Error codes · Maytag · Dishwashers

Maytag dishwasher error codes: water in, water out, or the heater — the Clean light spells it.

A Maytag dishwasher prints Whirlpool's F-and-E codes on a display; a model with no display blinks the Clean (or Start) light in two groups that spell the same code. Most are the fill, the drain or the heater, and the fill-and-drain ones usually end at the hose under the sink. Find the code, take the checks in order, then reset.

Covers: 2015-and-newer Maytag dishwashers — MDB4949, MDB4959, MDB5969, MDB7959, MDB8959 and the current MDB7xxx/8xxx/9xxx with the PowerBlast cycle, on a display or a status-light panel.

Maytag · First

Before you clear it

Maytag prints F-and-E codes like Whirlpool (F9E1); top-load washers also print two-letter codes (Lid, dL, LF, Ld).

1

The code on a display: F8E1 — the F names the system (8 is the drain), the E the fault inside it. A dishwasher with no display blinks the Clean light the F number, pauses, then the E number, and repeats; count both halves. An older no-display Maytag that blinked Clean seven times was saying the heater — F7E1 today.

2

The reset: press and hold Cancel (or Cancel/Drain) for three seconds so the dishwasher drains, then switch its breaker off for one full minute. A code that comes back on the next Normal cycle is real.

3

The diagnostic (it reads the saved faults back): door closed and the dishwasher idle, press any three cycle or option keys in the order 1-2-3, three times over, inside eight seconds; the service cycle starts and the stored codes show on the display, or blink on the Clean light, at its end.

4

The model and serial plate is on the door's edge — open the door and look at the left or right side of the inner door, near the top.

5

Water under the dishwasher, or water that keeps coming in with the dishwasher off: switch the breaker off and close the supply valve under the sink before anything else.

Section 1 of 3

Water in, water out

F6E1#1
Check, then call
Code

No water — long fill

What it means

The dishwasher opened the fill valve and the water did not come in, or not enough of it, inside the time allowed.

Check first
  1. The supply valve under the sink (the small lever on the hot line that feeds the dishwasher) is fully open.
  2. The hot water at the sink runs; a dishwasher fills from the hot line, and a closed valve at the water heater or a slow well pump starves it.
  3. The float in the tub's floor (the small dome at the front) lifts and drops freely — a glass shard or a fork tine under it holds it up and the fill never starts.
  4. Reset and run Rinse Only; listen for the fill in the first minute.
The fix

Open the valve and clear the float, and the code clears. A dishwasher with water to the valve, a free float and no fill is the water inlet valve — a part, replaced at the front left behind the kick panel.

Stop & call

No fill with the supply open and the float free is the inlet valve — a service call. Leave the supply valve closed meanwhile.

F6E4#2
Check, then call
Code

Float switch — too much water

What it means

The float in the tub's floor rose and tripped its switch: the water is higher than it should be, or the float is stuck up.

Check first
  1. Lift and drop the float dome by hand; it should move freely and click. Clear whatever is under it.
  2. Is the tub actually full? Water over the float with the dishwasher off means the fill valve is not closing — close the supply valve under the sink.
  3. Reset and run Rinse Only.
The fix

A free float and a normal water line clear it. Water rising with the dishwasher off is the inlet valve — a part; a float that reads tripped while the tub is dry is the float switch.

Stop & call

Water that keeps coming in with the dishwasher off is a valve stuck open — keep the supply valve under the sink closed and call it in.

F8E1#3
Fix at home
Code

Slow drain

What it means

The drain pump ran and the water in the sump did not go down in time.

Check first
  1. A newly installed dishwasher, or a new garbage disposal: the knockout plug in the disposal's dishwasher inlet is still in. It is punched out from inside the disposal with a screwdriver and a tap.
  2. The drain hose rises in a high loop under the counter before it meets the disposal or the sink tailpiece; a hose lying flat on the cabinet floor backs up.
  3. The disposal is clear and runs; a disposal full of peels backs the dishwasher up into the sump.
  4. The filter in the tub's floor (twist and lift) is clean — rice, labels and glass sit in the sump below it; lift the cover and clear it.
The fix

Punch the knockout, loop the hose, clean the filter and the sump, and run Cancel/Drain. A dishwasher that drains with a clear hose into an empty sink and still prints F8E1 has a pump wearing out — a part.

F8E2#4
Check, then call
Code

Drain pump fault

What it means

The control drove the drain pump and read an electrical fault — the pump's winding is open, or something has it jammed.

Check first
  1. Lift the filter and the sump cover and look for a piece of glass or a toothpick wedged in the pump's impeller at the bottom; turn it with a finger — it should spin with only a little resistance.
  2. Reset and run Cancel/Drain; listen for the pump's hum.
The fix

A jammed impeller cleared by hand runs again. A pump that is free and silent, or hums and will not turn, is the drain pump — a part, replaced from below.

Stop & call

F8E2 with a free impeller is a service call. The dishwasher cannot finish a cycle until the pump is changed.

Section 2 of 3

Heat, sensors and the spray

F7E1#5
Service call
Code

Heater fault

What it means

The heating element in the floor of the tub did not heat when driven, or the control read it open — the dishes come out wet and Sanitize or Heated Dry never finishes.

Check first
  1. Reset (breaker off one minute) and run Normal with Heated Dry; feel the door at the end — warm means the heater works and it was a one-off.
The fix

A heater that never warms is the element (the loop in the tub's floor) or its relay on the control — a part, a technician's job. An older no-display model blinks Clean seven times for the same thing.

Stop & call

F7E1 after a reset is a service call. The dishwasher washes cold meanwhile — run Normal, skip Heated Dry, and towel the dishes.

F1E1#6
Check, then call
Code

Temperature and soil sensor

What it means

The sensor in the sump that reads the water's temperature and how dirty it is (the thermistor/OWI) reads open or shorted.

Check first
  1. Pull the lower rack and lift the filter; the sensor's window sits in the sump — wipe the grease film off it with a soft cloth.
  2. Reset and run Normal.
The fix

A clean sensor that still prints F1E1 is the thermistor/OWI assembly — a part under the sump; a service call.

Stop & call

F1E1 after a cleaning and a reset is a service call; the dishwasher still washes meanwhile but cannot judge the water.

F4E3#7
Check, then call
Code

Diverter fault

What it means

The diverter under the sump turns the water between the lower spray arm and the upper arms; the control moved it and could not find its position.

Check first
  1. Pull the lower rack, lift out the lower spray arm, and look for food, a label or glass in the diverter cap in the center of the sump; rinse it.
  2. Reset and run Normal.
The fix

A clear diverter that still prints F4E3 is the diverter motor or its position sensor — a part under the tub; a service call.

Stop & call

F4E3 after a cleaning and a reset is a service call; the top rack goes unwashed until it is changed.

Section 3 of 3

The panel, the door and the boards

F2E1#8
Fix at home
Code

Stuck key

What it means

A key has read as pressed for too long.

Check first
  1. Press each key once and feel for one that does not come back up.
  2. Wipe the panel dry — a wet hand or a cleaner left on the buttons holds a key down.
  3. Breaker off one minute.
The fix

A key still stuck after cleaning is the user interface (the panel in the door's edge or face) — a part.

F2E2#9
Service call
Code

Panel and control not talking

What it means

The user interface and the main control lost communication, or the two do not match each other (a panel replaced with the wrong one).

Check first
  1. Breaker off five full minutes, on again, start a cycle.
The fix

F2E2 that returns is the harness between the two or one of the boards — a service call.

Stop & call

F2E2 after a five-minute power-down is a service call; nothing at home reaches either board.

F5E1#10
Check, then call
Code

Door switch or latch

What it means

The door latch did not report closed, or the door opened during the cycle.

Check first
  1. Close the door firmly until the latch clicks; a rack pushed in crooked, or a tall pot against the door, keeps it from latching.
  2. The strike plate on the tub frame is tight and clean.
  3. Reset and start again.
The fix

A latched door that still reads open is the door latch assembly (the switch is inside it) — a part behind the inner door panel.

Stop & call

F5E1 with the door latched after a reset is a service call.

F9E1#11
Service call
Code

Control electrical fault

What it means

The control found a relay on its own board stuck on, or a circuit it drives drawing current when it should not.

Check first
  1. Breaker off five minutes, on again, run Rinse Only.
The fix

F9E1 that returns is the control board — a part; a service call. A board with a relay stuck on can keep the heater or a pump running, so leave the breaker off until it is seen.

Stop & call

F9E1 after a reset is a service call. Switch the breaker off and leave it off — a stuck relay is not something to run around.

Lock#12

Also printed as Control Lock · Loc

Fix at home
Code

Control lock on

What it means

Not a fault. The buttons are locked so a child cannot start the dishwasher; the lock light is on and nothing answers.

Check first
  1. Press and hold the key the panel marks Control Lock (on many, Heated Dry or Cycle Signal) for three seconds until the light goes out.
The fix

The panel answers again.

Warranty · When to file

When it's a warranty call

Every unit leaves with the manufacturer's full factory warranty. The codes below name a part inside the machine — once the checks have ruled out the install, the power and the hoses, call Maytag's line with the model and serial, and text us if you want a hand with the claim.

All units are surplus inventory (open box, cancelled order, customer return, overstock, or minor scratch & dent). Every unit includes the manufacturer's full factory warranty. Please inspect thoroughly in person before purchasing — cosmetic imperfections or missing accessories are possible.

Still stuck?

Text us the model number and what it's doing — we'll point you at the next step.

A fix, a part, or a warranty call — the plate's model and serial plus one line about the symptom is all it takes to tell which.

These pages are educational. Every appliance is a little different — follow the manufacturer's manual and local code, and leave gas, water heater and 240V work to a licensed installer.