The short answer, at family level
On the Criterion CDW dishwasher family a machine that will not start is usually being stopped deliberately: by the door latch, by a delay or child lock, or by the supply, and only rarely by a failed part. The tub is plumbed and powered under the counter, so a leak is usually seen on the floor before it is seen in the machine Work down the list below before assuming anything is broken. The table below lists the five models this profile covers.
What you observe on these models
- It beeps or flashes when the start button is pressed — The machine is telling you it is refusing. On this platform that is nearly always a door that is not latched rather than an internal fault.
- Lights come on, the cycle is accepted, nothing happens — The control has power and is refusing to run. That is the door latch, a lock, or a delay that has been set without being noticed.
- The panel is dead: no lights, no beep, nothing — A power question. Breaker, plug or the switched spur under the counter, in that order, before anything inside the machine.
- NEAR MISS: the machine starts but stops part way through — A cycle that begins and abandons is a fill, drain or heat fault rather than a starting fault, and it has its own list.
Causes, most likely first on this platform
- The door is not latching, or the latch switch is worn — First on this platform: the latch both closes the door and tells the control it is closed. A rack pushed out slightly, or a worn latch, stops the cycle before it begins.
- No power is reaching the machine — Second: a tripped breaker, a switched spur behind a cupboard, or a plug shaken loose under the counter. A standard household branch circuit is rated 15 A or 20 A, and a tripped one is a symptom, not a nuisance.
- A child lock or delayed start is active — Ranked high because it costs nothing and is easy to set by accident. A machine in delay looks exactly like a machine that will not start.
- The supply tap is closed or the fill is restricted — A machine that cannot fill stops rather than runs. On this platform the tap is often behind a cupboard where it is closed during other work and never reopened.
What to check first, and why in this order
- Open and close the door firmly, then press start again — Push the lower rack fully in first. A rack fouling the latch is the single most common reason a cycle never begins on this kind of machine. Each step rules out a cause the next one would inherit.
- Check power at the breaker and the spur — A dead panel is a power question. Reset the breaker once; if it trips again, stop and treat that as the fault rather than resetting it repeatedly.
- Look for a lock or delay indicator on the panel — Hold the lock button for a few seconds to clear it, and cancel any delayed start. Free, instant, and a genuinely common answer.
Before you open anything
Safety
Switch the machine off at its breaker before removing the door panel or the console; a capacitor in the control can hold a charge after the power is off. Do not reset a breaker repeatedly to keep a machine running: a breaker that trips again is reporting a fault, and a standard household branch circuit is rated 15 A or 20 A for a reason. Never defeat the door latch switch to make a cycle run with the door open.
Models in the CDW family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| CDW2FCM* | criterion:dishwasher:cdw |
| CDW4FCM* | criterion:dishwasher:cdw |
| CDW5TCM* | criterion:dishwasher:cdw |
| CDW7TCM* | criterion:dishwasher:cdw |
| CDW7TCT1S | criterion:dishwasher:cdw |
Where the owner line falls here
The split on these models is not subtle. Door, racks, locks, delay, tap and a single breaker reset are all owner work. Call when the breaker trips again, when the latch switch has failed, or when the panel is dead with power confirmed at the spur. On this platform the machine has to be unplumbed and drawn out from under the counter before most work can start, which is where a straightforward job becomes a longer one.
Other faults on these models
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
