Kenmore Washer CL Error Code: Meaning, Causes & Fix
Child Lock status on Kenmore washers — panel locked, not an error. On LG-built Kenmores (796) it's LG's CL; the release is the marked button hold.
CL = Child/Control Lock active. The washer is healthy; its panel is deliberately disabled. Kenmore owners meet it as a 'dead' washer with CL lit. Release: hold the Child Lock–marked button (or marked pair) for ~3 seconds — the panel prints which. Everything about CL starts from one fact owners resist: the washer is not broken, and it is not even reporting a problem — it is announcing that its console has been deliberately put to sleep. The lock exists so that a cycle, once chosen, survives contact with curious hands: with the lock engaged, the buttons are ignored, settings cannot be changed mid-wash, and on most consoles the only responses available are the power control and the specific hold that releases the lock. Two Kenmore builders ship this feature with two different accents, and telling them apart is the first diagnostic step because the vocabularies do not translate. On an LG-built machine — model number beginning 796 — the display speaks LG's dialect and the state is written CL, for Child Lock in LG's own code list (the same list glosses it as Child lock / Control lock). The release is a sustained press on whichever control the console has marked for the job: LG prints a small lock symbol either under a single button or beneath a line joining two buttons, and the marked control or pair is held for about three seconds until the display clears and an unlock chime sounds. On a Whirlpool-built machine — model number beginning 110 — the same idea usually wears Whirlpool's spelling, LOC, and its release is a three-second hold on the pad labelled Control Lock. A 110 owner hunting the letters CL specifically can stare at a locked console showing LOC and conclude their code is undocumented; it is the same feature wearing the other builder's name tag.
What causes the CL code on a Kenmore washer?
Child Lock activated
Deliberate or stray long-press.
A cleaning wipe across a live console
The commonest accidental engagement: a damp cloth drawn across touch pads can deliver exactly the sustained contact the lock hold requires. CL that appears straight after the machine was wiped down has a biography, not a fault.
A child's systematic exploration
Children do not press buttons randomly for long — they discover that holding produces beeps and lights, which is precisely the input the lock feature is listening for. Households with toddlers re-engage the lock regularly and should treat the release hold as household knowledge, written down where a babysitter can find it.
A laundry basket or detergent bottle resting against the panel
On consoles with sensitive touch pads, an object parked against the panel can hold a pad in the pressed state. CL appearing while supplies live on top of the machine deserves a look at what is touching the console before any other theory.
Engaged on purpose, then forgotten across a delay start
A lock set deliberately before a delayed cycle can outlast the memory of setting it: the machine sits dark and unresponsive hours later, apparently dead, with the small CL announcement overlooked because nobody expects a washer to be asleep on purpose.
Checks to run before you replace anything
- Lock icon lit; buttons beep without effect.
- Read the model plate first — inside the door rim, under the lid, or on the cabinet rear — and note the prefix: 796 routes you to the LG release, 110 to the Whirlpool one. Thirty seconds with the plate saves trying the wrong builder's hold repeatedly.
- Look at the console graphics, not the internet: the lock symbol is printed at the exact control you must hold. On LG-built consoles it may sit beneath one button or beneath a line bridging two buttons that must be pressed together; on Whirlpool-built consoles the pad is typically labelled Control Lock in words.
- Confirm the state matches a lock and not a fault: the display shows CL (or LOC) steadily, buttons beep or do nothing, and the machine has not stopped mid-cycle with water standing in it. A machine that died mid-wash is a different story wearing similar silence.
- Check whether a cycle is actually running behind the lock: a locked console on a running machine will still sound like a washing machine. The lock can be released mid-cycle on most models without disturbing the wash — you do not need to wait for it to finish or cancel anything.
How to fix the CL error code
- Hold the marked button(s) ~3 seconds until CL clears.
- LG-built (796): press and hold the lock-marked control — or both ends of the marked pair together — for about three seconds, steadily, until CL leaves the display. A brief tap does nothing by design; the hold duration is the security feature, so count it out rather than jabbing.
- Whirlpool-built (110): touch and hold the Control Lock pad for about three seconds until the LOC indication clears. If your console spells the feature differently, follow its printed label — the panel's own graphics outrank any general instruction, this page included.
- If the first hold fails, change one variable at a time: dry hands and a dry panel (moisture scatters touch input), fingertip centred on the marked pad rather than its edge, and the machine powered on — several consoles will not process the release from a fully dark state.
- Prove the release functionally, not just visually: after the indication clears, change a setting — a wash temperature or spin speed — and watch it register. A console that accepts a new setting is unlocked in fact; one that merely stopped displaying CL but still ignores input has not released, and the hold should be repeated once, deliberately.
The part that usually fails: None
Feature state.
How to reset / clear the CL code
Not applicable.
Whirlpool-built washers clear most codes with a power reset: unplug for 1 minute (top-load models with a cycle-status display sometimes need the lid opened and closed 6 times within 12 seconds after power is restored — the well-known lid-sequence calibration/clear procedure on VMW top-loaders). Codes stored in the control's fault history remain readable in diagnostic mode even after they stop showing on the display, which is why a code that 'went away' can still be found by a technician.
Why does the CL code keep coming back?
Self-engaging CL = sticking panel key suspicion. A lock that re-engages by itself is the one CL pattern that graduates from feature to symptom, and it has its own short suspect list. A touch pad that is failing can sit in a permanently half-pressed electrical state, re-applying the lock hold whenever the console wakes — the signature is CL returning without anyone touching the machine, often within minutes of a successful release. Moisture inside the console produces the same behaviour after steam-heavy use or a spill over the panel, and may settle as the panel dries over a day. What self-engaging CL never indicates is a problem with the motor, pump, valves or any working part of the wash system: the fault, when there is one, lives entirely in the panel that takes your instructions. Record how often it re-engages and whether it correlates with cleaning or steam; that log is the difference between a technician arriving to test a panel and one arriving to guess.
How to stop CL coming back
- Child Lock activated: Deliberate or stray long-press.
- A cleaning wipe across a live console: The commonest accidental engagement: a damp cloth drawn across touch pads can deliver exactly the sustained contact the lock hold requires. CL that appears straight after the machine was wiped down has a biography, not a fault.
- A child's systematic exploration: Children do not press buttons randomly for long — they discover that holding produces beeps and lights, which is precisely the input the lock feature is listening for. Households with toddlers re-engage the lock regularly and should treat the release hold as household knowledge, written down where a babysitter can find it.
Retrieving stored fault codes on Kenmore washers
Whirlpool platforms have a well-documented diagnostic mode. On front-load (Duet and later) models: with the machine in standby, press and hold any one button for 3 seconds, release for 3 seconds, repeat for a total of three holds — the display lights up and shows stored fault codes (F-codes with E-suffixes), which you step through with the same button. On top-load VMW models (most Maytag/Whirlpool/Kenmore top-loaders since ~2010): turn the cycle knob with a specific left/right sequence (commonly counterclockwise once, then clockwise three, counterclockwise one, clockwise one) until all status LEDs light, then use the knob to read fault codes as LED blink patterns. The tech sheet inside the cabinet lists the exact sequence and code chart for your model — use it rather than a generic chart, because code meanings shifted between Duet, Cabrio/Bravos and VMW generations.
Other Kenmore washer error codes
| Code | Meaning | First fix |
|---|---|---|
| 1E | 796-series: inlet error, the IE code shown as 1E on segmented displays. | Open both supply valves fully and clean the inlet filters. |
| DC | Samsung-built front-load (402/592 series, shown dc): washer will not spin; load is unbalanced. | Redistribute the load, or add towels to small loads, and restart the cycle. |
| DE | 796-series (shown dE): door error; door is not secured or locked. | Close the door firmly until it latches; replace the door lock switch if faulty. |
| DE1 | 796-series (shown dE1): door switch error; door is not secured. | Close the door firmly; test and replace the door switch assembly. |
| DE2 | 796-series (shown dE2): lid or door is not locking correctly. | Check for obstructions at the lock; replace the lock switch assembly if it fails. |
| DU | 110-series top-load (shown dU): lid cannot unlock. | Remove items from the lid and wait for the basket to stop before retrying. |
| E1 | 796-series variant: drainage error, grouped with OE on some models. | Clear and straighten the drain hose; clean the drain filter if fitted. |
| E3 | 796-series top-load: drain motor error. | Check drain motor wiring; replace the drain motor if it does not run. |
| E21 | 417-series (Frigidaire-built): washer is not draining. | Clean the tub-to-pump hose and pump filter; test and replace the drain pump. |
| F20 | 110-series front-load: water inlet problem; washer is not filling or fills slowly. | Open both valves fully and clean the inlet screens. |
| F21 | 110-series front-load: drain problem; washer takes too long to drain. | Clean the pump and filter, straighten the hose, and clear the standpipe. |
| F22 | 110-series front-load: door lock error. | Close the door firmly; replace the door lock assembly if the error returns. |
| FE | 796-series: overfill error; water level is too high. | Turn off the water supply; test and replace the inlet valve if it leaks through. |
| FH | 110-series front-load: water inlet problem; no water or not enough water is entering. | Open both valves, clean the inlet screens, and test the inlet valve. |
See the full list on the Kenmore Washer error codes hub.
Codes CL gets confused with
tE — Thermistor (temperature sensor) error on LG-built Kenmore washers — the water temperature sensor circuit is faulty. tE on a 796-prefix (LG-built) Kenmore is LG's thermistor code wearing a Kenmore badge: the temperature sensor reads out of range, so the control stops heated operation.
LE — Locked motor error on Kenmore washers built by LG — the direct-drive motor cannot rotate. (On Whirlpool-built Kenmores LE-family topics route to the F-code system instead — check your model plate.) Kenmore is a badge, not a factory: Kenmore washers were built by LG and by Whirlpool, and LE is the LG-built machines' motor code — the rotor didn't turn as commanded.
OE — Drain error on LG-built Kenmore washers — the machine was unable to drain the water. OE is LG's drain code, and LG-built Kenmores (796-prefix) wear it too: the pump ran, the level didn't fall in the time allowed.
UE — Unbalanced error on LG-built Kenmore washers (796) — the automatic rebalance was not successful and the cycle has paused for manual adjustment. Whirlpool-built (110) Kenmores do not display UE; their balance reports are uL (top-load letter displays) and F0E5/OFb (F/E platforms). UE is the second stage of a two-stage display on the LG-built machines.
Working from a symptom instead? Read our troubleshooting guide for this problem.
Frequently asked questions
Kenmore CL vs LE?
CL = child lock (status). LE = locked motor (fault). Segmented displays make them easy to confuse — look for the lock icon.
Which buttons release CL on my Kenmore — is there one universal combination?
There is not, and any page promising one is guessing at your console. The combination is a property of the builder and the console generation: LG-built (796) machines mark the release with a lock symbol under one button or bridging a pair; Whirlpool-built (110) machines label a Control Lock pad. In both cases the gesture is a steady hold of about three seconds — but the location is printed on your panel, and the printing is the authority.
Will unplugging the washer clear CL?
On most models, no — and that is deliberate. A lock that a power cut defeated would be useless in a house where a child can reach the plug, so the state is designed to survive an interruption and greet you again when power returns. The marked hold is the intended exit; unplugging is only useful as one step in the stuck-lock escalation, after the hold itself has genuinely failed.
Is CL the same as the door being locked?
No — two different locks that owners constantly conflate. CL locks the controls: the panel ignores input, but nothing about the door mechanism has changed. The door or lid lock is a physical latch that engages during a cycle for safety and releases when the cycle ends or pauses correctly. A machine can show CL with its door wide open, and can hold its door locked with no CL anywhere — diagnose them separately.
My Kenmore shows LOC instead of CL — is that a different problem?
It is the same feature in the other builder's spelling. LOC is the Whirlpool-platform rendering of the control lock, found on 110-prefix Kenmores; CL is the LG-platform rendering on 796-prefix machines. Neither is a fault, and both release the same way: a roughly three-second hold on the control the console marks for the lock.
Related guides
Facts on this page were checked against manufacturer documentation: searspartsdirect.com · www.searspartsdirect.com · www.lg.com · www.lg.com