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Faultsheet

369 codes · 15 brands

Washer will not lock or unlock its door

32 error codes across 7 washer brands mean this. The fastest route is your own code, so start there.

Does the cycle refuse to start, or the door refuse to open at the end?

If the machine shows a code, find your brand below. 9 of these codes have a full page with the free checks in order; the rest open the brand table at their row.

LG

  • dELG washer error dE means the door is not locking, so the cycle will not start. It can also appear as dE1, dEL or dE2.Medium

Maytag

  • F5E2Maytag washer error F5E2 means the door cannot lock. Debris in the lock assembly and a loose wiring connection are both checks before the part.Medium
  • LdLLdL means the lid is not locking.Medium
  • LdULdU means the washer has detected objects on the lid that are preventing it from unlocking.Medium
  • LL means the lid lock failed on a stackable laundry centre.Medium
  • 1E1E means the lid lock failed.Medium
  • 9E9E means the door switch failed.Medium
  • F5E1F5E1 means the door switch has failed: the washer has not seen the door open for three loads in a row, or reads the switch as open while the door is locked.Medium
  • F5E3F5E3 means the washer will not unlock the door.Medium

Samsung

  • dCdC means the door will not lock, so the washer cannot start the cycle.Medium
  • LOLO means the door will not unlock — the washer has tried seven times and given up.Medium
  • FLFL means the door failed to lock after seven attempts, so the washer stops rather than starting the cycle.Medium
  • dsds means the washer read the door as open while it was locking it.Medium

Whirlpool

  • F5E2Whirlpool washer error F5E2 means the washer cannot engage the lid lock. The manufacturer points first at something obstructing the lock area.Medium
  • F22Whirlpool washer error F22 means the front door lock has failed, so the washer will not start the cycle.Medium
  • F5E1F5E1 points to the door switch — the washer cannot confirm the door is shut.Medium
  • F5E3Whirlpool washer error F5E3 means the door is not locking properly, which stops the cycle before it starts.Medium
  • F5E4F5E4 means the washer has been started several times without the door or lid ever being opened in between. Opening and shutting it clears the code.Medium
  • FdUFdU on a Duet is a door unlock error: the machine tried to unlock six times and failed. PartSelect gives a manual release procedure.Medium
  • dUdU means something is resting on the lid and stopping it from unlocking.Medium
  • dLOdLO means the lid is not locking — either the lock will not engage or it has failed.Medium
  • LdLLdL means the lid is not locking — the lid lock will not engage, or has failed.Medium
  • LdULdU means the washer has detected something on the lid that is stopping it from unlocking.Medium
  • Lid light flashingA flashing Lid light means the washer cannot confirm the lid is closed and locked. Newer washers will not fill, wash, drain, rinse or spin with the lid open.Medium
  • FdLFdL on a Duet is a door lock error: the machine tried to lock six times and failed.Medium
  • LSLS on a Calypso is a lid switch error: the machine cannot tell whether the lid opened or closed.Medium

GE

  • dEdE means the lid is open.Medium

KitchenAid

  • FdUFdU is a door unlock error: the machine tried to unlock six times and failed. There is a manual release.Medium
  • FdLFdL is a door lock error: the machine tried to lock six times and failed.Medium

Speed Queen

  • doordoor is the door-open indicator. If the door is actually shut, the door switch or its wiring is the suspect.Medium
  • E:dLE:dL is a door lock error — the lock will not engage.Medium
  • E:dOE:dO means the door was open during a running cycle.Medium

No code shown?

Every step below is already verified on the code pages it links back to. It appears here because two independent publishers each documented it for two different manufacturers’ machines — so it is not one company’s house advice, and not one repair site’s wording reused across brands.

  1. Close the door or lid firmly and check nothing is caught in the latch — it can look shut without being latched.

    4 manufacturers · 3 independent publishers · verified on GE dE, Maytag F5E2, Samsung dC, Speed Queen E:dO, Speed Queen door, Whirlpool F22, Whirlpool F5E1, Whirlpool F5E3, Whirlpool Lid light flashing

  2. With the washer unplugged, check the door lock assembly and its wiring to the main control board for damage or a loose connection.

    3 manufacturers · 2 independent publishers · verified on Maytag F5E2, Maytag F5E3, Samsung FL, Samsung dC, Speed Queen E:dL, Speed Queen E:dO, Speed Queen door, Whirlpool F22, Whirlpool FdL, Whirlpool FdU

  3. Clear anything caught in the lock or under the lid — clothing, packaging left on a new machine, or detergent build-up on the striker.

    2 manufacturers · 3 independent publishers · verified on KitchenAid FdU, LG dE, Maytag F5E2, Maytag LdL, Whirlpool F5E2, Whirlpool FdU, Whirlpool LdL, Whirlpool Lid light flashing, Whirlpool dLO

  4. Open the door or lid, close it again, and restart the cycle.

    2 manufacturers · 3 independent publishers · verified on Maytag F5E1, Speed Queen E:dL, Whirlpool F5E2, Whirlpool F5E4

  5. Reset the control: unplug the washer for five minutes, then plug it back in.

    2 manufacturers · 2 independent publishers · verified on LG dE, Whirlpool F5E1, Whirlpool F5E2, Whirlpool F5E3, Whirlpool F5E4

  6. To open a door that stays locked, unplug the washer and use the manual release behind the toe panel rather than forcing it — forcing it damages the lock assembly.

    2 manufacturers · 2 independent publishers · verified on KitchenAid FdU, Samsung LO, Whirlpool F5E3, Whirlpool FdU

These are not in likelihood order. No source ranks a symptom’s causes across brands, so the list is ordered by how widely each step is corroborated. Your own code’s page does put its checks in order — that is the better place to start if the machine is showing one.