Model Number Finder

Error code · Whirlpool

F5E3

The lid lock will not release. The washer thinks the lid is still locked and will not let you open it.

Fixable yourself

What you will see

Most likely causes, in order

Listed from the most common and cheapest to check, to the least common and most expensive. Work down the list — do not jump to the last item because it is the one that sounds serious.

  1. Weight resting on top of the lid keeps the latch loaded
  2. Lock mechanism jammed after a power loss mid-cycle
  3. Lid lock assembly sticking

Safe checks you can do

Before you start: unplug the appliance and shut off the water supply. Do not open panels that expose mains wiring. Anything involving gas, 240 V circuits or the sealed refrigerant system must be done by a licensed technician.
  1. Take everything off the top of the washer — baskets, bottles, folded laundry.
  2. Wait 2–3 minutes. The lock releases on a delay after the drum stops.
  3. Unplug the washer for 5 minutes, then plug it back in — the lock resets on power-up.
  4. Do not pry the lid. Forcing it bends the strike and turns a reset into a repair.

When to call a technician

The lid is still locked after an unplug/replug cycle and 10 minutes of waiting.

Also call if you see or smell burning, if the breaker trips when the washer starts, or if water has reached any electrical part. Those are stop-now conditions, not check-it-later conditions.

Models that show F5E3

We confirmed F5E3 in the published troubleshooting table for these models:

The code is defined for the shared washer platform, so a sibling model can display it even when its own manual does not list it.

Other Whirlpool codes

Related symptom guides

Where this data comes from

One source is listed above because it is the only place this page draws from. We publish facts we can point to — no republished manual text, no hosted PDFs, no invented model numbers or error codes.