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GE GFW front-load washer error codes:
Reference Model: None
Picture help - GE GFW front-load washer:
These error code explanations can help you diagnose a problem with your GE GFW model front-load washer. Error codes blink on the washer's digital display when the control detects a problem or part failure. The washer stops and won't respond until you fix or replace the failed part. When an error code appears on your washer:
- 1) Match the error code with the code in the chart below
- 2) Make sure that the condition listed with the error code is the same as the symptom(s) shown by your GE GFW front-load washer
- 3) Read the DIY advice to learn how to troubleshoot the issue and determine the problem part
- 4) Follow repair guide instructions (if listed) to fix the broken part
| Code | Meaning | Possible Cause | Possible Parts |
| 1 | Basket spins with the door unlocked | This code can appear if you spin the basket by hand. If the code appears during the spin portion of a cycle, unplug the washer and check the wire harness connections between the door lock/switch and the electronic control board. Reconnect any loose wires and replace the wire harness if it's damaged. If the wire harness connections are okay, replace the door lock/switch assembly | Door lock/switch assembly, wire harness |
| 2 or 62 | Door lock failure | Unplug the washer and check the wire harness connections between the door lock/switch and the electronic control board. Reconnect any loose wires and replace the wire harness if it's damaged. If the wire harness connections are okay, replace the door lock/switch assembly | Door lock/switch assembly, wire harness |
| 3 | Locked motor | Make sure the washer isn't overloaded. Pull some clothes out and restart the cycle. For future loads, fill the basket loosely. If you didn't overload the washer, check the rotation of the spin basket. First, cancel the wash cycle and pull your clothes out of the washer. Drain any water left in the tub by running a Drain/Spin cycle with No Spin selected. If this cycle doesn't remove the water, unplug the washer and suck out the water through the drain hose using a wet/dry shop vac. After draining the water, unplug the washer, open the door and manually rotate the spin basket to check for binding or resistance. If the spin basket doesn't rotate smoothly, there may be an item stuck between the spin basket and the outer tub. A damaged spin bearing also will prevent the spin basket from spinning freely. Have a service technician complete this repair because it requires taking the washer apart completely. If the spin basket rotates smoothly, a problem with the drive motor could be causing the error code. Loose or broken wires could prevent the drive motor from rotating so check for loose motor wire connections. Unplug the washer and remove the top and back washer panels. Remove the rotor mounting bolt and pull off the motor rotor. Check the wire harness connections between the inverter board and the drive motor. Reconnect any loose wires or replace the wire harness if it's damaged. Check the wire harness connections between the tachometer and the electronic control board. Reconnect any loose wires or replace the wire harness if it's damaged. If the wire connections are okay, then you'll likely need to replace the drive motor | Drive motor |
| 6 | Water overflow error | Check to see if the tub fills with water when the power cord is unplugged. If it does, then an inlet water valve is leaking, replace the inlet water valve assembly. If the tub doesn't fill with water when you unplug the washer, check the air hose between the bottom of the tub and the connection on the electronic control board. Reconnect the air hose if it's loose. Replace the air hose if it's pinched, punctured or damaged. If the air hose is okay, replace the electronic control board (the water level sensor is a component of the electronic control board) | Inlet water valve assembly, electronic control board |
| 8 | Water level pressure sensor failure | If the washer isn't filling when this code appears, make sure that water supply faucets for the washer are open. If the water supply valves are open, move the washer forward and unplug the power cord. Shut off the water supply faucets and disconnect the water supply hoses from the back of the washer. Check the inlet water valve screens for deposits. Replace the inlet water valves if their inlet water screens are clogged with deposits. Don't try to clean the screens because debris can get into the valve, causing it to leak even when closed and potentially causing a flood in your house. If the inlet water screens are clear, place the ends of the water supply hoses in a bucket and briefly open the water supply faucets to see if water flows through the water supply hoses. Check the hoses for clogs if water doesn't flow through the supply hoses. If water flows through the supply hoses, remove the top cover and check the wire harness connections between the control board and the inlet water valves. Reconnect any loose wires. If the wiring connections are okay, then you'll likely need to replace the inlet water valves. If the washer fills when this code appears, unplug the washer and then check the air hose between the bottom of the tub and the connection on the electronic control board. Reconnect the air hose if it's loose. Replace the air hose if it's pinched, punctured or otherwise damaged. If the air hose is okay, replace the electronic control board (the water level sensor is a component of the electronic control board) | Inlet water valve assembly, pressure switch air hose, electronic control board |
| 9 | Door switch error | The electronic control board detects that the washer door hasn't been opened for 3 consecutive cycles. Don't run more than 2 consecutive cycles without opening the door. If you open the door after every cycle or every other cycle and this code still appears, unplug the washer and check the door lock/switch assembly wiring. If the wiring connections are okay, then you'll likely need to replace the door lock/switch assembly because it isn't detecting the door being opened | Door lock/switch assembly |
| 15 | Thermistor (temperature sensor) failure | Unplug the washer and check the wire harness connection between the thermistor and the electronic control board. Reconnect any loose wires. If the wiring harness connections are okay, replace the thermistor | Thermistor |
| 17 | Basket won't spin at the start of a wash cycle | The control expects to detect dry garments loaded in the washer at the start of a wash cycle. Don't load the washer with wet garments. This code also appears if water is still in the tub when you start a new wash cycle. Drain water from the tub, and then start the wash cycle. If this code appears when the tub is empty and a dry load is in the basket, open the door and manually rotate the spin basket to check for binding or resistance. If the spin basket doesn't rotate smoothly, there may be an item stuck between the spin basket and the outer tub. A damaged spin bearing also will prevent the spin basket from spinning freely. Have a service technician complete this repair because it requires taking the washer apart completely | Spin bearing |
| 18 | Not draining | Check the washer drain for a clog. Check the drain hose for a kink or restriction. Unplug the washer and check the wire harness connection between the electronic control board and the drain pump. Reconnect any loose wires or replace the wire harness if damaged. If the drain pump doesn't run when activated, replace it | Drain pump |
| 19 | Washer paused for more than 24 hours or water in the tub while the washer is off | Restart a paused cycle within 24 hours. Promptly remove wet laundry from the washer so the tub won't fill with water when the washer is off. If the tub fills with water while the washer is empty and turned off, then an inlet water valve may be leaking. Check to see if the tub fills with water when the power cord is unplugged. If it does, replace the inlet water valve assembly because an inlet water valve is leaking | Inlet water valve assembly |
| 20 | Water overflow error | Unplug the washer, and then check the air hose between the bottom of the tub and the connection on the electronic control board. Reconnect the air hose if it's loose. Replace the air hose if it's pinched, punctured or damaged. If the air hose is okay, replace the electronic control board (the water level sensor is a component of the electronic control board). Check to see if the tub fills with water when the power cord is unplugged. If it does, replace the inlet water valve assembly because an inlet water valve is leaking | Inlet water valve assembly, water level pressure switch air hose, electronic control board |
| 22 | Can't balance the dry load to start the cycle | Redistribute the load and start the cycle again. If the code reappears, empty the spin basket and unplug the washer. Open the door and manually rotate the spin basket to check for binding or resistance. If the spin basket doesn't rotate smoothly, there may be an item stuck between the spin basket and the outer tub. A damaged spin bearing also will prevent the spin basket from spinning freely. Have a service technician complete this repair because it requires taking the washer apart completely. If the basket spins smoothly, check the wire harness connection between the motor and the electronic control board. Reconnect any loose wires | Spin bearing |
| 23 or 24 | Door won't lock | Unplug the washer and check the door lock/switch assembly wiring. If the wiring connections are okay, then you'll likely need to replace the door lock/switch assembly | Door lock/switch assembly |
| 25 or 65 | Control detects water level drop when the washer isn't draining | Check the drain hose for proper installation. An improperly installed drain hose can allow water to siphon out of the washer during the cycle. Follow the washer installation instructions to correctly install the drain hose if it isn't installed properly. Unplug the washer and check the air hose between the bottom of the tub and the connection on the electronic control board. Reconnect the air hose if it's loose. Replace the air hose if it's pinched, punctured or damaged. Check for leaks from the washer tub. Replace the tub if it's damaged | Water level pressure switch air hose, washer tub |
| 26 or 31 | Out of balance during the final spin | Redistribute the load and run the drain and spin cycle. If the code reappears, check that all four leveling legs have full contact with the floor. To check, place your hands on the corners of the washer and try to rock it slightly from side to side. If the washer rocks, adjust the legs. If the washer doesn't rock, empty the spin basket and unplug the washer. Open the door and manually rotate the spin basket to check for binding or resistance. If the spin basket doesn't rotate smoothly, there may be an item stuck between the spin basket and the outer tub. A damaged spin bearing also will prevent the spin basket from spinning freely. Have a service technician complete this repair because it requires taking the washer apart completely. If the basket spins smoothly, check the wire harness connection between the motor and the electronic control board. Reconnect any loose wires | Spin bearing |
| 27 | Door has been open more than 15 minutes with water in the tub | If you pause a cycle, close the door and restart the cycle within 15 minutes to avoid this error code. Using a cycle with the no-spin option selected also can cause the error code because water from wet garments will drip down into the tub after the cycle ends. Use the rinse, drain and spin cycle to remove water after running a cycle with the No Spin option selected. If the tub isn't filled with water when you see this code, the water level pressure switch may not be detecting water level accurately. Unplug the washer and check the air hose between the bottom of the tub and the connection on the electronic control board. Reconnect the air hose if it's loose. Replace the air hose if it's pinched, punctured or damaged. If the air hose is okay, replace the electronic control board (the water level sensor is a component of the electronic control board) | Electronic control board |
| 29 | Excessive suds caused the cycle to stop | Excessive suds prevent the washer from draining during the cycle, so the cycle stops and displays this error code. Let the suds dissipate, then finish running the rinse, drain and spin cycle. Use the right amount of HE (high efficiency) detergent to avoid excessive suds during the cycle | HE detergent |
| 30 | Stuck key on the control panel | Unplug the washer and check the wire harness between the user interface control and the electronic control board. Replace the wire harness if damaged. If the wire harness is okay, replace the user interface control. If the problem continues, replace the electronic control board | Wire harness, user interface control, electronic control board |
| 32 or 77 | Can't unlock the door | Unplug the washer and check the door lock/switch assembly wiring. If the wiring connections are okay, then you'll likely need to replace the door lock/switch assembly | Door lock/switch assembly |
| 33, 34, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 66, 67, 68, 69, 71, 72, 73, 74 or 83 | Drive motor or inverter board failure | Wait 45 minutes after seeing one of these codes to see if the TCO (thermal cut-out) switch on the inverter board resets. If it does, the washer may work normally again. If the TCO continues to trip or doesn't reset, unplug the washer and check the wiring connections between the electronic control board, the inverter board and the drive motor. Reconnect any loose wires and repair any broken wires. Check continuity through the drive motor windings using a multimeter (pins 1 to 2, 2 to 3 and 1 to 3). Replace the motor if the meter measures open motor windings. If the motor is okay, then you'll likely need to replace the inverter board | Drive motor, inverter board |
| 35, 59, 60, 61, 63 or 64 | Accelerometer board failure | The accelerometer board sits on top of the washer tub and detects out-of-balance loads or tub vibration problems. Severe tub vibration can loosen accelerometer board wiring connections. Unplug the washer and check the wire harness connections between the accelerometer board and the electronic control board. If the wiring connections are okay, replace the accelerometer board | Accelerometer board |
| 37 | Heater failure | Unplug the washer and check the wire harness connections between the thermistor (temperature sensor) and the electronic control board. Also check the wire harness connections between the heater and the electronic control board. Reconnect any loose wires and repair any broken wires. If thermistor and heater wiring connections are okay, check the resistance through the thermistor using a multimeter. The meter should measure between 12,000 and 15,000 ohms at room temperature. Replace the thermistor if its resistance is outside that range. If thermistor resistance is okay, check the resistance of the heater. The meter should measure around 15 ohms of resistance through the heater. Replace the heater if the meter measure infinite resistance or near 0 resistance | Thermistor, heater |
| 38, 39, 40 or 84 | Vent damper failure | Unplug the washer and check the wire harness connections between the vent damper and the electronic control board. Reconnect any loose wires and repair any broken wires. If the wiring is okay, replace the vent damper | Vent damper |
| 57 | Door is unlocked and detected water level is above the door threshold | If water is above the door threshold, unplug the washer and drain the water. If the tub refills with water while the washer is unplugged, replace the inlet water valve assembly. If the washer isn't filled with water when this code appears, you'll likely need to replace the electronic control board because the board isn't detecting water level correctly | Inlet water valve assembly, electronic control board |
| 58 | Electronic control board failure | Unplug the washer and replace the electronic control board. | Electronic control board |
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