The short answer
A leaking dishwasher on the TDQR line is usually a door-seal or a fitting problem rather than a failed tub — the water is escaping a joint, not the machine. On this page the seal and the load come first, because both are free to check and between them they cover most leaks at the front. Where the water appears matters: at the door front means the seal or the load, under the kick plate means a fitting or the pump, and at the sink means the connection.
What you are seeing on the TDQR line
- Water under the kick plate with a dry door — A fitting, a hose clamp or a pump seal inside the cabinet.
- Foam or suds escaping the door — Hand dish soap or too much detergent. The machine is not leaking; it is overflowing foam.
- NEAR MISS — water plus a tub that will not empty — Then the drain is blocked and the tub is overflowing. Fix the drainage first; the leak is the symptom.
Causes, most likely first on the TDQR line
- The door seal is tired, dirty or displaced — Ranked first on the TDQR line because it is free to inspect and because it explains water at the door front, which is where most leaks appear. Run a finger round the gasket: grease and debris break the seal as effectively as wear.
- The load or the detergent is throwing water at the door — Oversized items in the lower rack and too much detergent both send water where the seal was never meant to hold it back.
- The door is out of adjustment or the machine is not level — An out-of-level machine loads one corner of the gasket and leaves the other slack. It ranks here because a spirit level settles it in a minute.
- The supply or drain connection is weeping — Low here because the water is reported at the door, which the plumbing cannot explain — but dry everything and check before closing the job.
Check in this order, and why that order
- First — run a finger all the way round the door gasket — Wipe it clean and look for splits, flats and trapped debris. Most door leaks are found here without tools.
- Then — rerun the cycle with an ordinary load and the correct detergent — No oversized trays in the lower rack and no hand dish soap. If the floor stays dry, the machine was never leaking.
- Only then — put a level on the door and rock the machine — A machine leaning forward or sitting on three feet unloads the bottom of the seal. Wind the feet until it sits square in its opening.
- STOP here if the next check needs a panel off or a meter on live terminals — Everything above can be done with nothing dismantled; past it the checks need test equipment.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing the kick plate or the inner door panel — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off, and the control and heater terminals sit within reach of standing water. Close the supply shut-off under the sink before disturbing any fitting, and never reach into the sump while the machine is powered: the chopper and the drain impeller start without warning. Do not run the machine with water on the floor around it; dry the area first and keep the breaker off until you have.
Where the owner job ends
Call when the door seal, the load and the fittings are all clear and water is still arriving under the machine, because the next candidates are the sump and pump seals. On the TDQR line, call rather than continue if the machine has to come out from under the worktop. Call immediately if water has reached a socket or the flooring is lifting — the appliance can wait, the electrics cannot.
Other faults covered for the TDQR line
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
