Home › Washers › Parts › Door lock and lid lock

Washer Door lock and lid lock: What It Does and Signs It's Failing

Front-loaders have a door lock assembly in the frame beside the door opening, with a hook or strike on the door that catches in it. Top-loaders use a lid switch or lid lock under the top panel, worked by a pin or strike on the lid. The washer won't fill or spin until this part reports the door or lid shut and locked.

How it works

Closing the door pushes the hook or strike into the lock and closes a switch. The control then locks the door (some lid locks use a small solenoid for this) and starts the cycle. Lid switch actuators are plastic and get brittle with age or snap when the lid gets slammed.

Signs it is failing

• Washer won't start and the lock light blinks
• Door or lid won't lock, or won't unlock at the end
• Cycle stops partway with a door or lid code
• Door hook or strike bent, loose or snapped off
• Lid won't close all the way because a plastic tab broke

Door-open, door-lock and lid-lock codes point here first, once you've checked that no clothing is caught in the door and nothing blocks the strike.

Can you replace it yourself?

Unplug the washer before taking anything apart. A broken strike or hook is usually a few screws, but the lock itself means peeling back the door boot clamp on a front-loader or lifting the top on a top-loader. Never tape, jumper or force a lock to make the washer run, because it's what holds the door shut while the drum spins.

Buying the right part

Get the lock by the full model number, and see whether screws and the wire harness come with it.

Error codes linked to the door lock and lid lock

• F5 E1Door switch problemAmana
• F5 E2Door won't lockAmana
• E16 / F16Door is open or not lockedBosch
• E40Door lock problemElectrolux
• E41Door or lid reads as openFrigidaire
• E48Door lock circuit faultFrigidaire
• dELid is openGE
• Lid LockedOpen the lid to start a new cycleGE
• doorDoor not closed or needs openingGE
• E60Door lock faultGE
• E2Lid reads as openHaier
• F06Door lock faultHotpoint (UK)
• dEDoor or lid won't lockLG
• F5E1Door or lid switch does not detect it closedMaytag
• F5E2Door or lid will not lockMaytag
• F5E3Lid lock faultMaytag
• LdULid cannot unlockMaytag
• dCDoor or lid not closed and lockedSamsung
• F5E1Door or lid switch not detecting closedWhirlpool
• F5E2Door or lid won't lockWhirlpool
• F5E3Door or lid lock errorWhirlpool

Last reviewed 2026-10-19.