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Appliance Error Codes

Washer, dryer, dishwasher and fridge codes

Your appliance is showing a code. Here is what it means.

Each code page says what the maker says the code means, the checks you can make safely, when to stop and call a technician, and which part usually fixes it. Pick your brand to start.

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A washing machine display lit in amber, showing 0:01 beside the cycle buttons

Browse by brand or problem

LG, Samsung, Bosch and Whirlpool codes

Each brand writes its own codes, and the same letters can mean different things on two brands. Start with the name on the front of the machine. No code on your washer? Pick Washing machines and start from what it is doing.

Laundry inside the drum of a front-load washing machineLGPhoto: Dejan Krsmanovic / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
A hand turning the cycle dial of a stacked front-load washerSamsung
An open built-in dishwasher seen from above, with both racks pulled outBosch
Looking into the empty drum of a clothes dryer through the open doorWhirlpool
A hand placing a blue towel into the drum of a front-load washerWashing machines
A front-load washer and dryer side by side in a laundry roomBefore you fix

Look up a code

The most common codes, by brand

Tap the code on your display. Each page is written from the maker's own support pages.

Any code, any brand

Four steps before you order a part

  1. Write the code down

    Note it exactly: the same letters mean different faults on two brands. OE is a drain code on LG and an overfill code on Samsung.

    Then find your model number

  2. Unplug before you check

    Makers say to turn the appliance off and unplug it before you open a filter or panel.

    How a drain filter check works

  3. Start with water and air

    Most common codes trace back to a closed faucet, a kinked hose, a clogged filter or a blocked vent.

    A water supply code, step by step

  4. Know where to stop

    If the code returns after the maker's checks, the maker sends you to service. That is the point to stop.

    A code that goes straight to service

Water codes

A fill code usually starts at the faucet

Two water supply valves with red handles on a white wall

LG's IE and Samsung's 4C both mean the washer did not get enough water in time. Both makers start with the same checks: open the hot and cold valves fully, straighten the hoses, and clean the small screens where the hoses connect.

Only after those checks does a part come into it, usually the water inlet valve, and only if the code keeps coming back.

Samsung 4C, step by step ยท LG IE, step by step

Parts and tools

Two fixes that clear the most common codes

A dryer vent brush for restricted airflow codes, and new inlet hoses when an old pair is kinked or damaged.

Dryer vent cleaning kits

Shop dryer vent cleaning kits

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Washing machine inlet hoses

Shop washing machine inlet hoses

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Dryer codes

A vent code is a fire-safety warning, not just a slow dryer

A dryer lint screen opened out, with a layer of gray lint caught in the mesh

LG's d80, d90 and d95 codes mean the exhaust duct is 80, 90 or 95 percent restricted. Whirlpool shows "Check Vent" for the same problem.

The U.S. Fire Administration names failure to clean as the leading factor in home clothes dryer fires. Clean the lint screen every load, and have the vent run cleaned when the code returns.

What to do about an LG d80 code

Common questions

Suds, dishwasher drains and fridge codes

A man pouring liquid detergent into the dispenser drawer of a stacked washerSamsung SUd: too many sudsWhy the washer pauses, and the detergent change that stops it.
A woman bending to load the lower rack of a dishwasher in a bright kitchenBosch E24: the dishwasher will not drainThe filter, the pump cover and the disposal plug, in Bosch's order.Photo: Shixart1985 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
A woman holding a glass pitcher at an open refrigeratorSamsung refrigerator codesFan, sensor and power codes, and the mode that switches the cooling off.

When to stop and call a technician

The makers' own pages draw the line. Book service when:

  • The code comes back after the maker's checks and a restart.
  • The fix means opening the cabinet, the control panel or anything wired to the mains.
  • The appliance runs on gas or the problem is in a refrigerator's sealed cooling system.
  • You smell gas: leave the home and call the gas utility from outside, as the CPSC advises.

Have your model number ready

Guides

Recently added codes

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