official notice before purchase.

Decision status
inspect

used pricing varies; see sources. Biggest documented cost risk: Pump/booster pump. Verify the serial against the official recall notice first. Buy only after inspection.

Confidence 72%
Market context
Not yet verified

Comparable set not yet verified

As of Aug 19, 2026
Repair Risk Matrix

What can make the cheap machine expensive?

Pump/booster pumpmedium

Pump/booster pump: electrical issues (incorrect wiring, damaged capacitor

Cost not yet verified
Wash arm / spray patternmedium

Wash arm / spray pattern: inlet screen clogging at the water connection

Cost not yet verified
Heating elementmedium

Heating element: burnout causes total loss of heat; the sustainer heater

Cost not yet verified

Common questions

What fails on the CMA Dishmachines CMA-180?

The most cited concerns in our evidence record: Pump/booster pump, Wash arm / spray pattern, Heating element. See the risk breakdown above for details and sources.

Is the CMA Dishmachines CMA-180 under recall?

A safety recall exists for this model family — verify the unit's serial number against the official notice linked on this page before buying.

From the research record

  • PRICE: - New (ventless VL family, chefsdeal.com listings): CMA-180-VL (standard): $14,896.20. CMA-180-VL Tall: $19,897.80. CMA-180-VL FL (front loading): $15,580.80. https://www.chefsdeal.com/p/door-type-dishwashers/cma-180-VL https://www.chefsdeal.com/p/door-type-dishwashers/cma-180-VL-Tall https://www.chefsdeal.com/p/door-type-dishwashers/cma-180-VL-FL
  • FAILURES: - Pump/booster pump: electrical issues (incorrect wiring, damaged capacitor) can fail the pump motor; booster pump not running requires checking motor and wiring. https://partsfe.com/blog/post/cma-dishwasher-troubleshooting-guide - Wash arm / spray pattern: inlet screen clogging at the water connection degrades spray pattern and cleaning effectiven
  • REPAIR: - No CMA-180-specific commercial pump/motor/heater $ figures surfaced in search. TODO: unsourced. - Residential-dishwasher proxy figures only (NOT commercial-verified, use with caution as a rough floor — same caveat as the Hobart AM15 dossier): pump motor parts $400-$600 + $150-$250 labor; motor-only $350-$500 avg; pump-only $100-$400. https://home
  • LIFE: - Door-type class general range: 8-12 years typical per one source, 10-15 years per another (same sources used across KitchenRisk dishwasher dossiers — CMA-180 is door-type so this class applies, not the shorter undercounter range). https://www.myshy
  • VIDEO (00:00:08 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH1CWW-55gI): "handling part two of a two-part video how to remove and replace a pump seal"
  • VIDEO (00:00:11 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH1CWW-55gI): "how to remove and replace a pump seal"
  • VIDEO (00:00:11 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH1CWW-55gI): "how to remove and replace a pump seal from any of our AO Smith Magnatech"

Sources

  1. chefsdeal.comweb · research-cited · accessed 2026-08-19
  2. webstaurantstore.comretailer · research-cited · accessed 2026-08-19
  3. cmadishmachines.comweb · research-cited · accessed 2026-08-19
  4. chefsdeal.comweb · research-cited · accessed 2026-08-19
  5. chefsdeal.comweb · research-cited · accessed 2026-08-19
  6. rewonline.comweb · research-cited · accessed 2026-08-19
  7. ckitchen.comweb · research-cited · accessed 2026-08-19
  8. partsfe.comweb · research-cited · accessed 2026-08-19
  9. partstown.comparts-retailer · research-cited · accessed 2026-08-19
  10. homeservicesneeded.comweb · research-cited · accessed 2026-08-19
  11. fixr.comweb · research-cited · accessed 2026-08-19
  12. partstown.comparts-retailer · research-cited · accessed 2026-08-19
  13. partstown.comparts-retailer · research-cited · accessed 2026-08-19
  14. myshyft.comweb · research-cited · accessed 2026-08-19
  15. gofoodservice.comweb · research-cited · accessed 2026-08-19
  16. cpsc.govrecall-authority · official · accessed 2026-08-19