It’s quite a regular situation for our washing machines to get faulty or begin to behave abnormally sometimes.
If you have issues with the appliance whereby the kenmore washer lid lock light is flashing constantly, without a doubt you know something is not right.
Give it time before troubleshooting, perhaps it would go away but if it’s doesn’t, we recommend you try out fixes below.
Your kenmore washing machine lid lock light is flashing probably because of a faulty lid switch, the top lid isn’t locked properly, or the machine is in the middle of a cycle.
Some others includes an interference between the lock sticker and the lid lock, the lid lock is not moving into lock position, build-up lints and dirt around the lock striker and many more.
Be rest assured that at the end of this article, you should be able to detect the root of your problem and fix the washing machine lock light flashing.
Why Is My Washing Machine Lock Flashing?
The Lid Lock of your washer could be flashing due numerous reasons most of which has been highlighted in upper section of the article.
Here I’ll be showing you some additional reasons and the ways to fix them instantly.
- The washer needs a reset
- The lid lock switch is damaged
- Faulty shift actuator
- The washer is currently in a wash cycle
- There’s lint build-up around the lock and lid striker
- The top lid is not closed properly
- The lock striker is out of alignment
#1. The Washer Needs A Reset
Without hesitation and patience, a lot of homeowners are quick to conclude that they have a faulty washing wachine.
If the lid lock light of your washing machine is blinking, it might be due to a slight error which just need a quick reset.
All that is required of you is to remove the washer from the power source or simply unplug it and wait for a few minutes (10 minutes at least).
Following this procedure, press and hold the “end of cycle” button for at least 25 seconds and release.
This should erase any previous malfunctions in the washing machine’s memory and stop the flashing.
By doing this, you’ve saved yourself the stress of over complicating the issue much further.
You might be busy carrying out different troubleshootings without knowing that you just need to reset the washer.
Perhaps you have reset the appliance and the flashing still persists – the following might be the reason why the blinking fails to stop.
#2. The Top Lid Is Not Closed Properly
Another common reason for this problem is due to a half-closed lid.
For your washing machine to work effectively during a cycle, you have to close the lid and avoid taking a look at whatever is in the drum.
It’s considered risky to leave the washer lid open up and that’s why the top lid light might keep flashing as a sign of indication.
How To Fix
When you notice this, you need to check if the lid is properly locked or if there’s a foreign material obstructing it.
Inspect the lid to check if there is any interference like clothes and other objects.
Gently push down the top lid in order to close it and ensure that the latch is secured and engaged.Β
Restart your washing machine and check if that button light is still flashing. If it is, we recommend trying the other fixes ahead.
#3. The Lock Striker Is Interfered Or Out Of Alignment
If you carefully take a look at the top lid of your washing machine, you will notice a lock striker that fits exactly inside the lid lock.
If it gets loose or not getting aligned with the lid lock, it could definitely be another reason why the lid lock button keeps flashing on your kenmore washing machine.
This particular cause is really common to those who have been using their washing machine for quite a long time.
You can imagine the long years of jamming and slamming the lid shut to the extent that it eventually got loose.
How To Fix
In situations like this, you have to ensure that the lid striker and the lock are continuously making contact with each other when the lid is locked.
If not, the lid might not close properly and this could affect the appliance as it will keep flashing the lid lock light button.
Related Post: How to bypass kenmore washer lid lock
#4. There’s Build-Up Lint Or Dirt Around The Lock & Lid Striker
The lid switch might get blocked by any form of lints, dirts, gunk, mildew, detergent residues or some other foreign objects.
It must have gotten compiled a long time ago for it to block the switch.
It’s recommended that you use a small cloth or sponge to wipe out the dirt around the lock or lock striker.
You can also add a soap or detergent, just be careful of the ones you use because some of them aren’t meant for external surface cleaning (using dawn dish soap or mild soaps is recommended).
Carrying out this procedure will possibly stop the lid lock light from continuously flashing.
#5. The Washer Is Currently In A Wash Cycle Or Operation
If your washer is blinking the lid lock button constantly, it obviously means that the washing machine is in the middle of an ongoing cycle.
In this case you should not be really concerned about that as it’s a 100% normal procedure unless your washing machine stops spinning or turns off all of a sudden.
Moving forward, if your kenmore washer is flashing the lid lock light.
It’s just an indication that the appliance is trying to lock and prevent the lid from being interrupted during a cycle.
#6. The Lid Lock Switch Is Damaged
At this point! If the flashing still persists then it’s probably because the entire lid lock switch is damaged.
As I assume you must have known – the lid lock is a very vital component of this mechanism.
It literally prevents your washing machine from opening during a wash cycle or operation.
Once it gets faulty, it might start to malfunction, stop sending signals to the washer. This can result in consistent flashing of the lid lock light button.
How To Fix
The faulty component might need to be replaced as soon as possible.
You might need to purchase a new lid switch as you obviously can’t fix the damaged one.
Remove the old malfunctioning switch and replace it with the new one you got. That’s all.
#7. Faulty Shift Actuator
I once helped a close friend check out her washing machine which had exactly the same issue as yours – this lid lock button kept blinking and the washer always stopped spinning.
If you don’t want to start considering buying a new washing machine, there are still a lot of fixes you can try.
We ran and put the washing machine in automatic test mode and we were able to figure out the cause of the issue via error codes.
It turned out to be a faulty Shift Actuator! A very common reason why your washer keeps flashing the lid lock indicator might be due to a damaged shift actuator.
In case you don’t know how to enter diagnostics mode, you can check your user manual for assistance.
How To Fix
Now that you are aware of the root of the problem. All that’s left is to replace the faulty shift actuator with a new one and you are done!
#8. The Control Panel Is Malfunctioning (Unlikely)
If this error still occurs even after you must have removed and replaced the lid switch and shift actuator, there are obviously further troubleshootings to carry.
Although this rarely occurs in numerous cases, it might be that your washing machine control panel is faulty.
Following all the list of reasons we’ve highlighted for you above. Attempting the fixes under each of them is without a doubt the solution to your problem.
The control panel is actually responsible for most authorizations of your washing machine. It rarely gets faulty and perhaps it’s the reason why your kenmore washing machine lid lock light flashing continues.
At this point, you might need to get in touch with a repair technician. This is because troubleshooting the control panel yourself is not completely a DIY project some homeowners can handle on their own.
How To Fix A Flashing Lid Lock Light On Kenmore Washer?
This is just a recap of the troubleshooting guide we highlighted above. Below is the summary of the list of fixes to carry out.
- First and foremost, reset the washer.
- Check and make sure the lid is properly locked.
- Clean any dirt or lints around the lid lock and striker area.
- Inspect and replace the lid switch if damaged.
- Check and replace the shift actuator if damaged.
- The control should be the last area to troubleshoot if other fixes don’t work.
- Call a repair technician if you need additional physical interference.
Conclusion
I hope you were able to get something out of this article. If your kenmore series 100 washer lid lock flashing is persistent, the above fixes will really help you out. Thanks for reading.