Error code
Washer error code E42
Electrolux washer error code E42: E41's neighbor, and the pair is worth reading together because they are two different parts with almost the same symptom. Which machines can raise it, what the maker publishes about it, and what to do next.
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What we can confirm
Code E42, from the manufacturer's own documentation
A code is only meaningful together with the machine showing it — the same digits mean different things on different equipment.
The code
E42
E41's neighbor, and the pair is worth reading together because they are two different parts with almost the same symptom. E41 is the switch that reports the door closed; E42 is the lock that holds it closed once a cycle starts, and the control cannot confirm it engaged. On a front loader that lock is not a convenience — it is what stands between a running drum and the room — so the machine will not proceed without it, and it should not. The dryer of this make publishes E42 as well, for a plain open door, and the two are unrelated. Read the code with the appliance, never on its own.
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What it narrows down to
Error Code E42 means that the door lock is not being recognized.
Diagnostic
From $95, credited to the repair
On the same appliance
What else belongs to the washers
On this make a code belongs to the appliance rather than to a product line. These are the other conditions this machine can display, and the models that can show this one — a display often has more than one thing to say, and the model number decides what any of it costs to put right.
Other codes this appliance can display
Error Code E11 indicates the washing machine isn't filling with water during the washing phase of the cycle. E11 may cause the unit to lock for up to 6 minutes. NOTE: This is a known installation issue. If your washer was recently installed or moved, have the installer verify the installation was done correctly.
Error code E21 indicates the washing machine water isn't pumping fast enough or is taking too long to empty. NOTE: This is a known installation issue. If your washer was recently installed or moved, have the installer verify the installation was done correctly.
Error Code E35 indicates the washing machine pressure sensor is indicating water overfill. Water runs continuously. NOTE: This is a known installation issue. If your washer was recently installed or moved, have the installer verify the installation was done correctly.
Error Code E41 indicates the washing machine control board thinks the door switch is open.
Reversed hose detection.
Control lock activator.
Error Code SU dS indicates oversudsing has been detected by the washer, which will result in the washer requiring additional rinses until the suds have been cleared. Each extra rinse the washer performs to clear the suds will add approximately 5 minutes to the cycle duration.
The same digits mean different things on different equipment. Search the full code list
In more detail
About Washer error code E42
What E42 means on this make
E41's neighbor, and the pair is worth reading together because they are two different parts with almost the same symptom. E41 is the switch that reports the door closed; E42 is the lock that holds it closed once a cycle starts, and the control cannot confirm it engaged. On a front loader that lock is not a convenience — it is what stands between a running drum and the room — so the machine will not proceed without it, and it should not. The dryer of this make publishes E42 as well, for a plain open door, and the two are unrelated. Read the code with the appliance, never on its own.
Where this appears, and why not to clear it
On the appliance's own display, as a short single code — a letter and a number, or two letters. Nothing alternates and nothing arrives in halves on this make, so what the panel shows is the whole of it. Photograph it before you cut the power. This maker's own answer to most of these is thirty seconds at the breaker, and that is worth following once — but a display that has been cleared has taken the evidence with it, and there is no way to ask the machine for it again.
What to do about it
- Check the door is fully closed and nothing is between it and the seal — the maker gives the same first steps as E41, because from outside the two look identical.
- Listen for the lock engaging a second or two after the cycle starts. Silence there is the answer.
- Check the striker and latch for play. A door that has been pulled on for years moves enough to stop the lock finding home.
- If the door is shut and the lock is silent, the lock assembly is the visit — and it is a part we would rather replace than defeat.
Where this goes next
The job this usually becomes is diagnostic visit, and that page carries a starting figure and the reasons that move it. If it turns out to be nothing — and on this make a real share of these are modes, reminders and settings rather than problems — the visit ends there and you pay the diagnostic and nothing else, or call (305) 912-9018 and describe what the panel is doing before booking anything.
This article is based on:
- Official manufacturer documentation
- Internal repair procedures
- Technician repair history
- Company quality standards