Dishwasher Repair Cost 2026: Errors, Leaks & Causes

A dishwasher that will not drain, leaves dishes wet, leaks onto the floor, or throws an error code is one of the easier appliances to diagnose — about 90% of dishwasher repair calls trace back to six parts. We stock every one of them on every truck.

This guide covers what dishwasher repair costs in 2026, every common error code across Bosch, KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Samsung, GE, and LG, the four most common symptoms decoded, and how to tell when a dishwasher is past its economic line. If you would rather skip the diagnosis, we offer same-day dishwasher repair across the Twin Cities with a flat $129 trip fee that is waived when you approve the repair.

How much does dishwasher repair cost in 2026?

Most dishwasher repairs land between $185 and $545 all-in in 2026, parts and labor included.

• Drain pump replacement — $235–$345. The single most common dishwasher repair. The pump impeller jams on glass or a popcorn kernel and the motor burns out.
• Wash pump / circulation motor — $345–$495. Dishes come out unwashed; you hear the dishwasher fill and drain but no spray action.
• Heating element or heat-pump (Bosch / Miele) — $285–$425. Dishes are wet at the end of the cycle; the heated dry never engaged.
• Door latch / interlock switch — $185–$265. Dishwasher will not start, or starts and immediately stops. Often misdiagnosed as a control board.
• Water inlet valve — $215–$315. Fills slowly or not at all, throws a fill-time error.
• Main control board / user interface — $385–$545. The whole touch panel is dead or randomly lighting buttons. Common on KitchenAid and GE Profile units past 6 years.
• Sump / tub gasket replacement (leak repair) — $245–$425. Standing water under the dishwasher with no visible source.

Every quote is written before any work starts and the $129 trip fee is fully waived when you approve the repair. For a full Twin Cities benchmark, see our appliance repair cost guide or the targeted dishwasher repair cost in Minneapolis page.

Why is my dishwasher not draining?

Standing water in the bottom of the dishwasher at the end of a cycle is the single most common dishwasher symptom we see. The causes, in order of likelihood:

• Drain pump jammed or burned out (60% of calls). A piece of glass, popcorn kernel, or wire twist tie is stuck in the impeller. Sometimes we can clear the jam and revive the pump; usually we replace it.
• Clogged sump filter and drain hose (20%). The mesh filter at the bottom of the tub is full of food debris. Worth pulling and rinsing as a first DIY check.
• Air gap or garbage disposal blockage (10%). If you have a garbage disposal and just installed it, the disposal knockout plug is the #1 cause of "dishwasher won't drain after disposal install" — a 5-minute fix.
• Failed drain solenoid or check valve (5%). Older units with a separate solenoid.
• Main control board not commanding drain (5%). Rare; usually paired with other symptoms.

The symptom-side walkthrough is on our dishwasher not draining post, and the KitchenAid-specific path is KitchenAid dishwasher not draining.

What do dishwasher error codes mean?

Error codes vary by brand but the underlying failure categories are similar across the industry:

Bosch / Thermador

• E15 — leak detected, the AquaStop float is triggered. Tip the dishwasher back 45° to drain the base pan, dry it out, and the code clears — but the underlying small leak almost always returns.
• E24, E25 — drain pump or clogged drain. Same fix path as "not draining" above.
• E22 — clogged filter. Pull and rinse.
• E09 — heating element failure. Common on Bosch units 6–10 years old.
• E01, E02 — main control board fault. Often clears with a power cycle; if it returns, replace the board.

KitchenAid / Whirlpool / Maytag

• F8 E4 — water flow or float switch. Check the inlet valve and the float in the tub.
• F7 E1 — heater element circuit. Usually the element, occasionally the high-limit thermostat.
• F9 E1 — drain time exceeded. Drain pump or hose blockage.
• F2 E1 — keypad stuck on the control panel.
• F6 E1, F6 E2 — water supply / inlet valve.
• Lights blinking with no other display — door latch interlock; almost never the control.

Samsung

• LE / LC — leak detected. Same diagnosis as Bosch E15.
• OE — drain error. Drain pump or hose.
• 5E — drain hose blockage or kink.
• 4C — water supply error. Inlet valve or supply line.
• 3C — wash motor circuit. Usually the wash pump motor.

GE / GE Profile / Café

• PF — power failure flag, not a fault. Press Start to clear.
• E1 (with beeping) — leak detected by the float.
• C2 / C8 — wash pump or circulation pump fault.
• C5 / C6 — heater circuit.

LG

• OE — drain pump or clogged drain hose.
• IE — water inlet error.
• HE — heater error.
• LE — wash motor (linear) error.
• AE — leak detected.

If your dishwasher is throwing one of these codes and you are in the metro, a tech can usually narrow the failed part on the phone before booking — no charge for a phone call.

Why is my dishwasher leaking?

Leaks are the second-most-stressful dishwasher symptom because the source is rarely visible. The four most common causes:

• Door seal (gasket). The black rubber gasket around the door has warped or torn. You will see water on the floor at the front center of the dishwasher.
• Sump gasket. The large gasket between the tub and the sump assembly underneath. Symptom: water on the floor with no visible source from the door. Common on dishwashers 8+ years old.
• Pump shaft seal. The seal where the wash pump motor enters the sump. Often leaks intermittently.
• AquaStop / inlet hose. The hose itself has split. On Bosch units this triggers an E15 code.

The Bosch-specific leak path is Bosch dishwasher E15 error, the Samsung path is Samsung dishwasher leakage error, and the general symptom page is washer leaking from bottom for shared dishwasher / washer diagnostics.

Why are my dishes not coming clean?

If the dishwasher runs a full cycle but dishes come out dirty, the issue is almost never the dishwasher itself — it is one of four things:

• Spray arms blocked or not spinning. Pull the arms and check they spin freely; check that no large utensils are blocking rotation.
• Sump filter clogged. Most modern dishwashers have a removable filter that needs rinsing every 1–2 months.
• Wash pump / circulation motor weak. Symptom: filter and arms are clean but glasses still come out spotty. The pump can no longer push water hard enough through the arms.
• Inlet water too cold. The dishwasher needs 120 °F+ inlet water. If your hot water heater is set low or the run to the kitchen is long, run the kitchen sink hot for 30 seconds before starting the cycle.

Should I repair or replace my dishwasher?

Two numbers decide this: age of the dishwasher and estimated repair cost versus replacement.

• Under 6 years old — almost always repair. A $245 drain pump on a 4-year-old dishwasher is trivial.
• 6–10 years old, single failure — repair if the quote is under ~50% of replacement (most are).
• 10+ years old with multiple failures — usually replace. Past 10 years the gasket / pump / control board failures start stacking.
• Bosch, Miele, Thermador, KitchenAid panel-ready — repair almost always wins. These are $1,500–$4,000+ appliances with parts support running 15+ years.
• Builder-grade Frigidaire, Amana, or basic GE — replace at the first major control or pump failure past 8 years.

Our repair vs. replace calculator walks you through the exact ratio, and the appliance repair cost guide gives the replacement benchmarks we measure against.

How long should a dishwasher last?

Bosch, Miele, KitchenAid, and Thermador dishwashers routinely run 12–15 years with normal maintenance. Whirlpool, GE, Maytag, and Samsung average 9–12 years. Builder-grade Frigidaire and Amana units average 7–10 years. The single biggest life-extender across every brand: rinse the sump filter every 4–6 weeks — a clogged filter accelerates wear on the wash pump, the drain pump, and the spray arm bearings simultaneously.

Twin Cities dishwasher repair — what to expect

We run same-day windows across Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Edina, Bloomington, Plymouth, Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, Maple Grove, Woodbury, and the rest of the metro for every dishwasher brand. Every truck carries Bosch and KitchenAid drain pumps, wash pumps, heating elements, door latches, inlet valves, AquaStop hose assemblies, and the most common main control boards. About 88% of dishwasher calls finish on the first visit.

Schedule dishwasher repair, browse the appliance repair cost guide, or call us — phone diagnostics are free.