FaultChart

LG Washer OE error code

LG washer · OE
Will not drain
Drain failure — the washer could not empty the tub in the time allowed.
LG washer · OE — where the fault sitscontrol boarddispenserinletdoor / latchdrumheat / airmotorpump / drainStart here — the steps below run cheapest firstDrain failure — the washer could not empty the tub in the time allowed.
What it meansDrain failure — the washer could not empty the tub in the time allowed.
Fault familyUsually a clogged pump filter or a kinked hose — the most common DIY fix on any washer.Will not drain
Same fault, other codes on this branddifferent model years display it differentlyE03, E21
Step 1Check the drain hose for kinks along its whole run, including behind the machine.
Step 2Clean the drain pump filter at the bottom front of the machine.
Step 3Check the standpipe is not blocked and the hose is not pushed too far down it.
Step 4Run a Tub Clean cycle once the water is out.
Same fault on other brandsuseful when the house has two machines, or when searching a repair forumSamsung 5E · Whirlpool F9 E1 · Whirlpool drn
Service call?work through the steps above in order; they run cheapest firstNot necessarily

Notes

  • OE on a LG washer means: Drain failure — the washer could not empty the tub in the time allowed.
  • The same fault appears as E03, E21 on other LG models. The code changed between generations; the fault did not. A search that turns up nothing under one spelling will usually turn up plenty under another.
  • Across brands this is the same fault as Samsung 5E, Whirlpool F9 E1, Whirlpool drn. No manufacturer publishes that mapping, because each one documents only its own codes — but the underlying failure and the order you check things in are identical.
  • Work the steps in order. They are arranged so the free checks come before the ones that cost money, which is also the order in which the causes actually occur.
  • Clearing the code is not fixing it. Every one of these machines will show the code again on the next cycle if the underlying condition is still there. A code that clears and stays away means the fix worked; a code that clears and comes back means it did not.

What the code means

LG washer, code OE — Drain failure — the washer could not empty the tub in the time allowed.

Fault family: Will not drain.

The same fault under other names

Where Code
This brand, other model years E03, E21
Other brands Samsung 5E, Whirlpool F9 E1, Whirlpool drn

Manufacturers document only their own codes, so nobody publishes that second row. It matters more than it looks: a household usually owns two brands over time, and a repair thread that solves your problem is often written about the other one.

Work the checks in order

The steps below are ordered so the free ones come first. That is also the order in which the causes actually occur — the cheap check is cheap because it is the common cause, not despite it.

Start with: Check the drain hose for kinks along its whole run, including behind the machine.

Clearing the code is not the fix

Every machine here will show the code again on the next cycle if the condition that caused it is still present. Two outcomes are worth telling apart:

  • the code clears and stays away — the fix worked
  • the code clears and returns — it did not, and the next cycle costs you the same diagnosis again

Cutting power for a minute clears the display on nearly all of these. It does not tell you anything about the fault.

When to stop and call someone

A code is a service call when the next step would put you next to something live, pressurised, or holding water above the door line — or when the maker itself says so, which is noted on this page where it applies.

Everything else on this list is a filter, a hose, a latch or a load. Those are worth twenty minutes before anyone charges a call-out fee.

Nearby sizes

Read more