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ErrBase

Kenmore Washer Error Codes

All Kenmore washer error codes with step-by-step troubleshooting, multimeter specs, and OEM part numbers.

44 error codes

CodeMeaning
417-REPAIR-PARTSThe 417 prefix means Frigidaire built this machine for Sears to sell under the Kenmore name. To get the right parts, you need to match the full model suffix to the correct Frigidaire or Electrolux component, since they made these things across several decades with internal changes along the way.
moderateintermediate
5dThe washer's pressure sensor or optical sensor has detected excessive foam in the drum. The wash cycle pauses automatically to allow the suds to dissipate before resuming, to protect the pump and prevent suds from overflowing.
moderatebeginner
795-PARTS-IDThe 795 prefix tells you this is an LG-built Kenmore front-loader. When it breaks down, you're cross-referencing a Sears catalog number against LG's internal part numbering. Get both numbers right and the repair's actually pretty straightforward.
moderateintermediate
BANGING-SPINThe tub's swinging outside its normal range and hitting the cabinet walls. That happens when the four suspension rods or shocks that hold the tub lose their dampening ability and can't keep up with the centrifugal force at high RPM. Basically the tub's got nothing holding it in place anymore.
highintermediate
CLEANINGThis is routine maintenance, not an error code. You're triggering a process to strip out biofilm, mold spores, detergent residue, and hard water scale that accumulates inside the drum, hoses, and seals during normal use. The machine doesn't necessarily tell you when to do it, which is the whole problem.
lowbeginner
CLEANINGThis is a routine maintenance procedure that removes detergent residue, biofilm, and mold spores from the internal drum and outer tub. Basically your machine is telling you it needs a bath of its own.
lowbeginner
DONE-SYMPTOMThe control board ran its startup self-check, got a bad response from the lid lock or shift actuator, and aborted the cycle. It's defaulting to Done instead of displaying a specific fault code. The machine's not broken beyond repair, it's just telling you something failed the initial handshake.
moderateintermediate
DOOR-LOCK-FAILKenmore washer door lock problems occur when the mechanical latch or electrical solenoid fails to engage, preventing the control board from initiating the wash or spin cycles for safety. This usually indicates a broken plastic strike, a burnt-out wax motor, or a faulty communication signal to the main computer.
highintermediate
ELITE-HUBKenmore Elite washers fire these codes when the control board detects a failure it can't recover from on its own. F21 means the Whirlpool-built version couldn't drain in time. LE means the LG-built motor locked up. OE is the LG drain error. F5E2 means the door lock didn't confirm closed before the cycle tried to start.
moderatebeginner
F02F02 means the washer's drain cycle ran longer than 8 minutes without the pressure switch resetting to empty. The control board cuts the cycle and throws the code to protect the pump motor from burning out against a blockage.
moderateintermediate
F1F1 means the main control board has either failed internally or can't get a valid signal from the water level pressure sensor circuit. The board doesn't know how much water's in the tub, so it kills everything rather than guess wrong.
highintermediate
F21The washer control board has detected a long drain condition, meaning the water is not exiting the tub within the allotted eight minute timeframe.
highintermediate
F29The F29 error code on a Kenmore washer indicates a door lock failure. This happens when the Central Control Unit (CCU) attempts to lock the door three times and fails to receive the 'Locked' signal from the door switch assembly.
highintermediate
F5 E1F5 E1 means the control board sent the command to lock the lid but never got confirmation that it actually locked. Could be the lock itself, the wiring, or occasionally the board just glitched out and needs a reset.
highintermediate
F5 E2The main control board has detected that the lid lock assembly is not engaging properly or the lock switch is failing to communicate its status. This prevents the washer from starting any cycle for safety reasons.
highintermediate
F50F50 means the control board sent a signal to spin the motor but got zero confirmation back from the Rotor Position Sensor. Think of it like your car's speedometer going dead while the engine's still running fine. The motor might actually be OK, but the board has no idea what's happening and shuts everything down.
highintermediate
F51The F51 error code indicates a failure with the Rotor Position Sensor (RPS). This sensor tells the main control board how fast the motor is spinning and in which direction. When the signal is lost, the washer shuts down to prevent motor damage.
highintermediate
F52The Motor Control Unit expected to see a zero-speed signal from the motor's tachometer within a set timeframe after the spin cycle ended. It didn't get that signal, so it shut everything down. Basically the controller can't confirm the drum stopped, and it's not going to guess.
highintermediate
FDLFDL stands for Door Lock Failure. The Central Control Unit tried to engage the door lock six times in a row and never got the confirmation signal back. That signal tells the CCU it's safe to let water in. No signal, no cycle. Pretty simple self-protection logic, actually.
highintermediate
HE3-NO-SPINThe control board has decided conditions aren't safe enough to spin. It's either sensing water still in the tub, can't confirm the door is locked, or lost communication with the drive motor. The board just sits there waiting for a green light it's never going to get.
highintermediate
HOW-TO-STARTOperational guide for initiating wash cycles on Kenmore top-load and front-load machines.
low
HOW-TO-USEUsage guide for Kenmore front-load and top-load washers. Covers which detergent to use and how much, how full to load the drum, which cycle to pick for different fabric types, and how to keep the tub clean so you don't end up with mildew smell and error codes.
lowbeginner
HUBReference guide covering Kenmore washer fault codes across all series. The 100 and 200 series use the Whirlpool/Maytag platform. The 400 and 500 series use the LG platform. Error codes differ between platforms.
lowbeginner
LDLD stands for Long Drain. Your washer's control board is basically a timer, and it expects all the water gone within about five to eight minutes. If the pressure switch never sends the 'tub is empty' signal back to the board, LD fires and shuts the whole cycle down.
moderateintermediate
LDThe Kenmore Oasis displays LD when it takes longer than 8-10 minutes to empty the tub. The pressure switch basically tattles on the pump, reporting that water's still present past the timeout. It's usually a physical blockage or a dead pump motor, occasionally a failed control board relay.
highintermediate
LEThe motor stalled or can't rotate under load. The control board detected excessive current draw, meaning the motor's struggling or completely stopped, and cut the cycle to prevent it from burning out.
highintermediate
MODEL-110-GUIDEThe 110 is Sears' internal manufacturer code for Whirlpool-built machines. When you see it, you know the motor, transmission, and electrical platform all came out of a Whirlpool factory. That unlocks a huge cross-reference catalog of parts that work across Kenmore, Whirlpool, Maytag, Amana, and Roper washers from the same era.
lowbeginner
MODEL-600-SERIESThis isn't really an error code. It's a guide to figuring out which exact Kenmore 600 series machine you've got. The 600 series covers a ton of models over a lot of years, and that three-digit prefix tells you who built it and which parts platform it's running on.
lowbeginner
MODEL-KENMORE-LOOKUPThe model number on a Kenmore washer identifies which company actually manufactured it and which exact parts list applies to your machine. Without it, you can't reliably order the right components because Kenmore itself doesn't make anything.
lowbeginner
MODEL-KENMORE-WASHER-LOOKUPKenmore uses a model number prefix system where the first three digits before the decimal point identify which company actually manufactured the machine. Each manufacturer uses completely different internal parts, so a drain pump from a 110 series won't fit a 796 series, even though both say Kenmore on the door.
lowbeginner
MODEL-LOOKUPThis guide helps you find your specific model number and decode the manufacturer prefix so you can pull up the correct parts diagram for your Kenmore Elite top load washer. Kenmore's a house brand, not a manufacturer, so that prefix tells you who actually built your machine.
lowbeginner
NOT-DRAININGThe washer ran its drain cycle and the pump either couldn't move water or didn't get a signal to try. Could be a physical blockage in the filter or impeller, a kinked hose creating back-pressure, or the pump motor failing outright. The machine stops to protect itself from flooding your floor or burning out the pump.
moderateintermediate
NOT-SPINNINGThe drum stops transferring rotation during the spin cycle, leaving clothes soaked. Either a mechanical link between the motor and drum has failed, a safety switch is blocking the cycle from starting, or the control board thinks something's wrong and shuts down spin before it ever begins.
moderateintermediate
OASIS-NO-SPINA Kenmore Oasis washer that fails to spin is typically experiencing a failure in the drive hub engagement, a faulty lid lock assembly, or a communication error from the Rotor Position Sensor (RPS).
highintermediate
OASIS-NO-SPINThe drum isn't reaching spin speed during the final drain-and-spin phase. The control board's getting a bad or missing signal from the motor or lid lock assembly, so it kills the spin before it even starts. Clothes come out dripping wet and you'll probably see F51 or uL on the display.
highintermediate
OASIS-NO-SPINWhen the Oasis won't spin, it means either the mechanical drive system can't transfer torque to the basket, or a safety sensor told the board to abort. Usually it's the lid lock, the shift actuator, or the plastic drive hub splines are worn down to nothing.
highintermediate
OEThe washer tried to drain water from the drum but didn't complete drainage within the required time. Water's still sitting in the tub at the end of the drain phase.
highintermediate
SENSING-LIGHT-FLASHThe sensing phase is when the washer checks load size and confirms the transmission is in the right gear before starting. A flashing light means the control board got no response, or the wrong response, from the shift actuator or lid lock during that startup handshake. The machine won't proceed until it gets a clean signal back.
moderateintermediate
SUDSUD or SD stands for Suds Detection. It means the washer caught an over-sudsing condition that's stopping the drum from spinning at high speed and preventing the drain pump from working right. Basically too many bubbles, not enough actual water for the pump to move.
lowbeginner
SYMPTOM-CONSTANT-DRAINThe drain pump's running nonstop because the control board is getting a signal that the tub's still full, or water's siphoning out through a bad drain hose setup. The machine doesn't think it's done draining. So it just keeps going.
highintermediate
ULUL means Unbalanced Load. The control board watches motor resistance and tub movement during spin. When the tub swings outside its safe range, usually more than an inch or two of wobble, the board kills the spin to keep the machine from beating itself apart.
moderatebeginner
WASH-STOP-ISSUEThis symptom occurs when the washer successfully fills with water but fails to transition into the agitation phase or stalls before moving into the rinse and spin cycles. It typically indicates a failure in the lid sensing circuit, the drain system, or the drive engagement components.
highintermediate
WONT-STARTThe washer's control board isn't detecting all the conditions it needs to begin a wash cycle. Usually that means the lid or door lock circuit isn't sending a closed signal, or the board itself lost power or got stuck in a fault state. It won't run with an open lid circuit, period.
moderateintermediate
dLdL means the control board sent the signal to lock the door, the lock tried to engage, but the sensor never confirmed it succeeded. The door isn't locked, and the machine won't spin with an unsecured door, period.
highintermediate