How to Reset Maytag Centennial Washer

Quick Answer

To reset your Maytag Centennial washer, unplug it for one minute, plug it back in, and then open and close the lid six times within a twelve second window. This tells the control board to clear its current memory and start a fresh cycle sequence.

Honestly, I run this reset on probably half the Centennial service calls I go on, and at least a third of the time I never touch a single part. The board just got confused. If you ignore a stuck cycle or a flashing lid lock and keep trying to force-start it, you can actually make things worse, like burning out the shift actuator or overworking the pump. Just do the reset first. Takes five minutes.

MaytagWasherDifficulty:

How to Reset Your Maytag Washer

OK so here's the deal: this reset takes five minutes and you don't need any tools whatsoever. I'd do this any time the machine acts weird, after a power outage, or if it's just sitting there flashing at you like it's mad about something. It's basically a software reboot, and honestly it saves people a $100+ service call way more often than you'd think. These Centennial boards are sensitive. A quick power hiccup and they just lose their minds.

Common Causes

A power surge or even a brief flicker scrambled the control board's current cycle state, so it doesn't know if it was mid-fill, mid-spin, or done with the load.
You opened the lid while the drum was draining or spinning and the board logged a lid fault it can't clear on its own without a reset.
The washer tried to spin an overloaded or badly unbalanced load, kept attempting to rebalance, hit its retry limit, and locked itself into a fault state.
The lid got closed slowly or only halfway, and the strike plate didn't fully engage the lid lock switch, so the board flagged it as a misalignment error.
Sitting unused for a long time, especially in a cold garage, can cause the control board's capacitors to lose their reference state and need a fresh boot to get oriented again.

Symptoms You May Notice

The lid lock light just keeps flashing and won't stop, no matter what cycle you pick or how many times you hit Start.
Stuck on 'sensing' for 10, 15, even 20 minutes and it never actually fills with water.
The machine won't start at all. You turn the dial, press Start, and absolutely nothing happens.
Cycle dial lights are all flashing at once, or scrolling through randomly like something's seriously wrong with the board.
It filled with water but now it just sits there doing nothing and you can't get the lid to unlock.

Tools Required for Diagnosis

None

Diagnostic Checklist

Follow these steps in order. We start with the easiest external fixes before opening up the machine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my Maytag Centennial stuck on the sensing light?

Nine times out of ten it's a board glitch and the reset above will fix it. But if it keeps getting stuck on sensing every few loads, your shift actuator is probably starting to fail. That's the small motor that switches the machine between agitate and spin mode. When it's weak or dying, the board keeps waiting for a confirmation signal that never fully comes. Shift actuators on these run about $25 to $35 in parts and they're pretty straightforward to swap yourself if you're comfortable with basic repairs.

Will a reset fix a lid lock light that won't stop flashing?

Usually yes. A flashing lid lock light is almost always the board flagging a strike plate alignment issue, meaning it thinks the lid didn't close all the way. The reset clears that flag. But if it comes back after the reset, check the plastic strike plate on the underside of the lid. They crack more than you'd expect. A replacement strike plate is like $8 and takes five minutes. If the strike plate looks fine and the light keeps coming back, the lid lock assembly itself probably needs replacing. Those run about $20 to $30.

How often should I reset my washing machine?

Only when it's acting up. There's no maintenance schedule for this. Do it after a power outage, if a cycle gets stuck, or if the lid lock won't cooperate. That's it. Don't get in the habit of resetting it every week thinking you're preventing problems, because that's not how it works. You're not hurting anything by doing it, but it's not accomplishing anything either.

Does this reset work on all Centennial models?

Yep, this works across all Centennial and Centennial Commercial Grade top-loaders. They're all built on the VMW platform, which stands for Vertical Modular Washer, and they all use this same lid sequence for consumer resets. Models built from around 2010 through the late 2010s all respond to it the same exact way. If you've got an older Maytag that predates the Centennial line, the procedure might be different.

My washer filled with water but now it just sits there. Will a reset help?

It might, but if it's full of water and stuck, select Drain and Spin first so it empties out before trying anything else. Then do the full reset sequence. If it drains fine after the reset but keeps stalling right after it fills, your water inlet valve or pressure switch might be the real issue. The pressure switch tells the board when the tub is full. If it's reading wrong, the board either never gets the 'full' signal or gets it way too late.

How do I know if the reset actually worked?

The lid lock light will go from flashing to steady or off completely. That's the clearest sign. Then when you run the Drain and Spin test, you'll hear the lid lock click solidly in the first few seconds, and the drum will start spinning. If both of those happen, you're good. A lot of people do the sequence and then immediately try to run a full wash before confirming, and then they can't tell if it's fixed or not. Do the short test cycle first. Two minutes and you'll know for sure.

Models Known to Experience HOW-TO-RESET Errors

This repair applies to most Maytag washers with this error code. Common model numbers include:

MVWC400XW, MVWC415EW, MVWC200XW, MVWC300XW, MVWC360AW, MVWC425BW, MVWC465HW, MVWC555DW

Written by

Mike Sullivan

Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 20 years experience

Last verified for technical accuracy on March 17, 2026