Appliance Error Codes Explained by Brand

An error code is the control board telling you what it noticed, not what is broken. LG's OE means water did not leave the tub in time, which could be a clogged drain filter, a failed drain pump, a kinked hose, or a pressure sensor lying to the board. The code narrows the search to one system. Clearing it changes nothing, because the code is a report, not the fault.

What an error code actually is

Appliances run cycles as a sequence of expected outcomes. Fill to a target pressure in so many seconds. Drain to empty in so many seconds. Reach a target temperature. Spin up and stay balanced. The board watches sensors, and when an outcome does not happen on time it stops and posts a code.

That is the whole mechanism. The board has no idea what part failed. It knows the water did not go down, or the drum would not balance. A technician meters the components in that system until one fails a reading.

This is why clearing a code fixes nothing. Unplugging for five minutes clears the stored fault and leaves the condition untouched. It is also why the same letters mean different things by brand. There is no industry standard, and Samsung's 5E on a washer and 5E on a refrigerator are unrelated faults.

LG washers: OE, UE, IE, LE

LG uses two-character codes, and the display font makes some easy to misread. A capital O and a zero look alike, as do I and 1.

OE means the machine did not drain in time. Start with the drain pump filter, the small access door at the bottom front. Almost every LG has one and almost nobody cleans it. After that: a failed drain pump, a drain hose kinked or pushed too far down the standpipe, or a clogged pressure sensor hose.

UE or uE means unbalanced load. Usually the load really is unbalanced: one bath mat, a comforter wadded to one side. Redistribute and restart. When UE shows on normal loads, the cause is a machine that is not level, worn suspension rods or shocks, or a failed balance sensor.

IE (capital I, not a 1) means the machine did not fill in time. Check that both supply valves are fully open, then the inlet screens, the mesh filters where the hoses meet the machine. Hard water across the Kansas City metro packs those screens with mineral grit, one of the more common IE causes here.

LE is a motor lock or overload. The board tried to turn the drum and the motor drew too much current or did not move. Sometimes something is jammed between drum and tub, such as a bra underwire. Sometimes it is the rotor position sensor. See our washer repair page.

Samsung washers: 4C, 5E, UB

Samsung changed its code format across generations, so online tables often contradict each other.

4C (older models: 4E) is a water supply fault. Same checklist as LG's IE: valves open, inlet screens clear, hoses unkinked, then the inlet valve and pressure sensor. A related code, 4C2, means hot water is connected to the cold inlet, which happens more often than you would think.

5E (older: 5C or nd) is a drain fault. Check the debris filter behind the lower panel, then the hose and pump.

UB (also U6 or dC) is an unbalanced load: usually the load itself, occasionally the feet.

Whirlpool F-series codes on ranges

Whirlpool, and the Maytag and KitchenAid ranges on the same platforms, use F codes, often paired with an E code in the format F3 E1. The F number identifies the system, the E number the condition.

• F1 is a control board or EEPROM fault: the board failed its own self-check.
• F2 is an over-temperature condition, pointing at a sensor reading wrong or a relay welded closed. An oven that will not stop heating should be shut off at the breaker.
• F3 and F4 are oven temperature sensor faults, open and shorted. The sensor is a resistance probe in the cavity, the part is inexpensive, and this is a frequent fix on our oven and range repair calls.
• F5 is a door lock or latch fault, usually around self-clean.

Older ranges show a bare F code with no E digit, and the two tables do not line up, so the model number matters.

Samsung refrigerators: 5E, 22E, and OF OF

5E on a Samsung refrigerator is a defrost sensor fault, nothing to do with drainage. The board lost a sensible reading from the sensor that tells it when the evaporator coil has defrosted. Leave it and the coil ices over, airflow stops, and the fresh food compartment goes warm while the freezer stays cold. Same end result as in our post on a fridge running but not cooling.

22E is a fan fault, usually the fresh food evaporator fan. Either the motor failed, the fan is frozen in ice, or the board is not seeing feedback.

OF OF (also O FF or oFF) is not an error at all. It is Samsung's showroom demo mode: the unit lights up, the display works, and it does not cool. Button combinations trigger it accidentally and it survives a power cycle. The exit combination depends on the model, usually Energy Saver plus Fridge, or Power Freeze plus Power Cool, held several seconds. Check this before calling anyone.

Bosch dishwashers: E15 and the leak sensor

E15 means the base pan float switch has tripped. There is a shallow pan under the tub with a float in it. If water collects there the float rises, the switch closes, and the machine locks into a protective state: drain pump running continuously, no cycle will start. Bosch designed it to stop a leak from becoming a floor, so E15 is doing its job.

The fix depends on why water reached the pan. A leak from the pump seal, a hose, or a cracked sump needs repair. But E15 also follows a one-time spill, a detergent overdose that foamed over, or a heavy tilt during installation, and then tipping the machine forward about 45 degrees to drain the pan usually clears it. If E15 returns within a few cycles, there is a real leak putting water under your cabinets.

What to do with a code before you call

Write down the exact code character for character, the brand and full model number, when in the cycle it appears, and whether it repeats. That last detail often narrows the cause more than the code does. Then do the free checks: drain filter, supply valves, kinked hose.

If the code persists, call (816) 555-0123. The diagnostic is $109, credited to the repair when you approve the written quote, with a one-year warranty on parts and labor. We work on every major brand, plus Sub-Zero, Wolf, Viking, and Thermador. See our service areas.