The short answer
A Criterion dishwasher that will not start is far more often refusing than broken, because it checks its door, its panel and its supply before anything happens. On this class the usual cause is no power reaching the machine, with a door latch that is not registering as closed next to rule out, and neither needs a tool.
What you actually observe
- Completely dead with no light at any button — A supply question before it is a machine question.
- The door will not close squarely — A door that will not shut will never register as shut.
- NEAR MISS: it runs a full cycle and the dishes are dirty — That is a cleaning problem, with its own cause list.
The causes, most likely first on this brand
- No power reaching the machine — A dishwasher is usually wired to a switched spur or a socket inside a cabinet, and a switch knocked off or a breaker tripped presents as a completely dead panel. Ranked first on a Criterion unit: these machines are installed by buyers as often as by installers, and the supply connection is the part most often left marginal.
- A door latch that is not registering as closed — No dishwasher will begin until its latch reports shut, and a door that is pushed to rather than pressed home, or a latch with debris in it, leaves a machine that ignores the start button. Ranked second here: a light door on a contract-built tub settles in its housing and misses the strike by a fraction.
- A control lock or child lock left engaged — Ranked third here: the panel legend here is small and the lock symbol is easily missed.
- A delay start left set from a previous cycle — Ranked fourth here: last, and the display shows it at a glance once you know to look.
Check in this order, and why this order
- Find the switch or socket that feeds the machine and check the breaker — The spur switch is frequently inside the cabinet beside the machine and easily knocked.
- Open the door fully and close it firmly, listening for the latch to click — A latch you can hear has engaged, and a silent close is the fault.
- Look for a lock symbol or a lock indicator anywhere on the panel — A lock indicator is the commonest reason a working machine appears dead.
What an owner can safely check
- Switch the spur or socket back on and reset the breaker once — If the breaker trips again straight away, stop and call rather than resetting it repeatedly.
Tools: torchAbout 15 min
- Clean the latch and the strike plate and check the door closes squarely into the tub — A machine that has settled in its housing can miss the strike by a fraction.
Tools: clothAbout 15 min
- STOP HERE if the next step needs a meter on live terminals or a panel off — That is where an owner check ends and a service call begins.
Before you open anything
Safety
Switch the machine off at its breaker before reaching into the door trim or under the sink, because the heating element in the floor of the tub stays hot after a cycle. Never defeat a door latch to make a machine run. If the breaker trips a second time on this appliance, leave it off and call rather than resetting it again.
When to call a technician
Call once the door, the panel, the supply and the water are all clean and the machine is still dead, because a latch assembly, a fuse or a control board means the door trim off and a meter. Call immediately rather than resetting again if the breaker trips a second time. Bear in mind when you decide that this is a retailer house brand built by a contract manufacturer, so parts come through the retailer rather than from a brand service network.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page covers the Criterion dishwasher as a class, not one family or model line. Panel legends, lock combinations and latch assemblies all change from build to build and are deliberately not here. Where a family or model page exists for your machine, it is the more specific answer and the one to read first.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
