The answer first
A washer console that is blank, frozen or flashing a code is most often reporting something it cannot achieve — a door it cannot lock, water it cannot get, a drum it cannot empty — rather than a fault in the control itself. The reason a drain fault reported as a code heads the ranking on a Criterion is simple: a value-tier build puts the cheap wearing parts — filters, hoses, seals, screens — in the path of everything the machine does, so they are where the fault usually is. Power cycling, lock states and the door are owner work; everything a code points at inside the cabinet is not.
The observables
- Lights flash in a pattern with no display — On dial machines the flashing pattern is the code.
- The display is dark with the machine plugged in — Usually supply rather than electronics.
- A code appears and the cycle stops at the same point each time — A repeatable stopping point is the most useful clue there is.
- NEAR MISS — It stops mid-cycle with no code — Look at the cycle page; a silent stop is often a door or a drain issue.
What is actually wrong, ranked
- A drain fault reported as a code — Ranked first here: a value-tier build puts the cheap wearing parts — filters, hoses, seals, screens — in the path of everything the machine does, so they are where the fault usually is. Drain codes are extremely common and almost always mean the filter or the hose rather than the pump.
- A fill fault reported as a control error — Ranked second: A closed tap, a kinked inlet hose or a silted inlet screen leaves the machine unable to fill in time, and it reports that as a code.
- A supply interruption or a tripped circuit — Ranked third: A brief power dip during a cycle leaves many controls latched in an error state that survives until the machine is properly powered down. It sits here rather than higher because these units are frequently owner-installed in a closet, a garage or a basement corner, so what feeds the machine is as suspect as the machine.
- A door lock the control cannot confirm — Ranked fourth, and last: Lock errors are the most common coded fault on a front-loader, and they are usually about the catch, the seal or the alignment rather than the lock itself. The door hardware is light, so it goes out of adjustment before anything electrical does.
The sequence that saves time
- Check the drain filter before anything electronic is suspected — A blocked filter produces a coded stop that looks like a control fault from the front. It goes first because it is the cheapest thing to rule out and it decides which half of this list you are in.
- Confirm both taps are fully open and the hoses are not kinked — This is a ten-second check and it explains a large share of coded stops.
- Cycle the breaker fully off and back on, then retry — A machine that returns to normal after a proper power-down was latched, not broken.
What to try before calling
- Drain through the filter hose, clean the trap and refit it squarely — Towels and a shallow tray first; the drum holds more than you expect.
Tools: tray, towelsAbout 25 min
- Open the taps, straighten the hoses and clean the inlet screens — Close the taps before removing a hose, and keep a towel underneath.
Tools: towels, pliersAbout 20 min
- Stop here if the next move needs a meter on live terminals — That is where an owner check ends and a service call begins.
What to do before a panel comes off
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Close the taps before any hose comes off, and never bypass a door or lid switch to run the machine open.
What needs a technician
Call with the code written down exactly, once the taps, hoses, filter and door have all been checked. Those four cover most coded faults, and ruling them out makes the visit much shorter.
The same machine, other symptoms
Scope of this page
This is the family-agnostic page for Criterion washers. Nothing more specific exists to send you to at the moment; a model-level page, once written, is linked here and is the better answer. Deliberately not here: wiring colours, resistance values, torque figures and part numbers, which differ between families.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
