The summary a technician would give
On a Criterion dishwasher a dead panel usually means supply or moisture, and a complaining panel usually means the machine is right. The free move is a power cycle at the spur, which clears latched states. The ranking is the part worth reading twice.
What you are seeing and hearing
- The panel is dark but the machine still fills — Partial power, which usually means a connector or a panel supply rather than the spur. Keep an eye on whether it is getting worse, because the rate of change is itself evidence.
- The programme restarts itself or changes selection — A board losing power briefly, which points at the supply rather than the logic. Do this before the check below it, because the answer changes what that one means.
- The machine reports a fault at the same point every cycle — A consistent stage means a consistent condition, and that is diagnosable rather than random. It is a symptom rather than a cause, so do not fix what you can see until you know why it is there.
- NEAR MISS: the panel is fine and water stays in the tub — That is a drainage fault, and the control is reporting it correctly. This is the cheapest information available on the machine.
Causes, ranked for this appliance
- A latched fault after an interrupted cycle — Second because a power cut or a forced stop leaves a state that only a cold start clears. It earns this slot because it explains the whole symptom rather than part of it.
- Moisture or steam behind the fascia — Door seals age and let steam reach the panel, which makes buttons act on their own. Mention it when you book a visit; it changes which parts a technician brings.
- A door switch that is not confirming — The machine will not proceed without a closed-door signal, and a failing switch produces codes that look unrelated. Confirming it costs less than assuming it, which is why it is worth the few minutes.
- A failed control board — Last, because everything above presents identically and only this one is expensive to guess at. Compare it with how the machine behaved a month ago rather than with how you expect it to behave.
How to narrow it down
- Switch the spur off for a few minutes and back on — A cold start clears latched states, and a fault that does not return was a latch. Repeat it once if the answer is ambiguous rather than moving on with a maybe.
- Clean the filter and check the machine drains — Drain codes are the second commonest class and the filter is where they start. It sits above the more dramatic explanations because it is the one you are statistically likelier to have.
- Look at the door seal for perishing — Steam escaping past the seal is what reaches the panel and makes the buttons misbehave. It takes less time than reading about it.
Owner steps, in order
- Record the code, then power-cycle at the spur — Off for a few minutes, then on, then select a programme fresh rather than resuming the old one. Do not force anything; the plastic in a modern appliance breaks rather than bends.
About 15 min
- Check and open the water supply valve fully — Under the sink, the isolating valve that feeds the machine: it gets closed for other work and left. Give it a moment rather than glancing; the thing you are looking for is not always obvious.
Tools: torchAbout 15 min
- Dry the fascia and the door edge — Work along the top edge where steam escapes; never spray anything directly at the panel. If it does not change anything, that result is still worth recording.
Tools: clothAbout 10 min
- Stop here if the next step would put a meter on live terminals — The remaining causes cannot be told apart by looking, which is why the page stops here.
Before you open anything
Safety
Cut the supply at the breaker, then check that the machine is genuinely dead before reaching in. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off, so the wait matters as much as the switch. Close the water supply at the stop valve as well as the power, because water is the other energy source here. Do not alter anything that stops the machine running with a door open.
When to stop and call
The line is simple enough to state: if the code is about water you can reach, it is owner work; if it is about the lock or the heater, it is a service call. Crossing it costs more than the visit would have. Bring somebody in if the tub will not empty at all, because a standing tub grows a smell within a couple of days.
Other pages at this level
Scope of this page
Read this as the general answer for a Criterion dishwasher, generalized across families on purpose.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
