Kenmore Washer TE Error Code: Meaning, Causes & Fix
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. Sensor, its connector, and its harness — in that order. (Whirlpool-built Kenmores report sensor faults in the F3 family instead.) LG's own help library entry for tE is more specific than the code's reputation, and it is worth working from it rather than from the shorthand. The library lists four triggers: a problem with the temperature sensor inside the tub, which 'can include contact issues or a malfunctioning sensor'; excessively hot water poured directly into the tub; disconnection of connectors; and a break in the circuit. Read that list as a ranking and a warning. The ranking puts contact and connection ahead of the sensor itself — LG is telling you the sensing chain breaks at its joints more often than at its sensor. The warning is the hot-water trigger, which owners never suspect: a kettle of near-boiling water poured into the tub to soak or descale can drive the sensor's reading beyond the range the control accepts, and the machine posts tE about its own perfectly healthy sensor until the water cools — LG's remedy for that branch is simply to disconnect power and wait for the water to cool before plugging back in. LG's owner's-manual rendering of the same code is one blunt line — tE, 'Thermistor error', with the manual directing the owner to unplug and call for service — while the service literature underneath it is more useful: check the connections at the thermistor and at the white 3-pin connector at the main board, reseat them, test the thermistor, and replace it if it proves defective. Those two documents — manual for owners, service literature for hands — are the whole honest picture: tE names a sensing chain, and the chain has exactly three links (sensor, its plug and harness, the board's connector) plus one false alarm (water too hot to read).
What causes the tE code on a Kenmore washer?
Thermistor failure
Open/shorted/drifted.
Connector corrosion
Damp-zone plug.
Harness damage
Chafed leads.
The wire that breaks inside its insulation at the sensor plug
The service trade's classic tE: the thermistor's thin leads flex with every tub movement where they meet the plug at the tub, and the conductor fatigues through inside intact-looking insulation. The code arrives intermittently at first — often mid-cycle, when the tub is moving most — and the visual inspection shows nothing. Only a continuity test performed while flexing the plug finds it.
A connector that has crept or corroded
LG lists contact issues first for a reason. The sensor plug lives at the tub in warm damp air; its pins oxidise and its latch relaxes over years. A sensor that meters perfectly on the bench can still post tE in the machine because the joint it plugs into is the fault.
Hot water added by hand
Documented by LG directly: excessively hot water poured into the tub can trigger tE on a healthy machine. The biography is unmistakable once known — tE appearing for the first time immediately after a boil-soak or a descaling attempt, on a machine that then recovers completely as the water cools.
The sensor itself, drifting or failed open
The thermistor can genuinely die: cracked by a strike from a coin or zipper at the tub, or aged into drift until its reported temperature is implausible at any setting. This is the branch owners assume is the whole story; in the service literature's order it is checked last of the three links, after both connectors.
Checks to run before you replace anything
- Meter the sensor against LG's published platform spec (the 796 Kenmore platform is LG's, and LG's washer service manuals print the table): the tE check range is 44–53 kΩ at 25°C, falling as the sensor warms (≈39.5 kΩ at 30°C, ≈26 kΩ at 40°C, ≈12 kΩ at 60°C). A broad 'somewhere between 10k and 50k' reading proves nothing — at 25°C the value should sit in LG's narrow band, and an open or shorted reading condemns the circuit on any table. Reseat its connector. [Spec scoped 2026-10-28, verification pass: LG washer service manuals MFL57261611 + MFL30599107.]
- Start with the biography: did tE first appear straight after the machine was moved, after a plumbing event, or after hot water was poured in? Each answer promotes a different cause above, and the hot-water branch needs no tools at all — just cooling time.
- Reseat both documented connection points with the machine unplugged: the plug at the thermistor itself and the white 3-pin connector at the main board named in the service literature. A code cured by reseating was a contact fault, and it will usually stay cured for years.
- Meter intelligently: read the sensor at its own pins, then read it again through the harness from the board end. A plausible, smooth reading at the pins that disappears or jumps at the board end convicts the harness run between them; an open, shorted or wildly implausible reading at the pins convicts the sensor.
- Flex while you meter: with the meter connected at the board end, gently flex the wires at the sensor plug. A reading that drops out as the plug moves is the internal break announcing itself — the single most valuable test on this page.
- Use a cold cycle as a witness, not a cure: after a reset, a machine that completes cold selections but posts tE when a heated selection asks for temperature control has localised its own fault to the sensing chain. LG's documented position remains that tE requires inspection — treat cold-only running as a diagnostic, and a short bridge, not a lifestyle.
How to fix the tE error code
- Clean/reseat connector; replace the thermistor if out of family; repair harness if the sensor meters good at its pins.
- Contact branch: clean and reseat both connectors firmly. If a pin is visibly oxidised, clean it; if the plug's latch no longer holds, the plug or harness section is the repair, not the sensor.
- Harness branch: repair the broken lead at the plug with a proper splice and strain relief, or replace the harness section. The repair must restore the flex life at the joint, or tE returns on the same schedule as the original fatigue.
- Sensor branch: replace the thermistor when it meters open, shorted or implausibly at its own pins with its connector proven. It mounts at the tub beside the heater assembly where fitted; the swap is a moderate DIY with the machine unplugged and drained.
- Hot-water branch: no part at all. Disconnect power, let the tub water cool to a sane temperature, reconnect, and confirm tE stays away through a normal heated cycle — and retire the kettle from laundry duty.
The part that usually fails: Thermistor
Measure at sensor pins, then board end, to split sensor vs harness.
How to reset / clear the tE code
Power-cycle; clears on a plausible reading.
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 tE code keep coming back?
tE with proven sensor+harness = board input (rare). A returning tE is almost always the same link failing further. Reseated-connector cures that relapse within months mean the pin surfaces are too oxidised to hold contact under vibration — the connector itself is now the part. Sensor replacements that relapse mean the original sensor was innocent and the break is in the harness run that was never flex-tested. And tE that returns only on the hottest selections, with a sensor that meters plausibly at room temperature, is a sensor drifting at temperature — meter it warm, in hot water, before acquitting it. The board's sensor input remains the last suspect, reached only when sensor, plug and harness have each been proven with a meter rather than by replacement.
How to stop tE coming back
- Thermistor failure: Open/shorted/drifted.
- Connector corrosion: Damp-zone plug.
- Harness damage: Chafed leads.
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. |
| CL | 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. | Hold the marked button(s) ~3 seconds until CL clears. |
| 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. |
See the full list on the Kenmore Washer error codes hub.
Codes tE gets confused with
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.
CL — 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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kenmore tE the same part as LG tE?
On LG-built Kenmores, yes — the platform, the code and the part are LG's.
What does tE mean on a Kenmore Elite front load washer?
Thermistor error — the control cannot get a plausible reading from the water temperature sensor in the tub. On your Elite, which is an LG-built 796-prefix machine, LG's help library lists the triggers in order: contact issues at the sensor's connections, a malfunctioning sensor, a disconnected connector or a break in the circuit — and, easily missed, excessively hot water poured into the tub by hand.
My Kenmore model starts with 110 — why is there no tE in its manual?
Because a 110-prefix Kenmore was built by Whirlpool and speaks the F-code language instead. On that platform, temperature-sensing faults post as F-codes — the platform's tech sheets name F3E2, inlet water temperature fault, for an open or shorted inlet thermistor. Diagnose a 110 machine from its own chart; nothing about the LG sensor chain on this page transfers across the builder line.
Why did my Kenmore 796 washer show tE right after I poured hot water in the tub?
LG documents that exact trigger: excessively hot water poured directly into the tub can drive the temperature sensor's reading out of the range the control accepts, and the machine posts tE about a healthy sensor. LG's remedy is to disconnect the power cord and wait for the water to cool before plugging back in. If tE clears with cooling and stays away, no part was ever faulty.
Related guides
Facts on this page were checked against manufacturer documentation: searspartsdirect.com · www.searspartsdirect.com · www.lg.com · www.lg.com