It’s never a pleasant experience when you have a dishwasher that won’t start just because you can’t unlock its door or the control lock.
However, opening a Maytag dishwasher isn’t so hard. With the correct information, you’d sort it out in seconds.
You can unlock your dishwasher by pressing the button beneath the lit control lock sign for three seconds until it’s inactivated. Alternatively, you might need to find the child lock, repair the door’s latch or hinge, or cross-check the electric and water supply to the dishwasher, as these are all pressure points to your dishwasher’s effective functioning.
Why Won’t Your Maytag Dishwasher Open?
There are several reasons why your dishwasher might seem stubborn and give you a hard time opening, most of which are often easily overlooked. They include:
An Interrupted Power Supply or Stuck Electronic Control System
Many dishwasher manufacturers program their products to lock when power is interrupted to prevent leakage automatically.
However, you may also have overworked your dishwasher’s door electronic system till it got stuck, as many of them are electronically operated.
Fixing this might mean you’re restarting the washing process as directed by your dishwasher’s manual or resetting the door’s electronic control system.
#1. A Failed Door Handle Mechanism
Due to regular usage, your dishwasher’s door handle operates with an inbuilt mechanism that engages when you press it, like every other machine and machine part.
However, the dishwasher handle indicates this failure by giving you a more sluggish or late response than usual.
When you notice this, you can guess that the handle needs some attention.
However, it would help if you considered your warranty before picking up a screwdriver to save the day.
You do not want to miss out on your warranty because you tampered with the door handle while eventually not being able to repair it yourself.
#2. A Broken Door Latch
There’s a connection between your dishwasher’s operation and the door latch. If the door latch breaks down, it stops the washing cycle and may keep the dishwasher locked.
This stop prevents water from leaking out of the dishwasher and flooding your kitchen floor. You might need to buy a new door latch assembly system, which might be expensive.
So, you’d have to compare the price of your dishwasher’s latch system and that of the dishwasher itself to know if it’s a worthy buy.
#3. Faulty Door Hinges
Your dishwasher’s door opens and closes with the aid of some hinges. The hinges are joined to a spring and swing on a pin to allow seamless door movement.
However, a problem with the health of these hinges could mean an inaccessible dishwasher. For your warranty protection, it’s best to employ a certified technician to help out with the hinges rather than trying it out on your own.
#4. An Activated Control Lock
A control lock turned on is the most straightforward problem to get with your Maytag dishwasher lock.
The dishwasher manufacturers use this system to prevent severe consequences of mistakes with the button engagement or an accidental operation by children.
Unfortunately, many dishwasher owners don’t use this feature, so it can be frustrating to hear the power and water supply but have no access to your dishwasher.
Steps to Unlocking The Control Lock on a Maytag Dishwasher
- Take a quick look at the control panel and ensure the control lock light is switched on. This light will flash when you try to press any other button. This indication is excellent because it makes you sure of the problem—a lock control turned on.
- Ensure that the water source is well connected to the dishwasher. Your dishwasher requires a certain water pressure to function adequately, and until it gets to that pressure level, it might not work. This reduction in pressure is usually due to a faulty connection to the water source; therefore, it would help check this connection and ensure tight fittings.
- Ensure that the power source is connected. As explained earlier, today, most dishwashers are electronically operated. Thus, they can’t function without a proper power supply. If your dishwasher switches off during a washing cycle regularly, there might be a problem with either its supply of power or its electrical system.
- With these done, you can look for a control lock button with a green or red lock icon. Press this lock button, hold it down for three seconds, and then release it. This should unlock the control panel and let you complete your cycle or open the dishwasher’s door.
Summary
Unlocking the control lock of a locked dishwasher can get frustrating.
But this occurs if not handled the right way, such as checking the control panel, pressing and holding down the lit lock button for three seconds, and releasing it.
It might also mean resetting the door’s electronic system, replacing the door’s latch assembly system, replacing or repairing the door’s hinges, or ensuring proper power and water supply to your dishwasher.
With this information at your fingertips, unlocking your Maytag dishwasher should be a breeze.
