When your GE washer shows a code, it is pointing at the part of the cycle that failed. This page lists the 13 codes we could confirm in GE's own owner's manuals and support articles: what each one means, the checks that are safe to do yourself, and the point where a technician should take over.
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Monday - Friday: 8 AM to 10 PM
Saturday: 8 AM to 10 PM
Sunday: 10 AM to 10 PM
Diagnostic visit: $75, or $115 for a double unit.
Credited toward your repair when you approve the quote.
Covers US GE and GE Profile washers: top-load (GTW/HTW/PTW) and front-load (GFW/PFW, plus the 24-inch GFW148), roughly 2015 and newer with electronic controls. Top-loads without a numeric display signal problems by blinking cycle lights instead of text, and 2010-2014 front-loads (GFWN/GFWH/GFWS) show no owner error codes.
GE calls these Consumer Help Indicators: a word scrolls across the display or a cycle light blinks. After water-supply or cancel messages the washer drains through a 4-minute lockout before you can restart; on most models unplugging restarts that timer (the GFW148 manual says power-cycling skips it).
| Code | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Spin light blinking | Out-of-balance load detected; washer is trying to rebalance | Usually a quick fix |
| UE | Unbalanced load | Usually a quick fix |
| bALAnCINg | Normal: washer is redistributing clothes before spinning | Usually a quick fix |
| H2O SUPPLY | Washer cannot detect water coming in | Check, then call if it returns |
| CAnCELEd | Cycle cancelled after a long pause or an error stop | Check, then call if it returns |
| LId | Lid open mid-cycle, or not opened between three cycles | Check, then call if it returns |
| dE | Lid is open | Check, then call if it returns |
| door | Door not shut, or not opened between three cycles | Check, then call if it returns |
| FE | Water level reached a critical high point | Stop using it |
| CLrFLtr | Slow draining; drain pump filter needs cleaning | Usually a quick fix |
| SEnSIng | Normal: washer is measuring the load | Usually a quick fix |
| PAUSE | Cycle paused with the Start/Pause button | Usually a quick fix |
| CLn | Basket Clean cycle is running | Usually a quick fix |
Safety first. Switch the appliance off at its power button and unplug it or turn off the breaker before you clean a filter or check a hose. If you smell gas, leave the home and call your gas utility from outside. If there is a burning smell, smoke, sparking or water near wiring, stop using it and keep it off until it has been checked.
Call a technician if: It blinks on most evenly loaded cycles
Call a technician if: Code keeps returning with balanced loads on a level floor
Source: [1]
Call a technician if: It shows every cycle and clothes still come out soaking wet
Call a technician if: Water is on and hoses are clear but the message returns
Call a technician if: It cancels again on a fresh cycle with no long pause
Call a technician if: Message stays after opening and closing the lid
Call a technician if: Code stays on with the lid fully closed
Source: [1]
Call a technician if: Door is fully latched but the message will not clear
Call a technician if: Always: book service before using the washer again
Source: [1]
Call a technician if: Message returns right after the filter is cleaned
Call a technician if: It never moves past sensing and the washer will not fill
Call a technician if: Washer will not resume after pressing Start with the lid closed
Call a technician if: The cycle never finishes or another message appears
Source: [9]
If a code comes back after the safe checks, or the table says it needs a technician, the fault is usually a sensor, valve, pump, motor or control board, and diagnosing it means opening the washer. Our technicians repair GE appliances across Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland, seven days a week until 10 PM. Tell us the code when you book and we bring the parts that code usually points to.
Book GE washer repair $75 diagnostic, credited toward the repair.
Every code on this page was checked against GE's own documentation: owner's manuals, use and care guides, support articles or GE technical sheets. Codes we could only find on third-party sites are left out. Meanings are paraphrased; your model's manual is the final word.
GE is a trademark of its owner. Appliance Surgeon is an independent repair company and is not affiliated with GE.