Washer Error Codes Explained: Samsung, LG, Whirlpool, GE and Maytag

Every washer brand has its own alphabet, and most of it describes the same five failures: it will not drain, it will not fill, it cannot balance the load, the door or lid is not locked, or the motor cannot turn. The same fault wears a different name on each control panel. Here are the codes we see most on South Florida service calls, brand by brand, with what you can clear yourself and what needs a part.

Samsung

• 5C, 5E, nd: will not drain. Clear the pump filter behind the small lower door on front-loaders. If the code returns, the drain pump has failed. $180 to $320.
• 4C, 4E: not filling. Check both taps are open and the inlet screens are clear. A failed inlet valve is $160 to $280.
• UC, UE, Ub: unbalanced. Redistribute a single heavy item. If it happens on every load, suspension rods (top-load) or shock absorbers (front-load), $200 to $380.
• dC, dE, dL: door or lid lock. $180 to $310.
• 3E, 3C: motor fault, hall sensor or wiring. $180 to $350.
• LC, LE1: leak sensor in the base found water. A real leak or a splash; we trace it. $140 to $260 plus the part.
• Stuck at 1 minute: not a code, a Samsung habit. Usually a slow drain or a balance problem the machine keeps trying to fix. Drain first.

LG

• OE: will not drain. Pump filter first; then the pump, $180 to $320. A drain hose pushed too deep into the standpipe siphons and gives the same code.
• IE: not filling. Taps, screens, then the inlet valve, $160 to $280.
• UE: unbalanced. Single heavy item, or rods and shocks, $220 to $380.
• dE, dE1, dE2: door lock or a door boot holding the door open. $190 to $320.
• LE: motor position error. Hall sensor on the direct-drive motor, sometimes a chafed harness, rarely the stator. $170 to $300. The motor itself is under LG’s ten-year part warranty on most models.
• FE: overfilling, inlet valve stuck open. $160 to $280.
• PE: water level sensor. $150 to $260.
• CL: child lock. Not a fault; hold the button the display names.

Whirlpool, Maytag, Amana and Kenmore (Whirlpool-built)

• F21, F9 E1, F02: long drain. Pump inlet behind the lower panel on front-loaders; pump from the back on top-loaders. $120 to $310.
• F5 E2, F5 E3, dL: lid or door lock. $150 to $290.
• F7 E1, F7 E5: motor or drive. Capacitor, rotor position sensor or the motor. We meter first; a capacitor is $120, a motor $420. Maytag motors are under a ten-year part warranty on most models.
• F0 E3, oL: overload, too much laundry. Remove some and restart.
• F8 E1: not filling. Taps, screens, inlet valve, $150 to $270.
• F1 E1, F1 E2: main control board. We check the lock and the motor first; a lock failed open looks like a dead board. Board $240 to $460.
• Sd, Sud: too many suds. Wrong detergent or too much. Run a rinse with no detergent.
• Lid lock light blinking, no code on VMW top-loaders: the shifter actuator, the most replaced Whirlpool part. $160 to $280.

GE

GE washers show fewer codes and blink lights instead. On GTW top-loaders a lid lock light that blinks while the machine sits full is the lid lock or the mode shifter, $150 to $300. A machine that fills and agitates and never spins is the same pair. On Hydrowave models a dead panel is usually the motor inverter board, $220 to $400. GFW front-loaders show E2 and E4 series codes for drain and fill, same parts as everyone else.

Bosch

• E18, E17, E13: drain. Pump filter behind the lower door, then the pump, $120 to $340.
• E23, E36: water in the base pan, aquastop tripped. A leak inside; we trace it and dry the pan. $140 to $260 plus the part.
• E16, E32: door. $200 to $340.
• E29, E12: not filling, often the aquastop hose valve. $160 to $300.
• E02, E67: motor or module. Brushes on older Axxis units are $150; a module is $320 to $560.

What you can clear yourself, on any brand

• Drain codes: empty the pump filter (front-loaders), check the drain hose for kinks and for being pushed more than eight inches into the standpipe.
• Fill codes: both taps fully open, inlet screens rinsed.
• Balance codes: one heavy item wrapped around the drum. Split the load.
• Suds codes: rinse cycle with no detergent, switch to HE detergent.
• Any code: unplug for two minutes. If it returns on the next cycle, it is a part.

What the codes cannot tell you

A code names a symptom, not a part. OE on an LG can be a sock in the filter or a dead pump; F7 E1 on a Whirlpool can be a $30 capacitor or a $400 motor. That is why the diagnosis is a meter and twenty minutes, not a lookup table, and why we quote the part after testing it, not from the code you read us on the phone. The code does get the right part onto the truck, so tell dispatch what the display says.

We repair every washer brand across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, seven days a week, with a $59 service call that is free when you approve the repair. Call (754) 345-4515. Full brand pages with the codes and prices: Samsung, LG, Whirlpool, Maytag, GE, Bosch, and the general washer repair page.