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If your Frigidaire dishwasher is acting up, you may want to reset it- resetting appliances such as dishwashers typically resolves a considerable number of issues including control panel problems.
Read how to reset the control panel on your Frigidaire dishwasher below (Hint: There are 2 easy ways of resetting a Frigidaire dishwasher).
Let’s get started:
Frigidaire dishwasher control panel reset –step by step
Follow these steps to perform Frigidaire dishwasher control panel reset and (potentially) get rid of the error that is causing it not to function properly:
Technique 1
In the first method, you reset your appliance via the Frigidaire dishwasher StartCancel button.
This is the swiftest way to reset the dishwasher because you shut it down then restart it without needing to disconnect it from power.
Procedure
Step 1:
Locate the Cancel Button on your dishwasher’s control pad – check the far-right side of its control panel.
Step 2:
Now press the Cancel Button and hold it down for 3 seconds (at least).
Alternately, continue holding it down until the indicator light goes off or changes.
Step 3:
Wait about 5 minutes- you want to keep the dishwater turned off for a couple of minutes to give it enough time to clear the troublesome.
You can set a timer to help you count down the time.
Step 4:
Restart the dishwasher – to do this, locate and simply press the Start Button for between one to two seconds.
Voila! Your Frigidaire dishwasher will restart everything and the control panel may start to respond normally again after the appliance has restarted completely.
Technique 2
In the alternative method, you reset your Frigidaire dishwasher by disconnecting the machine from power again for about 5 minutes.
Try this technique if shutting it off with the Start/Cancel button did not bear fruits – even after trying it several times.
Procedure
Step 1:
Locate the circuit breaker powering your Frigidaire dishwasher.
Step 2:
Just flip the circuit breaker off
Step 3:
Wait for a full 5 minutes.
Step 4:
Flip the circuit breaker back on.
Now test whether the control panel is working as intended.
Quick Tip: You can as well unplug the dishwasher for 5 minutes and then plug it back in (instead of going the breaker route)
What to do if the Frigidaire dishwasher control panel reset does not help
While resetting the dishwasher often resolves some problems interfering with the proper functioning of the control panel, it doesn’t always work.
Try the following repairs if resetting your Frigidaire dishwasher did not pay off:
Dry the control panel
Don’t be quick to conclude that the control panel has gone bad- water may have leaked in there and caused the Frigidaire dishwasher control panel problem you’re experiencing.
So try this:
- Open the control panel
- Carefully wipe off any water you find in there (you can use a suitable dry cloth or something similar) –it is a good idea to make sure the whole control panel area is wiped off and dried.
- Re-assemble the control panel.
Check if the dishwasher control panel has resumed its usual operation.
Quick Tip: Also consider cleaning and drying the dishwasher gasket here.
Check the ribbon cable for corrosion
The other thing you may want to check is your control panel/touchpad ribbon cable – it may be corroded, leading to a poor connection between the main board and the control panel connectors.
This is especially recommended for these issues:
- Frigidaire dishwasher control panel ‘hanging’
- Frigidaire dishwasher control panel blinking sporadically
What you want to do here is to access the ribbon cable by opening the panel and cleaning off any corrosion carefully.
It could do the trick.
Quick Tip: Remember there are other possible causes of the above defects but a corroded ribbon cable is occasionally the trigger.
Frigidaire dishwasher control panel replacement
If your dishwasher won’t start – even after you have tried all the above Frigidaire dishwasher control panel troubleshooting steps- it could be time to replace the panel entirely.
In fact, this is the most recommended solution for the list of faults below:
- Frigidaire dishwasher control panel not working –the control panel has stopped working at all at all.
- Some buttons not working on Frigidaire dishwasher- The buttons are intermittently working (and some are actually no longer working at all).
To replace the control panel, you need to order the correct part (check websites such as Amazon, PartsDr, and Sears- Be sure to enter your model number in the provided space before ordering to confirm compatibility.
To add, the process of changing out the whole Frigidaire dishwasher touchpad and control panel assembly is not really difficult and you should be done in a few minutes (search for a good YouTube video to guide you on receiving the part).
Troubleshooting related issues
Frigidaire dishwasher no lights on panel (Frigidaire dishwasher control panel not lighting up)
Check for corroded ribbon cable, blown thermal fuse (on the dishwasher control board)- it cuts off power to your dishwasher if it overheats.
Don’t forget that you can test whether the thermal fuse has fried using a multimeter (test for continuity-and order a replacement if there is no continuity.
Lastly, a poor power connection (in junction box) can also be the culprit so check for this too.
Frigidaire dishwasher control panel lights flashing
This may be pointing to a system error so check if any error code is shown on the display and try to reset the unit- resetting tends to eliminate basic error codes.
The other fix –if the problem persists (or when no error code appears)- is replacing the entire control panel and the touchpad.
Frigidaire dishwasher control panel locked (Frigidaire dishwasher control panel frozen)
You will need to unlock the control panel for it to work again by pressing and holding DELAY START for around 3 seconds.
Now, on plastic tub Frigidaire dishwashers, the indicator light goes out (after the 3 seconds) to indicate that the controls have been unlocked.
On the other hand, for stainless steel Frigidaire dishwashers, you should press and hold down DELAY START until the display status window no longer shows “LOC”.
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