How To Unlock A Frigidaire Dishwasher?

Did your Frigidaire get locked, and you want to know how to unlock it? You’ve come to the right place, for we have researched this question, and we have the answer for you.

To unlock your Frigidaire dishwasher, follow the steps below:

Look for the ‘Heat/Dry’ button, the ‘Rinse Only’ button, or the ‘Delay Start’ button.
Press and hold down the ‘Heat/Dry’ button, the ‘Rinse Only’ button, or the ‘Delay Start’ button for five seconds.
Once the ‘Lock’ or ‘Loc’ light goes away, your Frigidaire dishwasher has been unlocked.

Read more about your Frigidaire dishwasher in the succeeding sections. We also included some basic troubleshooting of common issues that you might encounter on your Frigidaire dishwasher. Read on!

What does the control lock function on the Frigidaire dishwasher do?

The control lock function of dishwashers locks out the controls to prevent unintentional or intentional changes. It works the same way as a child lock function in other brands of dishwashers.

You can lock your Frigidaire dishwasher even when you are not using it. Locking your dishwasher helps prevent children from accidentally turning it on when not needed or changing the settings when in use.

How to lock a Frigidaire dishwasher?

There is a slight difference between locking a Frigidaire plastic tub dishwasher and a Frigidaire stainless steel dishwasher. Read about both steps below.

Frigidaire plastic tub dishwasher

Press the ‘Delay Start’ button and hold it down for three seconds.
An indicator light will appear on the graphic pad telling you that the dishwasher’s controls have been locked, and no further control input will be accepted.

Frigidaire stainless steel tub dishwasher

Press the ‘Delay Start’ button.
Wait for the ‘loc’ message to appear on the display window. This indicates that the controls have been locked, and no further changes will be accepted.

Why does my dishwasher get stuck in lock mode?

None of the buttons of your Frigidaire dishwasher will respond to any input while stuck in lock mode. Your dishwasher is stuck in lock mode if the buttons are still unresponsive after you tried to unlock your dishwasher.

Follow the steps below to release it from lock mode:

Wait for your dishwasher to complete what it was doing.
Turn off the power supply to your Frigidaire dishwasher by turning off the circuit breaker. In some models, even the power button will be unresponsive when the dishwasher is in lock mode.
Wait for five minutes.
Turn the circuit breaker back on.
Turn the unit back on. If the unit is still in lock mode, unlock it in the normal way. Check if you can unlock your dishwasher this time.
If your dishwasher did not unlock, turn off the power supply from the circuit breaker once more.
Wait for 10 minutes.
Turn on the circuit breaker.
Turn your dishwasher back on and check if it is still in lock mode.
Try to unlock it once more if it is still in lock mode.
Have a professional check your dishwasher to verify a possible problem with the control panel if your dishwasher is still stuck in lock mode.

What to do when Frigidaire dishwasher won’t start -lights blinking?

Your Frigidaire dishwasher has a sensor that tells it if the door is not properly closed. It will let you know through blinking lights on your Frigidaire dishwasher.

Your dishwasher will not let you start a wash cycle if the door is not well sealed or when it detects that the door is still open. This is to make sure that it will not spill water all over the floor in case the door is not properly closed.

Here are some of the possible reasons behind this issue:

Bad latch sensor

The door latch in your Frigidaire dishwasher is connected to a sensor that tells the dishwasher if it is closed or not. Your dishwasher will not be able to tell whether the door is closed or not if the sensor has become damaged.

Some models have a single assembly for the latch where the sensor is built-in. This is a more expensive repair because you will need to replace the entire latch assembly.

On the other hand, some models use a mechanical switch that gets pressed when the door of your Frigidaire dishwasher gets closed. Replacing a defective switch is cheaper, but you will need to confirm that it is a bad switch by testing it with a multimeter.

Wiring problem

The latch is connected to two pairs of wires in most Frigidaire dishwasher models. These two pairs of wires get shorted once the door is closed.

However, a problem with the delivery mechanism or the wiring will make it impossible for the sensor on the latch to function properly. This should be tested with a tester to make sure that it is really the latch that should be replaced.

Bad door latch

It is also possible that the problem with the door is the latch itself. The latch can become worn over time and fail to make a proper seal when you close the door of your Frigidaire dishwasher.

Fixing this problem is the same as replacing the latch assembly for sensor problems.

The Frigidaire 5304516818 Dishwasher Door Latch Kit is available on Amazon. Check it out through this link.

Door strike

The door strike is a kind of hook that connects with the door latch to make a good seal. The door strike is fixed to the top of the dishwasher.

Like all the other parts of your dishwasher, the door strike can also come loose or get worn after years of use. A loose door strike can simply be tightened back into its proper position to fix the problem. However, a worn door strike will have to be replaced with a new one.

The Frigidaire 55-154662601 door strike is available on Amazon. Check it out through this link.

Door hinge

The hinges on the door of your Frigidaire dishwasher are a combination of springs and hinges that helps push the door shut for a tight seal. However, regular use and age will wear the hinges, and they will loosen over time.

A loose or bad hinge will create a breach in the door's seal. This will also generate the same error because a tight seal has not been achieved. A bad hinge on your Frigidaire dishwasher cannot be repaired. It must be replaced.

How to fix a Frigidaire dishwasher door that won’t stay open?

Some dishwasher doors don’t close and seal properly, while some doors just won’t stay open.

You will need to keep your dishwasher door open when you’re unloading dishes from it. A dishwasher door that keeps closing can cause an accident when it hits your hand as you remove washed dishes from inside the dishwasher.

The dishwasher door hinges are made of springs to help regulate the movement of the doors. The normal movement of the dishwasher door can sometimes tighten or loosen these springs.

The tension on the springs is directly proportional to how easy it is to close the dishwasher door. This means that the higher the spring tension, the easier it is to close the dishwasher door. Sometimes, all it takes is a slight bump on the door, and it will close automatically.

Adjusting the spring tension on the door hinges should resolve this issue. However, if you are unsure which spring to adjust to and how then it is best to let a professional do it for you.

In the meantime, you can pull out the lower tray to keep the dishwasher door open while you unload dishes. Just be extra careful because a fully open dishwasher door can be prone to accidents.

How to reset a Frigidaire dishwasher?

Similar to other appliances in your house, a power outage or power fluctuation in the middle of a wash cycle can generate a system error on your Frigidaire dishwasher. A system error can make your dishwasher unresponsive until you reset it.

Follow the simple steps below to reset your Frigidaire dishwasher:

Turn off the circuit breaker to your dishwasher. This makes sure that you are cutting off the electric supply to your dishwasher because a system error can make even the power button unresponsive.
Wait for five minutes. This gives your dishwasher enough time to drain flea power or any lingering power inside.
Turn the circuit breaker back on. Your dishwasher will recalibrate itself once the power comes back, and it will complete the reset cycle.
Turn on your dishwasher.

The first thing that your dishwasher will do after a reset is to perform a drain action until it can no longer detect water. Start another wash cycle after it completes the drain action.