The short answer
On a European built-in dishwasher the door is held by a cable and pulley on each side rather than a simple spring hinge, and when one of those cables breaks the door drops open under its own weight and stops meeting its seal squarely. That single failure explains most door and front-leak complaints on this platform, and it is diagnosed by letting go of the door halfway.
What you are seeing
- The door falls open hard instead of staying where you put it — Note: A counterbalance cable has snapped or come off its pulley. This is the top cause and the easiest to confirm.
- Water runs down the front of the machine at floor level — Note: The door has dropped, so the base seal no longer meets the tub. It is a door fault presenting as a leak.
- The door has to be lifted slightly to make the latch engage — Note: The door is sitting low. Same cause, earlier stage.
- A cold draught or steam escapes from one top corner — Note: The push-in tub gasket has come out of its channel at that corner.
- The machine accepts a program and then does nothing — Note: The latch is not making. Close the door slowly and listen for the second click.
- Water pools under the machine but the door front is dry — Note: That is not a door leak. Look at the sump and hose connections instead.
Ranked causes on this brand
- Counterbalance cable snapped or off its pulley — Why this rank: First because it is the characteristic failure of this door design, it changes the door geometry immediately, and it produces both the drop and the front leak that owners report as two separate problems.
- Push-in tub gasket displaced from its channel — Why this rank: Second because the gasket is a soft strip pushed into a groove around the tub mouth and it works its way out at the corners, which is where the draught and the steam appear.
- Door base seal worn or distorted — Why this rank: Third: this is the separate strip along the bottom of the door opening, it takes every drip and every scuff from loading, and it is where a European machine leaks at the front when it leaks at all.
- Custom integrated panel too heavy for the spring tension — Why this rank: Fourth because on an integrated installation the door counterbalance is set for a panel weight, and a heavy stone or solid timber panel overwhelms it and slams the door.
- Hinge brackets loose in the cabinet — Why this rank: Fifth: the machine is bolted to the counter and the hinges bolt to the machine, so movement in either lets the door sit crooked.
- Gasket perished or torn — Why this rank: Last on this platform because the geometry causes above it produce identical symptoms far more often, and replacing a gasket that was never the problem changes nothing.
What to check, in order
- Open the door halfway and let go of it — Why: A door that stays put has working counterbalance cables. A door that drops has a broken one, and that answers most of this page.
- Compare the two sides: does the door drop straight or twist as it falls — Why: A twist means one cable has gone and the other has not, which is the usual pattern.
- Run a finger all the way around the tub gasket in its channel — Why: A section standing proud or pulled out of the groove is visible and fixable by hand.
- Look along the bottom of the door opening at the base seal — Why: This is where a front leak starts, and it is easy to see once you know it is a separate part from the tub gasket.
- Close the door slowly and listen for the latch to make its second click — Why: A latch that does not engage produces a machine that accepts a program and then abandons it.
Checks you can do safely
- Open the door to halfway and release it. Note whether it holds position, drops slowly, or falls open, and whether it twists as it goes. — Tools: none — Time: two minutes
- Switch off at the isolator, then remove the kick panel and look up each side of the cabinet at the counterbalance cable and its pulley. — Tools: screwdriver, torch — Time: twenty minutes
- Press any lifted section of the tub gasket firmly back into its channel with a thumb, working from the middle of the run outwards to each corner. — Tools: none — Time: ten minutes
- Wash the base seal and the sill below it with hot water and a cloth, and check for grit or a fragment holding the door off. — Tools: cloth — Time: ten minutes
- On an integrated machine, check the custom panel is the weight the door was set for and that its fixings are tight and square. — Tools: screwdriver — Time: a quarter of an hour
- Check the hinge bracket bolts where the machine meets the cabinet and the counter, and snug any that have loosened. — Tools: screwdriver or nut driver — Time: a quarter of an hour
Before you open anything
Safety
Switch the machine off at its isolator before removing the kick panel. Treat the counterbalance assembly with respect: it is under tension, and a cable that is intact can whip if a pulley is disturbed with the door unsupported. Support the door or close it before working at the hinges. Never tape, prop or otherwise defeat the door latch to make the machine run with the door open, because the latch is what prevents a tub of near-boiling water being opened mid-cycle. The inlet hose carries mains wiring in its sleeve and must never be cut or repaired. Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. — Id: unplug-before-service
Where the service line falls
A counterbalance cable has snapped, because the assembly is under tension and the replacement has to be matched to the door weight the machine was built for. The door twists visibly as it opens, which means the two sides are no longer carrying it equally and the geometry cannot be corrected by adjustment. Water still runs down the front after the gasket is seated and the base seal is clean and intact. The latch will not engage even with the door lifted slightly, which points at the latch mechanism rather than the door position. The machine will run with the door open, which is a safety fault and means stopping use immediately.
Nearest pages
What this page does not cover
This page is generalized across families and models on this European built-in platform and describes the cable-and-pulley counterbalanced door common to it. It does not cover a specific model family, and it does not cover freestanding variants with a different hinge arrangement or drawer-format machines, which have no comparable door at all. Identify your machine from the rating plate on the edge of the door or inside the tub rim rather than from the badge, because this manufacturer supplied the same platform under several group badges and a parts desk cross-references by platform, not by name.
Links down: - [Fagor Dishwasher: Water Leak](/blog/fagor-dishwasher-water-leak) - [Fagor Dishwasher: Controls, Display or Error Code](/blog/fagor-dishwasher-control-fault)
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
