Whirlpool, Maytag & Kenmore Washer PF Error Code: Meaning, Causes & Fix
Power failure — power was interrupted during operation (a customer notification code, not a breakdown and not a stored service fault).
PF tells you the control lost power during a cycle: an outage, a tripped breaker, a plug knocked loose — or, when no house event explains it, control voltage too low or lost at the machine itself (the direct-drive service manual's F7E0 wording for the stored version of the same event). What happens next is model-dependent, and Maytag's PF page states both outcomes: some models may allow you to hit Start to complete the cycle; for other models you may need to hit Cancel and restart the washing machine from the beginning. PF itself is a customer display code — Whirlpool tech sheets list it separately from the up-to-four stored F/E service faults that diagnostic mode reads back. Two storage facts about PF are worth stating plainly, because owners search both. First, what PF does not store: itself. Whirlpool tech sheets divide codes into customer fault/error codes — PF sits there, with the instruction to press Start to continue the cycle or Power to clear the display — and service fault/error codes, of which up to four are stored for diagnostic mode to read back. PF is not in the stored list; a technician entering diagnostics after your PF will not find it there, because there is nothing to find — the event PF reports in stored form on the direct-drive top-loaders is written as F7E0 (loss of power: main control detects control voltage too low or lost) and, if the loss happened during spin, F7E1. Second, what PF does not guarantee: resumption. The control remembers there was a cycle — that is why Start can continue it on models that offer that — but Maytag's PF page is explicit that other models require Cancel and a restart from the beginning. Neither behaviour indicates damage; they are two documented designs, and your model's manual, not the code, decides which one you own.
What causes the PF code on a Whirlpool washer?
House power cut/breaker trip
The straightforward cause.
Loose plug / worn outlet
Vibration works plugs out of tired receptacles.
Internal power-path glitch
Recurring unexplained PF is a real fault in the machine's power input/control supply.
Control voltage too low or lost — the brownout branch
The stored-code definition (F7E0) is broader than a blackout: the main control detects control voltage that is too low OR lost. A sag — lights dipping when a large load starts elsewhere in the house, a struggling circuit — can drop the washer's control voltage below its threshold while everything else in the room stays visibly on, which is the documented route to 'PF, but the power never went out'. The chart's checks for this branch are the supply chain in order: power at the outlet, circuit breakers, fuses or junction-box connections, and continuity of the AC power cord, before TEST #1: Main Control.
Power lost during spin — the F7E1 branch
Spin is the one phase where a power loss is a safety event, not just an interruption, because the basket is turning fast. The direct-drive chart handles it as its own fault: F7E1, loss of power during spin, forces the washer to pause for 5 minutes to allow the basket to stop before continuing the cycle. Owners meet this as a PF event after which the machine seems unresponsive or keeps the lid locked for several minutes despite power being back. That pause is the design working — the control will not unlock or restart onto a basket it cannot confirm has stopped — and waiting it out, rather than unplugging repeatedly (each unplug can restart the wait), is the correct response.
Checks to run before you replace anything
- Did the house lose power? If yes, PF is just the report.
- Plug fit and outlet condition (heat/discolouration = electrician).
- Frequency log: once vs. recurring.
- Match the event to the house before matching it to the machine: clocks flashing, a tripped breaker, or a storm at the right minute makes PF a report, not a symptom. PF with none of those, repeatedly, is the pattern that earns the supply checks.
- Use the F7E0 checklist for the unexplained branch, in its printed order: power at the outlet, breakers, fuses or junction-box connections, cord continuity — and only then control diagnosis. A scorched or heat-discoloured outlet ends the DIY portion: that is an electrician's repair, not a washer part.
- Note what the machine was doing when PF posted. A loss during spin predicts the 5-minute basket-stop pause on the direct-drive platform; a loss during fill or agitation does not, so a long lockout after a fill-stage PF is information worth giving a technician.
How to fix the PF error code
- Press Start to continue the cycle where your model allows it, or Cancel/Power to clear and restart from the beginning — both are documented, model-dependent outcomes.
- Fix the outlet/plug fit; technician for recurring no-outage PF.
- After a genuine outage, do not unplug-and-replug repeatedly to 'clear' PF: acknowledge it as the manual directs (Start to continue where offered, or Power/Cancel to clear and restart), because repeated power cycling adds nothing and, after a spin interruption, can prolong the safety pause.
The part that usually fails: None for genuine outages
Recurring PF with a proven supply = the control's power input is the diagnosis (TEST #1: Main Control on the service chart), not a named filter part.
How to reset / clear the PF code
Clears on acknowledgement once power is stable.
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 PF code keep coming back?
On direct-drive top-loaders, a power loss during spin is stored as F7E1 and forces the washer to pause for 5 minutes to allow the basket to stop before continuing — a PF that seems to 'lock you out' briefly after a spin interruption is that pause, not a second fault. A single PF after a known outage should never come back — if it does not, nothing was ever wrong. PF that returns is a frequency story: returning with house events (storms, a breaker that trips under load) belongs to the house supply; returning with no house event, on a proven outlet, is the machine's own power input declaring itself, and the F7E0 order — outlet, breakers/fuses/junction, cord, then control — is the route. PF that returns specifically at spin, with the long pause, is the F7E1 pattern and is worth naming exactly that way to a technician, because it points at power delivery under the machine's highest-speed load rather than at the lock or the motor.
How to stop PF coming back
- House power cut/breaker trip: The straightforward cause.
- Loose plug / worn outlet: Vibration works plugs out of tired receptacles.
- Internal power-path glitch: Recurring unexplained PF is a real fault in the machine's power input/control supply.
Retrieving stored fault codes on Whirlpool 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 Whirlpool washer error codes
| Code | Meaning | First fix |
|---|---|---|
| 5D | Suds detected — 5D is how some Whirlpool displays render the Sd suds code (7-segment 5/S confusion). | Let the suds routine finish. |
| A09 | Compact front-load: no water detected entering; level switch trip not seen in time. | Open the supply valves and clean inlet screens; test the pressure switch. |
| A10 | Compact front-load: long drain; drain time exceeds four minutes. | Clean the drain pump and hose; clear the standpipe. |
| DL | Door lock error — the door latch/lock failed to lock (front-load, older Duet rendering; the F5E2 of its generation). | Replace the door latch/lock assembly if closure is sound. |
| DR | Front-load: door not opened between consecutive cycles, code F5E4 shown as DR. | Open and close the door between cycles; check the door switch if it persists. |
| DU | Cabrio top-load (shown dU): lid cannot unlock. | Remove items resting on the lid and wait for the basket to stop before retrying. |
| E01 | Part of a split F-code display — E01 is the second half of codes like F8E1/F9E1; read it together with the F-code shown alternately (on this platform the common pairing for drain topics is F9 E1 = drain pump system error). | Diagnose the completed code using its own guide (drain, fill, or motor family). |
| E1 | The E-half of an alternating Whirlpool F-code (see E01) — or, on some Whirlpool-built platforms, a thermistor/sensor rendering. Identify the full code from the display before diagnosing. | Diagnose the completed code with its family guide (drain/fill/motor/sensor). |
| F0E1 | Front-load: load detected while running the Clean Washer cycle. | Remove all items from the drum and restart the Clean Washer cycle empty. |
| F0E2 | Oversuds detected; washer pauses to reduce foam before continuing. | Run a rinse and spin cycle; use only HE detergent in the correct amount. |
| F0E3 | Top-load: overload detected; load exceeds capacity or basket cannot turn. | Remove excess laundry, check for wedged items, and restart the cycle. |
| F0E5 | Off-balance load detected, also shown as OB on some models. | Redistribute items evenly; check suspension if the basket bounces more than once. |
| F0E7 | Top-load: load detected when running the Clean Washer cycle. | Remove any load from the basket before running the Clean Washer cycle. |
| F1 | Control board error — the main electronic control has detected an internal fault (EEPROM/control failure family). | If the reset clears it and it stays away for weeks, log it and carry on. |
See the full list on the Whirlpool Washer error codes hub.
Codes PF gets confused with
F3E1 — Pressure system fault — the main control detects an out-of-range pressure (water level) signal (written F03 E01 on zero-padded displays). F3E1 indicts the level-sensing system: the pressure signal reaching the control is out of range or implausible.
OL — Overload — the load size exceeds the washer's capacity (displayed oL on Cabrio/Bravos/Oasis top-loaders, stored as F70 on that platform and as F0E3 on newer F/E platforms). OL (oL) means the control judged the load too heavy to proceed.
RL — rL (remove load) — items were detected in the drum during the Clean Washer with affresh cycle. The manuals print it lowercase 'rL' and gloss it in brackets as (remove load); on some models the same condition is written F34. rL is documented in Whirlpool and Maytag front-load owner manuals, in two places: the troubleshooting table ('"rL" (remove load) appears in display — load detected in drum during Clean Washer with affresh cycle') and the Clean Washer cycle description itself.
HF — Water inlet problem — the code is FH (owners read the alternating F/H display as 'HF'): no water detected entering the machine, or the pressure switch trip was not detected. HF is how owners transcribe the Duet-era FH fault: the display alternates F and H, and Whirlpool's Duet manual names it 'FH (Water Inlet Problem — no or insufficient water supply)'.
Working from a symptom instead? Read our troubleshooting guide for this problem.
Frequently asked questions
Power never went out — why PF?
A loose plug or the machine's own power path can blip only the washer. Recurrence is the diagnostic trigger.
Will my washer resume the cycle after PF, or restart from the beginning?
It depends on the model, and both behaviours are documented by the manufacturer. Maytag's PF page: 'Some models may allow you to hit Start to complete the cycle. For other models, you may need to hit Cancel and restart the washing machine from the beginning.' Whirlpool tech sheets give the same pair for PF — press Start to continue the cycle, or press Power to clear the display. A washer that restarts from the beginning after PF is not faulty; it is the second design.
Is PF stored in the washer's fault history for a technician to read?
No — PF is a customer display code, listed separately in Whirlpool tech sheets from the service fault codes (up to four) that diagnostic mode stores and reads back. The power-loss event itself is what gets stored on platforms that log it: on the direct-drive top-loaders it is F7E0 (control voltage too low or lost) and F7E1 (loss of power during spin). So a diagnostic session that shows 'no saved codes' after a PF does not mean the PF did not happen — it means PF was never the kind of code that gets saved.
What does PF mean on a Kenmore Elite washer?
The same thing as on the Whirlpool and Maytag machines in this article: the Kenmore Elite washers that show PF are Whirlpool-built (110-prefix front-loaders of the Duet/HE3 family and their siblings), and PF is the shared platform's power-failure notification — a power failure occurred during operation. Press Start to continue the cycle where the model allows it, or Power/Cancel to clear and restart. A single PF after a real outage needs no repair on any of the three badges.
Related guides
Facts on this page were checked against manufacturer documentation: manualowl.com · manualowl.com · producthelp.whirlpool.com · producthelp.whirlpool.com · producthelp.whirlpool.com · producthelp.whirlpool.com · producthelp.whirlpool.com · producthelp.whirlpool.com · nelihome.com · nelihome.com