Whirlpool Dishwasher Error Codes, Decoded

That blinking is the code. On Whirlpool-family dishwashers without a number readout, a fault blinks out as a flash sequence on the Clean (or Heavy) light — you count the flashes to get the F#E# number (for example, a certain number of blinks, a pause, then more blinks). It's Whirlpool-documented behavior. Watch a full sequence a couple of times to be sure of the count, then match it to the table on this page. If counting blinks is tricky, tell us what the light is doing when you call and we'll interpret it. $89 residential diagnostic, waived with repair.

Read the first part — the F-digit tells you the system, and that meaning is stable across models: F1 = control board, F2 = user interface/keypad, F3 = thermistor/water sensor (OWI), F4 = pump communication, F5 = door, F6 = fill/water in, F7 = heat, F8 = drain, F9 = diverter (the part that sends water to different spray arms), and FA (also written F10) = dispenser/vent/drying fan. The second part, the E-digit, narrows it down and can vary by model year. So even a code you've never seen, you can place: F8-anything is a drain issue, F7-anything is heat, F6-anything is water coming in.

No, F2E2 is a communication error between the main control and the user-interface board — not a leak, despite what some charts suggest. Whirlpool's own fix is to power-cycle: cut power for 30 seconds, restore it, and see if it clears. If F2E2 comes back, the UI board or the harness between it and the main control is the suspect, and that's a technician diagnosis. F2E1, by contrast, is a stuck button on the keypad. Neither is a water fault.

Yes. The F8 family is drainage. F8E1 is a slow drain (the machine drained, but too slowly), and F8E2/F8E3 are drain-pump electrical faults (pump problem, or pump stuck on). Start at the filter and the drain hose, check the air gap and the garbage-disposal knockout plug on new installs, then the pump. Because our Whirlpool dishwasher not-draining page walks that full drain path step by step, the F8 codes point there for the fix — this page is the code lookup.

All F6 codes are about water coming in, but they split: F6E1 is 'won't fill / no water detected' (check the supply valve is open and the fill hose isn't kinked), F6E2 is an inlet valve failure, F6E4 is the float switch open (an overfill/float issue), and there are others — F6E3 (suds or air in the pump), F6E6 (incoming water too cold), F6E7 (flow meter disconnected). The F6 family digit tells you it's the fill side; the E-digit says which part. Inlet valve work runs $200 to $340.

Yes. F7E1 means the heating element doesn't work, and F7E2 means it won't shut off. On a heated-dry Whirlpool, a dead element leaves dishes wet (and the water under-heated). Our techs meter the element and the high-limit thermostat on-site; replacement runs $180 to $460. If your dishes are coming out wet but there's no code, that's a broader drying question — see our dishwasher not-drying page, which covers heated-dry versus condensation designs.

Yes. KitchenAid, Maytag, and JennAir dishwashers share the Whirlpool Corporation F#E# platform, so F8E1 is a slow drain and F7E1 is a heater fault on all of them, with parts from the same catalog families. That said, a given KitchenAid or Maytag model's manual may not republish every code, so verify a specific model if a code isn't listed — but the family meanings carry straight across. We treat all four as one platform for diagnosis and parts.

Not one we'd rely on. F0E0 doesn't appear in Whirlpool's published dishwasher code set, so we don't present it as a Whirlpool dishwasher code. Stick to the confirmed F#E# families. Also worth knowing: the exact E-suffix pairing for a given fault can shift by control-board generation, so the family digit (F6 fill, F7 heat, F8 drain, and so on) is the reliable part, and the specific sub-code is 'varies by model/year.'

Start with a power cycle — cut power at the breaker (or unplug) for a minute, restore, and run a short cycle. For F2E2 specifically, Whirlpool's documented step is a 30-second power-off. Fix the obvious cause for fill and drain codes (open the tap, clean the filter, clear the hose) before assuming a part. Codes that return every cycle — control (F1), thermistor (F3), pump comm (F4), heater (F7), diverter (F9) — are real hardware faults and a service visit. There's no single 'clear all' shortcut beyond the power cycle.

90 days on SDAR labor and parts for the work we perform — separate from any Whirlpool factory warranty. Same component fails inside 90 days, we replace it free. BHGS #A49573, BBB Accredited Business, EPA 608 Universal certified #1346255700410. $89 residential diagnostic, waived when you approve the repair.