LG Washer Error Codes List: Every Code Explained

Every LG washer 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 washers

LG front-loaders have a test mode used by technicians: with the machine off, a specific three-button combination (commonly Soil Level + Spin Speed + Power held in sequence on many models, and a button-pair hold on others) steps the machine through fill, wash, drain, spin and heater tests while the display shows stored error history. The exact combination differs by model year, so technicians read it from the service manual for the model; if you enter a mode where the tub starts filling or the motor jogs, that is the test mode working — press Power twice to exit.

The complete LG washer error code list

How to reset / clear error codes on LG washers

LG's standard reset is a power cycle: press Power off, unplug the washer for about 5 minutes, then — with the machine still unplugged — press and hold the Start/Pause button for 5 seconds to drain residual charge from the board. Plug back in and run a test cycle. There is no hidden reset button on LG washers; any code that reappears after this procedure is an active fault the control is still detecting, not a glitch that needs a deeper reset.

How to diagnose any LG washer code

Work the problem in this order: (1) write the code down exactly as displayed — photograph it, because opening the door or pressing pause can clear it; (2) ask what the machine was doing when the code appeared — filling, washing, draining, spinning or heating points straight at the fault family; (3) run the external checks for that family first: taps and inlet screens for fill codes, the pump filter and drain hose for drain codes, load size and levelling for balance codes, the door seal and latch for lock codes — these cure the majority of washer codes without a single part; (4) clear the code and run the shortest cycle that exercises the same function (a rinse-and-spin for drain faults, a small wash for fill faults) while you watch — a code that returns in the same phase is an active fault, not a glitch; (5) only then test or replace the component the code monitors, and re-test under the same conditions that produced the fault. Skipping to step 5 is how good parts get replaced for a clogged filter.

The most searched LG washer codes, in detail

1E — Inlet error

1E and IE are the same LG fault: the washer called for water and the fill did not register in time. Some displays render the code as 1E, others as IE; owners search both. The diagnosis is the fill chain — taps, hoses, inlet screens, inlet valve, level sensor. Two LG-documented branches of this code are worth separating, because owners usually check only one of them. The first is the supply branch LG's IE page leads with: water cut off, the faucet turned off or the hose not connected, a hose pressed or bent (LG notes that vibration can walk the machine slightly and bend a hose that was straight at installation), a hose or pipe frozen in cold weather, and the inlet filter clogged with rust, sand or stones. The second branch is quieter and catches people out: on a front-loader, LG's front-load IE guide adds that the drain hose may be positioned too low, so water drains out as fast as the washer fills, or the end of the drain hose may sit submerged, with the same result. A washer on that branch has a healthy supply and a healthy valve — the fill is arriving and leaving at once — and it will show IE until the drain hose is lifted and its holder snapped back into place. Which branch you are on is decided by watching a fill: water audibly entering and the level never rising is the drain branch; silence at the inlet is the supply branch.

Most likely cause: Taps/hoses restricting flow — Closed taps, kinked or frozen hoses.

First check: Taps fully open; hoses unkinked.

If it keeps coming back: Pressure sag at busy times or a waterlogging sensor hose are the usual return stories. A 1E that returns at the same time of day, on an otherwise healthy machine, tracks the house rather than the washer: LG's supply framing covers interruptions and partial reopenings, and a fill that succeeds at quiet hours but times out when the house is drawing water heavily is a supply-pressure story to prove with the bucket test before any part is ordered. A 1E that returns only after the washer has been pushed back into place is the bent-hose story LG warns about — vibration finishing what the push-back started. And a 1E that alternates with normal fills across temperatures is one side of the supply narrowing: clean that side's filter again and look harder at that side's hose run, because a fault that respects the hot/cold split lives on one side only.

AE — Two different LG faults share this code, by platform. On LG top-load washers AE is a rotation error: the gears responsible for rotating the drum cannot operate properly. On LG front-load washers (global/EU manuals) AE is a water leakage error: water leaks

AE is the LG washer code where reading a single meaning off the internet does real damage, because LG itself publishes two. LG's current US and NZ top-load error-code lists define AE as a rotation error and explain it mechanically: if a coin or foreign object is trapped between the wash plate and the drum, it can interfere with the operation of the gear or motor, and the display shows one of three codes — AE, LE or LE1. LG's front-load owner's manuals (the current global manual family) define the same two letters completely differently, in a single troubleshooting row: AE — WATER LEAKAGE — 'Water leaks. Call for service.' Neither definition is a mistake, and neither can be stretched over the other platform: a top-loader showing AE is not reporting a leak, and a front-loader showing AE is not reporting its wash plate. Everything on this page is therefore split by the machine in front of you. What the previous version of this page described — a base float/AquaStop-style leak sensor as the universal AE mechanism — appears in no LG washer source and has been removed; LG's front-load manuals state the leak finding and the service instruction, and nothing more detailed than that. The fastest way to know which AE you have is to look at the machine, not the code: if it loads from the top and has a wash plate at the bottom of the drum, LG's top-load list governs your AE — a rotation error in the AE/LE/LE1 family. If it loads from the front, LG's front-load manual family governs it — a water leakage error whose only published remedy is service. Washer-dryer combination units follow their loader type: a front-load combo reads AE the front-load way, a top-load combo the top-load way. This split also explains why the two halves of the internet contradict each other so confidently about AE: each half is faithfully repeating a genuine LG definition, for the other platform. It also explains why the site's own short entry for AE (from LG's top-load list) described a rotation error while an earlier draft of this deep page described only a leak — both halves were real, and the correction was to separate them by platform rather than to pick a winner.

Most likely cause: TOP-LOAD: coin or foreign object trapped between the wash plate and drum — LG's stated mechanism for the rotation error: the trapped object interferes with the gear or motor, and the same event can display AE, LE or LE1.

First check: TOP-LOAD: look and feel around the wash plate's edge and the gap between wash plate and drum for a trapped coin, screw, underwire or similar object — LG's animated guidance shows exactly this search.

If it keeps coming back: Top-load AE returning after a thorough wash-plate search means the rotation fault is in the gear/motor path, LG's service case. Front-load AE returning after a service visit means water is still escaping somewhere — report it as a repeat leak rather than a new fault. AE that returns on a top-loader after a confirmed-clear wash plate has left the trapped-object branch: LG's list anticipates it exactly ('if you see no trapped object but noise occurs and drum rotation is still affected, request service'), and the gear/motor path is then the story. AE that returns on a front-loader after service means water is still getting out somewhere the first visit did not find or fully seal — report it as a recurring leak with the dates of both displays, because intermittency is diagnostic information the second visit needs. In both branches, a returning AE is not a reset problem and never becomes one, however many times the power is cycled.

CL — Child Lock is ON

CL means LG's Child Lock feature is active: the panel buttons are disabled (except Power on many models) so children can't change or start cycles. It is a status display, not a fault. CL gets mistaken for an error constantly — and on segmented displays it is also mistaken for LE (the motor code), which sends owners down a needless motor diagnosis. CL is the only entry in this guide where the correct repair is to do nothing to the machine at all. LG built Child Lock as a persistent safety state: it disables every control except Power, it can be set at any time including mid-cycle, it survives the end of the cycle, and it survives the power being turned off and on - LG states all of that explicitly, because a lock a power flicker could defeat would protect no one. The display supports it by alternating CL with the remaining time during a locked cycle and lighting the lock icon at power-on. Every CL puzzle — the dead panel, the code that will not clear, the lock nobody remembers setting — is explained by those persistence rules, and every genuine CL is released the same way it was set: powered on, the marked buttons held for a full 3 seconds, and a chime to confirm.

Most likely cause: Child Lock activated — Deliberately, or by a stray long press on the marked button pair.

First check: Look for the lock/child icon lit near the CL display.

If it keeps coming back: If CL re-engages by itself, a sticking panel button is likely — clean around the buttons; persistent self-locking is a panel fault. CL that seems to engage by itself repeatedly deserves a closer look at how the panel is being touched rather than at the washer's electronics. Because arming takes only a sustained 3-second hold on marked buttons, leaning on the panel, wiping it down with a damp cloth, carrying laundry baskets against it, or a child's exploratory pressing can all set it without anyone deciding to. If it still self-engages with no plausible contact, a sticking or moisture-affected panel button is the realistic suspect — keep the panel dry, note whether it is always the same household moment (cleaning day is a classic), and if the Child Lock buttons themselves become unresponsive to the correct release hold, follow LG's direction and treat it as a malfunction for customer support rather than a lock problem.

DE — Door error

dE means LG's control cannot confirm the door is closed and locked, so the washer won't start or it pauses. LG's own cause list for the family is physical first: the door not properly closed; laundry or foreign objects trapped between the door and the gasket; a damaged or torn rubber gasket; and damage to the door or the door locking mechanism — with a missing door magnet or a malfunctioning door lock sensor named on WashTower models. On top-load models LG uses plain dE for the simpler finding that the door (lid) is open. The numbered variants split the front-load story exactly: dE1 = the door is not closed properly; dE2 = the door is closed but not locked; dE4 (where fitted) = door sensor malfunction. Two members of this family deserve naming because owners meet them in searches. dE4, fitted on some models, is defined in LG's manuals as a door sensor malfunction — it is the one variant that skips the closure story entirely and goes straight to a sensor verdict (the Signature combo manual's wording: '[dE4] Door sensor has malfunctioned', listed alongside the [dE], [dE1], [dE2] group whose shared instruction is 'The door is not secured — close and secure the door; if the message keeps appearing, unplug the power cord and call for service'). And on top-load models the family's plain dE keeps its literal sense — LG's top-load list says the dE error occurs when the door is open — so a top-load dE is a lid check, not a lock diagnosis. Owners also arrive here from the search 'lg washer error code dei': there is no dEI code; that string is dE1 misread from the display, and the dE1 section of this family (door not closed properly) is where those searches belong.

Most likely cause: Door not fully closed / laundry trapped in the seal — LG's leading cause: laundry or foreign objects trapped between the door and the gasket, including bulky items that need pushing fully into the drum before the door will close.

First check: Make sure all laundry is fully inside the drum and nothing is caught between the door and the gasket, then close the door securely (LG's first step).

If it keeps coming back: dE returning mid-cycle under spin vibration = marginal lock switch contacts — replace the lock before it strands a load. A dE that returns only under full, fast spins is a lock whose contacts are marginal under vibration — the classic progression is start-of-cycle dE next, then a stranded locked load. A dE that returns only with bulky items is load geometry, not parts: split the load. And a dE that appears for the first time right after door or gasket work should be read as that work's report card — looseness and magnet loss outrank coincidence. In all three patterns the returning code is narrowing the diagnosis; resetting it away discards the evidence.

FE — Overflow error

FE is LG's overfill code, the mirror of IE: too much water has been supplied to the tub. LG's sources name three distinct routes to it, and separating them is the whole diagnosis. Route one is the manual's headline: a faulty water valve letting the level go too high — LG's prescribed response is to close the water faucets, unplug the washer and call for service. Route two is sensing, not water: on WashTower models LG explains that overfilling can occur when the water level sensor malfunctions due to excessive suds — too much detergent, or the wrong type — and that a clogged hose connected to the water level sensor leads to incorrect level detection. Route three is drainage in disguise: a clogged drain filter preventing proper drainage leaves the tub level high. LG's top-load list adds the sensor verdict for its platform: if the tub continues to fill to the point of overflowing after a power reset, there may be a problem with the water level sensor. The WashTower material deserves a closer read, because it is the only place LG explains FE's suds route mechanically: overfilling can occur when the water level sensor malfunctions due to excessive suds, which is why the same code can appear with a tub that looks merely foamy rather than flooded — the sensor is being deceived, and the control fills against a false level. LG pairs this with a detergent comparison owners rarely hear: liquid detergent and eco-friendly detergent cause more suds than powder detergent designed for front-load use, which is why an FE that begins the week a household switches detergent format is a dosing story with a birthday. The same guide's inclusion of a full drain-filter procedure under FE — pan ready, residual-water hose drained first, large cap turned counter-clockwise, filter cleaned under running water, with LG's caution that large amounts of water may flow (mind solid wood flooring) — tells you LG expects the drainage route to be checked on the spot, not theorised about.

Most likely cause: Faulty water valve (the manuals' headline cause) — The valve does not shut the fill off correctly and the level goes too high — LG's remedy is faucets closed, washer unplugged, service called.

First check: Look at the tub before anything else: foam filling the drum points at the suds route; clear water standing high points at valve, sensor or drainage.

If it keeps coming back: FE returning only on high-suds loads is the dosing story unfinished (including residue built up in the tub). FE returning with clear water and correct dosing after a filter clean moves the suspicion to the sensor hose/sensor, then the valve — service territory per LG. FE's return tells you which route you under-treated. Returning only on big, hot, high-dose loads = the suds story, including residue the tub itself contributes until a few correct-dose cycles wash it down. Returning with clear water and a proven filter = the sensing path — sensor hose, then sensor — which LG assigns to service. Returning as a level that creeps while the machine rests = the valve, still passing, faucets still your first move. What a returning FE never means is 'reset it again': every LG source for this code treats recurrence after its platform remedy as the service threshold.

HE — Heating error

HE on an LG washer reports a heating fault: the control drove the heater and the thermistor did not report the expected temperature rise, or reported an abnormal one. The element, the thermistor, and their wiring are the suspects — the same trio as tE, with HE emphasising the heater's performance and tE the sensor's reading. HE sits in a small family that owners meet through searches, so the boundaries are worth drawing. tE is the family's sensor report: LG's manuals treat tE as a control/temperature-sensor error whose owner remedy is to unplug the washer, wait, reconnect and retry, with service if it reappears. HE is the performance report: the heater was driven and the expected heating did not happen. dHE, on washer-dryer combinations, is the drying-side relative — the manuals list it simply as 'does not dry' with a call for service. The three share hardware (the heating element, the temperature sensor and their wiring), which is why their check lists rhyme, but they are not interchangeable reports: a machine that alternates between tE and HE across cycles is telling one consistent story about the same circuit from two angles, not developing unrelated faults. LG's own published remedy pattern for the heating family is deliberately short — a power interruption and a retry; if the same error reappears, request professional service — and LG publishes no owner test values for either the element or the sensor, so this page quotes none.

Most likely cause: Failed heating element — Scaled or burnt-open elements are the commonest cause, especially in hard water.

First check: Does HE appear only on heated cycles (sanitize/steam-type)? Cold cycles running fine points at the heater circuit.

If it keeps coming back: HE after a new element = board not powering it, or a drifting thermistor — live measurement territory. HE that returns after an element replacement, with the new element proven, moves the diagnosis to the two remaining members of the trio: the sensor reporting the rise wrongly, or the control not powering the heater at all — both live-measurement territory, and the reason the second visit should be told the first one's findings. HE alternating with tE across cycles is the same circuit speaking twice; report both codes, with the cycles they appeared on, rather than whichever showed most recently. And HE that appears only in winter on machines in unheated spaces deserves one supply-side check before parts are condemned: a heater asked to raise near-freezing water through a long cycle is working at the edge of its design, and a code that vanishes in spring was partly a conditions report.

Less common and model-specific codes

Search data shows owners also meet these codes on LG washers: A1, B50, BCL, CD, D32, D80, DHE, DR, E0, ECL, EE, EI, EL, EO, F1, FL, HF, I3, IF, IR, J5, LCL, LEI, LTC, ND, NE, NF, NP, NS, O3, OC, OG, P5, RE, SC, SD, T5, TC, TE1, U6, UG, UR, V5, VE. 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.

Deep-dive guides for the most searched codes

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

Facts on this page were checked against manufacturer documentation: www.lg.com · www.lg.com · lg.com · www.lg.com