It’s normal to expect your Whirlpool dishwasher to start running as soon as you load the dishes and hit the start button. But what if it doesn’t, and you are left staring at the Whirlpool dishwasher start button not working?
Your Whirlpool dishwasher won’t start when you press ‘Start’ due to an electronic glitch, failed power or water supply, locked controls, incorrectly latched door, stuck key, clogged trap, and filter, or a defective keypad or control board.
One of those nine reasons is why you can’t run your dishwasher and have to figure out which one. Overall, troubleshooting the dishwasher is not hard, as you’ll learn in this guide.
We’ll look at how the nine issues prevent your dishwasher from starting and what to do to remedy them quickly. Let’s jump in!
In a rush? Quickly check out the matching fixes to the nine issues which could potentially stop your Whirlpool dishwasher from starting when you hit ‘Start’ in the table below.
How to Quickly Troubleshoot a Whirlpool Dishwasher Start Button Not Working
| – | Likely Cause | Fix |
| 1. | Electronic Glitch | Hard Reset the Dishwasher (Plug it out for at least 60 seconds) |
| 2. | Failed Power Supply | Firmly plug in the power cord, reset a tripped breaker, replace a burnt thermal fuse, and turn on the power switch |
| 3. | Failed Water Supply | Turn on the water supply and unkink the supply tube |
| 4. | Locked Controls | Disable Control Lock (Hold it down for about 4 seconds) |
| 5. | Incorrectly Latched Door | Unclog the dishwasher door and firmly latch it |
| 6. | Stuck Start Key | Clean out the start key and try to release it. Replace the keypad if it doesn’t work |
| 7. | Clogged Trap and Filter | Clean out the trap and filter to unclog it |
| 8. | Defective Keypad | Replace the keypad if some of the buttons (and not just the start switch) are non-responsive |
| 9. | Defective Control Board | Replace the control board if all the buttons are non-responsive despite the dishwasher having power |
9 Reasons Your Whirlpool Dishwasher Start Button Won’t Work
Consider that your Whirlpool dishwasher is not turning on when you hit ‘Start’ because of one of these nine reasons:
1. Electronic Glitch
Your Whirlpool dishwasher is an electrical appliance; like every other, it can suffer an electronic hitch or program jam. Once that’s the case, you’ll need to recycle its power through a reset before it can start running.
Fix
Consider resetting the dishwasher to recycle its power. Overall, you can reset a Whirlpool dishwasher through a hard reset, which involves the following:
- Plug out the dishwasher or flip the circuit breaker
- Wait for at least 60 seconds before restoring the power
- Press Start to see if the button is now working
- If it doesn’t, consider the eight issues shared below
2. Failed Power Supply
Your dishwasher runs on electricity. So, you cannot expect it to start if its electric power supply fails. You can tell if that’s the case if there has been a surge, whose effects include a tripped breaker and an exploded thermal fuse.
But still, you also have to ensure the power cord is firmly fixed into the wall socket as it could be loose. And more importantly, you’ve to turn on the power switch. The dishwasher just won’t run if you don’t.
Fix
Check if the circuit breaker is off (or tripped up) and reset it. Then inspect the thermal fuse for burning or use a multimeter to examine it for continuity and replace it if it fails to show continuity.
Meanwhile, ensure the dishwasher is firmly plugged into the socket and the power switch is turned on.
3. Failed Water Supply
The water supply is just as essential as the power supply. So, you also have to ensure your dishwasher has water, which means checking the supply valve to see if it’s open.
Additionally, you should ensure the water supply tube is free from kinks, as the kinks could restrict the water supply.
Fix
Turn on the water supply valve of your dishwasher to ensure water fills the dishwasher. If the supply tube has kinks, stretch them out to promote smooth water flow.
4. Locked Controls
Whirlpool dishwashers come with the Control Lock function, which locks the control panel and prevents unintentional operation. Thus, it’s a valuable safety feature for barring kids from operating the dishwasher.
But since it locks the control panel, it also stops the dishwasher from running, and you can tell if it’s active if it’s blinking on the control panel.
Fix
If Control Lock is on, you’ve to disable it. Just long-press it for about 4 seconds until the Lock button light goes off.
5. Incorrectly Latched Door
The dishwasher may also fail to run if the door is open slightly. It has to be firmly latched, and sometimes that doesn’t happen due to an obstruction such as debris or food deposit.
But at times, the latch itself could be broken, thus making it unable to engage the dishwasher door fully.
Fix
Check if anything obstructs the dishwasher door, remove it, and then firmly latch it. But if the latch is broken, consider replacing it or finding an expert to repair it.
6. Stuck Start Key
If the start key is stuck due to food trappings or excess dirt, it will become non-responsive. In such a case, the dishwasher’s control board ignores the start button’s command since it reads it as faulty.
Fix
Check around the start button to ensure nothing obstruct it. Clean out food trappings, dirt, and other clogs to release the button and restart the dishwasher.
7. Clogged Trap and Filter
The trap and filter can also clog, just like the start button, and when they do, they can stop the dishwasher from starting. Thus, you also have to inspect them for clogging.
Fix
Check if the trap and filter are clogged and clean out the mess. You’ll need to disassemble your dishwasher to perform this fix, and once you are through, restart the dishwasher.
8. Defective Keypad
Is the start button the only non-responsive button? If there are others and not all are non-responsive, the keypad is likely defective.
Sometimes, the keypad and the control panel are a pair, meaning both fail if some buttons are non-responsive.
Fix
Touch all the buttons to see if some are responsive. If there are, then replace the touchpad. But if the touchpad is attached to the control panel, you must replace the two as a pair.
9. Defective Control Board
If all the buttons are non-responsive, the dishwasher lacks power, or the control board is no longer working. Since you’ve ruled out the former at this stage, all that remains is the latter.
Fix
Consider replacing the dishwasher control board as your last option, especially if all the buttons are non-responsive and the problem is not power supply-related.
Whirlpool Gold Dishwasher Start Button Not Working
If your Whirlpool Gold dishwasher doesn’t start when you press ‘Start,’ it could be because the Control Lock is on, the dishwasher lacks power or water supply, or the start button is stuck.
If that’s not it, it could be that trap and filter are clogged, or the dishwasher door has been left open. But if some buttons are non-responsive, that points to a defective touchpad.
However, if all the buttons are non-responsive and the dishwasher has no power issue, you can’t look past a defective main control board.
Whirlpool Dishwasher Start Button Keeps Flashing
A flashing Whirlpool dishwasher start button is often an error code. It usually indicates an interrupted cycle (when you open the door mid-cycle) or a power interruption (perhaps a blackout).
In some cases, however, the flashing has nothing to do with an error code as it indicates active Delay wash. In such a case, the dishwasher is pre-scheduled to start later unless you cancel it.
Whirlpool Dishwasher Start Button Flashes 3 Times
Expect your Whirlpool dishwasher to flash the start button three times when the Control Lock is on. Not only that, it will flash three times when you press any button and not just the start switch.
You can, however, stop it by disabling Control Lock. Just long-press the Lock switch for a few seconds until the flashing stops.
How to Start Whirlpool Dishwasher with No Start Button?
It’s not easy to start a Whirlpool dishwasher without the start button. You can, however, do it if it’s a basic model with a push button and a mechanical timer.
That requires you to:
- Select a cycle on the left side of the control panel by pushing the push button
- Rotate the knob to your preferred cycle
- Close the dishwasher door
- Wait for the dishwasher to start by itself
- If it doesn’t, check your manual
People Also Ask
1. Why Won’t the Start Button Work on My Dishwasher?
The start button on your dishwasher won’t work because of the lack of power or water, an active Control Lock, an open door, or a stuck key. If not, it could be due to a defective keypad or control board. But before anything, hard reset the dishwasher, as the issue could be a software glitch.
2. How Do I Fix the Start Button On My Dishwasher?
You can start fixing the start button on your dishwasher by first hard resetting it. That requires you to plug it out or flip off the circuit breaker for at least 1 minute. If that does work, consider these fixes:
- Check if the dishwasher has power
- Turn on the dishwasher’s water supply if it’s off
- Clean out the keypad if it’s stuck
- Unclog the tap and filter
- Ensure you lock the door entirely
- Replace the keypad if it’s defective
3. Why Won’t My Dishwasher Start?
Your dishwasher won’t start for different reasons. They include the lack of power or water, active Control/Child Lock, an open lid, stuck keys, or a defective keypad or control board. So, go through all these checks to determine why your dishwasher won’t start and fix it.
4. How Do I Fix My Whirlpool Dishwasher When It Won’t Start?
You can quickly fix a whirlpool dishwasher that won’t start using these steps:
- First, check if your dishwasher has power
- Then ensure its water supply is turned on
- Clean the keypad, especially the start switch
- Disable Control/Child Lock if the setting is active
- Disable Energy Saver or Sleep Mode too
- Properly latch the dishwasher door if it’s unfastened
- Replace a defective control panel
5. Why Is My Dishwasher Start Button Blinking?
Your dishwasher start button blinks to indicate an interrupted cycle, perhaps from opening the door mid-cycle. It could also be due to a power interruption, maybe a blackout. If not, it could be due to a delayed wash setting, which you should cancel.
Concluding Thought on a Whirlpool Dishwasher Start Button Not Working:
Above are the nine things to consider when your Whirlpool dishwasher start button won’t work. Start by resetting the dishwasher to fix a potential electronic glitch. If that doesn’t work, check if the dishwasher has power and water and disable the Control Lock if it’s active.
Then properly latch the dishwasher door, unstick the start switch if it’s stuck, and clean a clogged trap and filter. And if some of the buttons are non-responsive, replace the touchpad, but if all the buttons are non-responsive despite the dishwasher having power, replace its control board.
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