LG Dishwasher Error Codes List: Every Code Explained
Every LG dishwasher error code we could verify against LG's own documentation — what it means, what usually causes it, and the first fix to try — in one table. Codes differ between model series, so treat your model's tech sheet as the final word.
How to read and retrieve error codes on LG dishwashers
LG dishwashers have a test mode (on many models: hold Power and press specific cycle pads in the sequence given in the service manual) that displays stored errors and steps through fill, wash, drain and dry functions. The stored-code list is the quickest way to see whether a code is old history or recurring.
The complete LG dishwasher error code list
| Code | Meaning | Most likely cause | First fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| AE | Water leakage — a leak is detected; the dishwasher sounds an alert for 10 seconds and runs the drain pump intermittently, and powers itself back on if switched off until the fault is resolved | A leak inside the appliance, or the dishwasher not levelled (LG manuals list failure to level under AE) | Turn off the water supply to the dishwasher and call LG service, as LG's manual directs; check the unit is properly levelled |
| CD | Not an error: Cd means Cool-dry — an additional drying cycle that runs for a further 60 minutes after the course has finished to assist drying (older LG models) | The Cool-dry function is running after the wash course ended | No action needed; the cycle can be interrupted at any time by opening the door |
| CL | Not an error: Control Lock (child lock) is activated and the control buttons are locked | Control Lock was switched on, deliberately or by a long button press | Press and hold the two buttons named in your manual for three seconds (Half Load and Energy Saver together on current models; Flex Zone and High Temp on others) to release it |
| E1 | Leak detected — the alternate rendering of the AE leak error used on some LG models (LG's own summary lists the pair as 'AE / E1') | Water leaking inside the appliance reaching the leak detection, or an unlevel installation | Check the door seal, hose connections and the level of the unit; turn off the water supply and book service if it repeats |
| F | Not an error: a lone 'F' on the display means the sensor is measuring the water clarity (turbidity sensing, older LG models) | The turbidity sensor is sensing during the cycle; after about 5 minutes of sensing the display returns to showing the processing time | No action needed — this is a normal sensing display, not a fault |
| F37 | Auto Open Door feature is not functioning (listed in LG's own dishwasher code summary) | An obstruction near the door, or a fault in the auto-open door mechanism | Clear obstructions near the door; request service if it persists, as LG directs |
| FE | Excessive water supplied — the tub has filled above the normal level and the drain pump runs automatically | Overfilling detected by the control, usually an inlet-side fault letting water keep entering | LG's manual directs calling the LG Customer Information Center; turn off the water supply if water keeps entering |
| HE | Heater circuit failure — the water is not heating correctly, or the tub temperature has risen too high | Heater circuit fault, or the temperature sensor detecting overheating | LG's manuals direct calling for service if the code appears; do not keep running heated cycles while it is showing |
| IE | Water inlet problem — the dishwasher is not filling to the normal level | Clogged, kinked or frozen water inlet hose, or the water supply turned off or too weak | Check the inlet hose for clogs, kinks or freezing and confirm the water supply is on; clean the inlet filter if your model has one |
| LE | Wash motor error — the circulation (wash) motor is working abnormally or is locked up | Motor fault, an obstruction stopping the pump/motor turning, or a motor wiring or control fault | Power-cycle once and check nothing is obstructing the spray arms; if it returns, LG's manuals direct calling for service |
| OE | Drainage problem — the dishwasher is not draining to the normal level | Clogged, kinked or frozen drain hose, a clogged air gap or garbage disposal (knockout plug left in on a new disposal), or clogged filters | Check the drain hose, clean the air gap or disposal connection, remove the disposal knockout plug if newly installed, and clean the filters |
| P1 | Not an error: the Download Cycle P1 is selected — the display names the current Download cycle (P1, P2, P3 or P4) | A downloaded cycle was selected on a SmartThinQ/ThinQ model | No action needed; select a standard cycle if you did not intend to run a Download cycle |
| P2 | Not an error: the Download Cycle P2 is selected — the display names the current Download cycle (P1, P2, P3 or P4) | A downloaded cycle was selected on a SmartThinQ/ThinQ model | No action needed; select a standard cycle if you did not intend to run a Download cycle |
| P3 | Not an error: the Download Cycle P3 is selected — the display names the current Download cycle (P1, P2, P3 or P4) | A downloaded cycle was selected on a SmartThinQ/ThinQ model | No action needed; select a standard cycle if you did not intend to run a Download cycle |
| P4 | Not an error: the Download Cycle P4 is selected — the display names the current Download cycle (P1, P2, P3 or P4) | A downloaded cycle was selected on a SmartThinQ/ThinQ model | No action needed; select a standard cycle if you did not intend to run a Download cycle |
| PF | Not a malfunction: PF indicates there was a power failure — the display protects the dishwasher when power goes out or is disrupted, shows for about 10 seconds once power returns and a button is pressed, then goes away | A household power outage or interrupted supply during a cycle | Press any button to clear the display and restart the cycle; if PF appears repeatedly with no outage, LG directs checking that the dishwasher is on a dedicated circuit |
| TEST MODE | Not an error: displays of the form n:#, U:#, d:# or t# (# = a number) mean test mode is selected — the display used when testing the dishwasher | Test mode was entered during service testing or by a button combination | Power the unit off and on and the display will disappear, as LG's manual directs |
| bE | Bubble error — oversudsing caused by improper detergent, such as liquid dish soap or hand dishwashing liquid; LG manuals also list failure to level the dishwasher under bE | Wrong detergent type, too much detergent, dishes loaded with heavy foam (for example whipped cream), or the appliance not level | Use only detergent made for automatic dishwashers, make sure the appliance is properly levelled, and clear residue by placing a shallow bowl of about 100-200 ml of milk in the upper rack and running the Auto cycle, as LG's manual directs |
| nE | Vario motor error — the diverter (vario) motor that directs water between the spray arms is not positioning correctly (shown as NE in some manuals) | Diverter/vario motor fault or a loose wire harness connection on the diverter motor or its position switch | LG's manuals direct calling for service; diverter motor and harness checks are technician work |
| tE | Thermistor failure — the water temperature sensor (thermistor) output is abnormal (shown as 'water temperature sensor error' in newer LG manuals) | Failed thermistor or its wiring | LG's manuals direct calling for service; sensor testing and replacement are technician work |
How to reset / clear error codes on LG dishwashers
LG dishwashers clear most codes with a breaker reset: cut power for about 5 minutes, restore, and start a cycle. Codes for drain, fill and leak faults reappear if the physical condition is still there when the next cycle starts.
How to diagnose any LG dishwasher code
Work the problem in this order: (1) record the code exactly, including any flashing tap or salt/rinse-aid symbols shown with it; (2) establish the water story — is there water in the base, is the tub dry, did the cycle stop early or never start — because dishwasher codes split into leak, fill, drain and heating families; (3) run the external checks first: supply tap and inlet hose for fill codes, filters, sump and drain hose for drain codes, and for leak codes, dry the base and watch where water appears on a short test cycle; (4) clear the code and re-run the shortest programme while observing — most dishwasher faults announce themselves in the first ten minutes; (5) replace parts last, in the order the code family suggests. A leak code in particular should never be cleared and ignored: the float that raised it is the only thing between a small leak and a floor.
Two code families in one LG table: the faults and the not-faults
LG is unusual among dishwasher brands for how much of its display vocabulary is not about faults at all, and LG's own manuals acknowledge the confusion by printing the two families side by side in the same troubleshooting chapter. The fault family is nine two-letter codes that map one-to-one onto the acts of the wash: IE when water does not arrive, OE when it does not leave, AE (spelled E1 on some models) when it escapes into the base, FE when too much of it enters, bE when it foams because the detergent is wrong or the machine sits unlevel, HE when it does not heat, tE when its temperature cannot be sensed, LE when the wash motor falters and nE when the vario motor that steers water between the spray arms cannot position itself. The not-fault family is everything else the display can say: CL for a control lock that simply needs releasing, Cd for a Cool-dry period still running after the course has finished, PF for a power failure that has already ended, F on older models while the turbidity sensor measures water clarity, P1 to P4 naming a selected Download cycle, L0 to L4 showing the rinse-aid level setting, and the n:#, U:#, d:# and t# signatures of test mode. Owners regularly book service for the second family and ignore the first, which is exactly backwards. The practical reading rule for any LG display is therefore two questions in order: is this string in the manual's not-an-error list, in which case the correct response is a button hold, a refill or simply waiting; and if it is a fault, which act of the wash does it name, because that act — not the letters — decides whether the fix is a hose and a filter or a service visit. One more LG habit is worth knowing before you judge any display: the leak code defends itself. LG's manuals state that when AE is active the machine sounds an alert for ten seconds, runs the drain pump intermittently, and — if you switch the power off — powers itself back on until the leak condition is resolved. Owners read that self-restarting as a second, scarier fault; it is the documented behaviour of the first one, and it is why AE's remedy starts with the water supply tap rather than the power button. Photograph the display before you touch anything, note whether water is standing in the tub or under the machine, and only then work the two questions — on an LG that sequence turns a confusing panel into a short, answerable report.
Why LG splits its own remedies: hoses and filters for owners, circuits for service
Read down the remedy column of any LG dishwasher manual and a clean line appears, and it is worth understanding because it predicts what will happen when you call. The water-path codes carry owner remedies with real instructions: for IE, check the inlet hose for clogs, kinks or freezing and check the water supply; for OE, check the drain hose, clean the air gap or disposal, remove the knockout plug from a new disposal, and clean the filters; for bE, stop using hand dish soap, level the machine, and run the documented milk-in-a-bowl Auto cycle to strip detergent residue from the tub. Even AE, the leak code, begins with an owner action — turn off the water supply — before the phone number appears. The circuit codes carry no instructions at all: FE, HE, tE, LE and nE each end with the same sentence directing you to the LG Customer Information Center, because LG does not publish an owner test for a heater circuit, a thermistor, a wash motor or a vario motor, and no honest table can invent one. That split is the most useful thing on this page if your code is a circuit code: the absence of a DIY fix is not missing information, it is LG's own boundary, drawn where diagnosis needs the machine opened, powered and metered. Do the one reset LG allows — power off, a pause, a fresh cycle — note whether the code returns at the same stage, and hand the code and the model number to the technician; on an LG, that record is the owner's whole contribution to a circuit repair, and it genuinely shortens the visit. The same split explains the one LG code that sits between the families: bE is a water-path code with a detergent cause, so it gets the fullest owner remedy in the manual — stop using hand dishwashing liquid, level the appliance, and run the Auto cycle with roughly 100 to 200 millilitres of milk in a shallow bowl on the upper rack to strip the residue — yet its second documented cause, failure to level the dishwasher, is an installation check rather than a cleaning one. Work both halves before concluding the machine is at fault: a bE that survives correct detergent, a cleared tub and a level machine has left the owner remedies behind, and it joins the circuit codes on the service side of LG's line.
Less common and model-specific codes
Search data shows owners also meet these codes on LG dishwashers: 6E, Dishwasher. They are not part of the core code list LG publishes for most models — several are series-specific, abbreviated display readings, or codes carried over from a sister platform — so we do not publish meanings for them rather than guess. Treat them by symptom: note what the machine was doing when the code appeared (filling, draining, heating, spinning), run one full power cycle (5 minutes off), and if the code returns, match the symptom to the closest documented family in the table above and check the tech sheet stored inside your machine for the model-specific definition.
Related guides
Facts on this page were checked against manufacturer documentation: www.lg.com · www.manualshelf.com · www.manualshelf.com · manuals.plus · www.manua.ls · www.manualshelf.com · docplayer.es