Error codes · Whirlpool · Dryers

Whirlpool dryer error codes: most of them are the vent, or one leg of the power.

A Whirlpool dryer prints few codes, and the two everyone sees — AF and L2 — are about the house, not the dryer: a vent that cannot breathe and a 240V outlet with one leg dead. The thermistor and board codes are the ones that need a technician. Find the code below, work the checks in order, and clear it with the reset in the strip above the table.

Covers: 2015-and-newer electric (WED4815, WED4950, WED5000, WED5050, WED6120, WED7120, WED8620, WED9620) and gas (WGD4815, WGD4950, WGD5000, WGD5050, WGD6120, WGD7120, WGD8620, WGD9620) dryers.

Whirlpool · First

Before you clear it

Whirlpool prints an F code with an E code (F9 E1, shown as F9E1). The F names the system, the E names the fault inside it.

1

A display prints an F-and-E code (F3E1) and the two-letter states (AF, L2, PF). Older-style boards on the same series printed a colon code (F:22, F:23, F:28) for the same faults — the tables list those as aliases.

2

A dryer with a dial and no display prints nothing. It stops, or runs with no heat, and the symptom page for dryers is the road; the fault history lives in the service diagnostic on the tech sheet behind the console, written for a technician.

3

The reset: unplug the dryer (or switch both breakers of its 240V circuit off) for one full minute, plug it in and start a Timed Dry on high. A code that comes straight back is real.

4

A gas dryer that tumbles with no heat and no code is the igniter, the flame sensor or the gas valve coils — there is no code for it. A no-heat electric dryer with no code is the heater or a thermal fuse. Both are a technician's parts.

5

The model and serial plate is inside the door opening, on the left side of the frame or the lip under the door. Every warranty call starts with those two numbers.

Section 1 of 2

Airflow and power

AF#1

Also printed as Check Vent

Fix at home
Code

Restricted airflow

What it means

The dryer measured too little air moving through it. The display prints AF, the Check Vent light comes on, and the cycle runs long or ends early with damp clothes.

Check first
  1. The lint screen is out, clean, and its slot is clear — reach into the slot with a vacuum crevice tool; lint builds under the screen.
  2. The vent hose behind the dryer is not crushed against the wall or kinked, and it is metal, not white vinyl. Pull the dryer out a foot and look.
  3. The flap on the outside hood opens when the dryer runs — go outside and feel for air. No air, or a trickle, is a clogged duct in the wall or ceiling.
  4. The duct run is short: every 90° elbow counts as 5 feet, and a run over about 35 feet of developed length cannot carry the air.
  5. Disconnect the vent hose from the back and run a Timed Dry — if the dryer heats and the code stays gone, the duct is the whole story.
The fix

Clean the duct end to end (a dryer vent brush kit from the hardware store, or a vent cleaning service), replace crushed or vinyl hose with rigid or semi-rigid metal, and shorten the run where it can be shortened. A dryer that prints AF with the hose off the back is its own blower wheel or a sensor — a service call.

L2#2
Check, then call
Code

Low voltage — one leg dead

What it means

An electric dryer is getting 120V instead of 240V. The motor runs, the drum turns, and there is no heat — one of the two breakers tripped, or one leg of the outlet is dead.

Check first
  1. The dryer's breaker in the panel is a double (two handles tied together) and both are fully on. Switch it all the way off and back on; a tripped half does not always look tripped.
  2. The dryer is plugged straight into its own 240V outlet, never an extension cord or an adapter.
  3. A newly installed cord: the terminal block screws are tight and the strap is right for a 3-prong or a 4-prong cord. A loose terminal on a new cord is the usual L2 on a new dryer.
The fix

Reset the breaker and the code clears. A breaker that trips again, a dead leg at the outlet, or a cord to re-terminate is a licensed electrician's job — 240V work is never a home repair. A dryer on a sound outlet that still prints L2 has a fault on its own board — a service call.

Stop & call

L2 on a dryer plugged into a sound 240V outlet is a service call on the control. One dead leg at the outlet is an electrician's; leave the dryer unplugged until it is checked.

PF#3
Fix at home
Code

Power failure during the cycle

What it means

Not a fault. The power went out while the dryer was running; the cycle stopped where it was.

Check first
  1. Press Start to pick the cycle back up, or start a Timed Dry to finish the load.
The fix

Nothing to fix. PF with no outage is a plug loose in the outlet or a breaker that is failing — an electrician's look.

LoC#4

Also printed as Loc · LC

Fix at home
Code

Control lock is on

What it means

Not a fault. The panel is locked so a child cannot start the dryer; the display reads LoC or shows the lock light.

Check first
  1. Press and hold the button the panel marks Control Lock (on many models Cycle Signal or Wrinkle Shield) for three seconds until the lock light goes out.
The fix

The lock turns off and the panel answers again.

Section 2 of 2

Sensors and the boards

Every code here is a part inside the dryer. The reset is the one check; the rest is a technician's.

F3E1#5

Also printed as F22 · F23 · F:22 · F:23 · F3 E1

Service call
Code

Exhaust thermistor

What it means

The sensor that reads the air leaving the drum is open or shorted, so the control cannot run heat safely. Older boards printed F:22 (open) or F:23 (shorted) for the same part.

Check first
  1. Reset the dryer (unplug one minute) and start a Timed Dry on high.
  2. The vent is clear (the AF checks above) — a restricted vent overheats the exhaust and some controls print this code before AF.
The fix

F3E1 that returns with a clear vent is the exhaust thermistor or its wiring — a part on the blower housing, a technician's job.

Stop & call

F3E1 after a reset is a service call. The dryer will not heat until the sensor is replaced; on a machine under warranty file it as a warranty call.

F3E2#6

Also printed as F3 E2

Service call
Code

Inlet thermistor

What it means

The sensor that reads the air going into the drum is open or shorted.

Check first
  1. Reset the dryer (unplug one minute) and start a Timed Dry on high.
The fix

F3E2 that returns is the inlet thermistor on the heater housing — a part, a technician's job.

Stop & call

F3E2 after a reset is a service call; nothing to check at home. On a machine under warranty, file it as a warranty call.

F28#7

Also printed as F:28 · F29 · F:29

Check, then call
Code

Moisture sensor

What it means

The two metal bars inside the drum that feel the clothes are reading open (F28) or shorted (F29), so the dryer cannot tell when the load is dry. Prints on the older-style boards of the series.

Check first
  1. Wipe the two metal strips inside the drum (on the lint screen housing or the back wall) with a cloth and a little rubbing alcohol — dryer-sheet film builds on them and reads as open.
  2. Nothing metal is lying across the strips.
  3. Reset (unplug one minute) and run a sensor cycle.
The fix

Clean strips that still print the code are the sensor bars or their harness — a part, a technician's job. Timed Dry still works meanwhile.

Stop & call

F28 or F29 after a cleaning and a reset is a service call on the moisture sensor. On a machine under warranty, file it as a warranty call; Timed Dry runs while you wait.

F1E1#8

Also printed as F01 · F:01 · F1 E1

Service call
Code

Main control fault

What it means

The control board found a fault in itself. Older boards printed F:01.

Check first
  1. Unplug the dryer for five full minutes, plug it in and start a Timed Dry.
The fix

F1E1 that returns is the main control board — a part inside the console, a technician's job.

Stop & call

F1E1 after a five-minute unplug is a service call. On a machine under warranty, file it as a warranty call.

F2E1#9

Also printed as F02 · F:02 · F2 E1

Fix at home
Code

Button stuck

What it means

The panel sees a key held down longer than a key is ever pressed. Older boards printed F:02.

Check first
  1. Press each button once; feel for one that does not spring back.
  2. Wipe the panel dry.
  3. Unplug for one minute.
The fix

A key that stays stuck after a cleaning is the user interface — a part, a technician's job.

F6E2#10

Also printed as F6 E2

Service call
Code

Boards not talking

What it means

The panel and the main control lost communication with each other.

Check first
  1. Unplug the dryer for five full minutes, plug it in and try a cycle.
The fix

A communication code that comes back is a board or the harness between them — a service call.

Stop & call

F6E2 after a five-minute unplug is a service call; both boards are inside the console. On a machine under warranty, file it as a warranty call.

Warranty · When to file

When it's a warranty call

Every unit leaves with the manufacturer's full factory warranty. The codes below name a part inside the machine — once the checks have ruled out the install, the power and the hoses, call Whirlpool's line with the model and serial, and text us if you want a hand with the claim.

All units are surplus inventory (open box, cancelled order, customer return, overstock, or minor scratch & dent). Every unit includes the manufacturer's full factory warranty. Please inspect thoroughly in person before purchasing — cosmetic imperfections or missing accessories are possible.

Still stuck?

Text us the model number and what it's doing — we'll point you at the next step.

A fix, a part, or a warranty call — the plate's model and serial plus one line about the symptom is all it takes to tell which.

These pages are educational. Every appliance is a little different — follow the manufacturer's manual and local code, and leave gas, water heater and 240V work to a licensed installer.