Guide · Appliance repair

Appliance Error Codes, Read Before You Reset

Write the code down exactly as it shows, then find its meaning below. The tech starts the visit by testing the part it points to.

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Close view of a lit appliance control panel display

A code names the circuit that failed, not always the part

An appliance error code is the control board recording which check failed: the drain took too long, the door didn’t lock, a sensor read out of range. Silver Spring Appliance Fix takes appliance repair calls across Silver Spring and the Maryland suburbs, and the code is the first detail we pass on to the tech.

The code narrows the search. An F9 E1 on a Whirlpool front-loader says the water isn’t leaving fast enough, and the cause can be a sock in the pump filter, a kinked hose or a pump motor that has quit. Testing on the visit tells them apart.

Codes change between models of the same brand. Treat each meaning here as “usually” and give us the model number from the tag so the tech can check it against your unit.

Codes that mean stop using it

GE F2 or F20 on an oven: switch the breaker off.
Bosch or Thermador E15: shut the water to the dishwasher.
A washer stopped full of water: unplug it and leave the door shut.
Any gas smell: leave the house and call 911 from outside.

Once it’s safe, phone us with the code and the model number.

Whirlpool and Maytag washer stopped with a code

Maytag is a Whirlpool Corporation brand, and many Maytag washers show the same codes as the Whirlpool models below. The model number on the tag confirms which set yours uses. Meanings follow Whirlpool’s own product help pages.

Code	Washer	What it means	What the tech checks
F9 E1	Front-load	Draining is taking longer than expected, typically over 8 minutes	Drain pump and its filter, the hose, and a standpipe between 39 and 96 inches tall
F8 E1 or LO FL	Front-load	Low water flow into the drum	Supply hoses, the inlet screens and the water inlet valve
F5 E2	Front-load	The door isn’t locking	Door lock assembly, the strike and the wiring to the lock
F7 E1	Front-load	The motor can’t reach the speed the cycle asks for	Drive motor, its speed sensor and the motor control board
LF, Lo FL or F8 E1	Top-load HE	Taking too long to fill (it needs both hot and cold)	Both supply lines and the inlet valve
drn or Ld	Top-load HE	Not draining, or draining too slowly	Drain pump, hose depth in the standpipe and siphoning at the outlet
LdL	Top-load HE	The lid won’t lock	Lid lock and the detergent buildup around it
F# E#	Either	A system error logged by the control	Whatever circuit the number points to, read from the service data

Sud or Sd on either type means too many suds, and the washer extends its rinse on its own. Use HE detergent only. The washer repair page covers bearings, drums and leaks that don’t throw a code.

Whirlpool dryer showing AF, L2 or PF

AF or F4 E3: restricted airflow
The lint screen or the vent is clogged, or the vent is crushed, kinked or has too many turns. The dryer keeps running, slowly. Long or crushed vent runs, and what they do to the heating parts, are on the dryer repair page.
L2: low or no line voltage
An electric dryer runs on two breakers. One can trip while the drum still turns, leaving the heater dead. The tech checks both legs of the supply before opening the cabinet.
PF: power failure
An outage interrupted the cycle. Press and hold Start to restart. A PF with no outage anywhere in the house is worth mentioning when you phone.
F# E#: a fault that needs service
Whirlpool says the control found a problem that needs a technician. Read us both numbers.

GE range or wall oven flashing an F code

GE’s guidance for every range and wall oven code is to have it serviced. What changes is urgency and which part gets tested first.

F2 or F20: The oven passed its temperature limit. Leave it off at the breaker until it is checked.
F3 or F4: The oven temperature sensor, which usually needs replacing.
F9 or FC: A part in the door lock circuit has failed.
F0, F1, F6 or F7: The keypanel, the touch controls on the front.
F5, F8 or FF: The electronic control board.
FD: The meat probe or the jack it plugs into.
F350: The upper cooling fan circuit, or something blocking the fan.

Bake elements and igniters that fail without a code are on the oven and range repair page.

GE dishwasher stuck on C1, C3 or H2O

GE dishwasher codes start with C, and most of them are about water leaving the tub. C1 means pump-out ran past 2 minutes, C2 means a full drain cycle ran past 7, and C3 means it isn’t draining at all. A clogged air gap, a kinked hose or a disposal it drains through can all cause them, as can the drain pump itself.

GE notes that not every code appears on every model.

C4: Filled twice after a power failure; a stuck float switch or a clogged sump
C6: Incoming water below about 120°F
C7: Water temperature sensor circuit failed
C8: Detergent cup can’t open fully
FTD or F56: Failure to drain
H2O: Low water level in the tub
999: Possible leak detected

Bosch dishwasher with E15, E24 or E25

E15 means the safety switch found water in the base of the dishwasher, and leak protection has kicked in. Shut the water supply to the unit and phone. On the visit the tech finds where that water came from before the base is dried and the switch can reset.

E24 says it isn’t draining properly, usually from a blocked drain filter, and Bosch also lists bends in the hose and a disposal knockout plug left in after a new disposal goes in. E25 points at the drain pump itself: blocked, or with its cover loose or missing.

Thermador dishwashers come from the same parent company and use the same numbers for these faults. The Thermador repair page lists its full set.

Codes from Samsung, LG, Wolf and Miele

Each of these brands has its own page with its code tables beside its warranty terms. Samsung codes such as 4C, 5C and 22E are on the Samsung page, and LG codes like OE, dE and Er FF are on the LG page. Wolf induction and steam oven codes live on the Wolf repair page, and Miele dishwasher codes such as F11 sit with the dishwasher repair page.

Before you reset the appliance

Will turning the power off clear the code?

Sometimes. GE says a minute or two with the breaker off may clear a range code. If it comes back, the fault is real and the part behind it needs testing. Write the code down before you try, since some controls forget it.

Does a code mean the control board is bad?

Rarely on its own. Most codes name the circuit that failed a check, like the drain, the door lock or a sensor. The board itself is the suspect only for a few codes, such as GE’s F5, F8 and FF on ranges.

My code isn’t in this library. Now what?

Read it to us exactly as it shows, with the model number from the tag. Codes vary by model even inside one brand, and the tech looks it up against your model’s service data on the visit.

Can I keep using the range while it shows a code?

GE’s advice is to leave the oven off at the breaker until it is serviced. The breaker can be switched back on to use the surface burners or elements in the meantime.

A code on the display you can't clear?

Read it to us letter by letter when we answer, along with the model number. That's enough to book the visit and send the tech to the right part.

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