Byron Moore netted for the hosts to set up a grandstand finish but United hung on to triumph 2-1 at Gresty Road.
Crewe should have been in front when Shaun Miller cut back for Lee Bell, only for the midfielder to side-foot the wrong side of the upright.
The home side looked bright but Rotherham took the lead in the 15th minute when Le Fondre lost Carl Martin to head in Lewis Grabban's cross.
Moments later, Martin was in the right place to hack Danny Schofield's low centre to safety seconds before it found the predatory Le Fondre.
Steve Phillips then produced an athletic fingertip save to palm away Le Fondre's stunning 25-yard effort while Ajay Leitch-Smith kept Ryan Cresswell's header from crossing the line from the resulting corner.
Despite intense home pressure after the break Rotherham did double their lead in the 72nd minute, when ex-Miller Dave Artell gave the ball away to substitute Pringle, whose 25-yard shot beat Phillips via a deflection.
Moore pulled one back for the Alex two minutes later, slotting Miller's cut-back low into the far corner.
And Crewe almost got the equaliser when Conrad Logan parried Ashley Westwood's long-rage strike into the path of Miller, but the visiting keeper stood firm to save again and deny the forward to ensure Rotherham left with the points.
Source: DSG