Replacing the Control Panel on Your Dishwasher

Do your buttons on your dishwasher stick when you press them? Do functions not work if you press the buttons? Do you need to use significant force to get a button to work? If you answered yes to any of those questions, it might be time to replace your dishwasher control panel. Unlike other parts, the control panel can wear out but can be replaced. A tricky button certainly doesn’t cause to replace your whole dishwasher, especially when replacing that button is much cheaper.

Replacing the Control Panel

After procuring a replacement control panel approved by your manufacturer, start this repair by disconnecting the power and water from your dishwasher.

In order to remove the control panel, you need to remove the inner door panel. After doing so, the control panel can be folded forward and down. You will want to note how all the wire harnesses are attached for re-installation. After doing that, remove those wire harnesses and release the locking tab. Once done, the control panel should be easily removed. If it still has some resistance, check for additional wire connections that need to be removed.

Before installing the new control panel, make sure you remove all parts of the packaging. Often it comes with some protective plastic coverings that can be easy to overlook but are necessary to remove. Now comes the most difficult part of this repair – connecting the wire harnesses. As there are many wire connections on this part, you need to be sure you do it right and connect all the wires in the right spots. The panel itself should lock into position. You can now replace the inner panel of the dishwasher and reconnect it to the power and water.

Once completed, you will want to run a test wash just to make sure that the appliance starts and runs a cycle. If installed incorrectly, you will not be able to run a cycle and may want to investigate further.