KitchenAid Dishwasher Door Pops open during cycle

The problem seems to be the loosening of the screws that hold the interior stainless steel skin to the door frame--not the latch.

With the door in the open position you should find a total of twelve screws (5 on each side and 2 on top at each side of the latch). The screws have a particular type of head which may require a trip to the hardware (its a $1,000 dishwasher take the time to get the right screwdriver). They are called TORX screws the size on my dishwasher was a T 15. These type of screw heads were designed to fit automated torque drivers at the factory that set the screws to the proper tension. So some care should be given when you retighten them. Turn until the screw is snug and there no movement of the inner door skin but don't over tighten. Giving it that extra 1/4 turn can be enough to strip the screw out and create a bigger problem.

Yes--you shouldn't have to be doing this to a KitchenAid appliance that cost this much--but I suspect that this will become a feature of periodic maintenance. The heating and cooling generates enough movement that overtime these screws work themselves out. My wife who was the once to make the right diagnosis noticed that the screws at the bottom were almost entirely out.

We had the same problem for the past year. While looking at the dishwasher I noticed the the vent hole is on the left side of the dishwasher (About the size of golf ball and has a grill over it) . The next time we used it we did not load any cups on the top left of the upper rack. We just left one cup space open.

Since we have started doing this it has not popped open. The only thing I can think of is that the cup up against the vent hole kept steam from escaping and built up pressure until the door popped open.

It seems too simple of a solution but we have not had it pop open in over 25 cycles. Certianly worth trying.

I found the problem, there are two grey plastic caps/ plugs on the inside of the tub about an inch in size.They meet the door as it closes to help secure while on. These caps can wear down over time from opening and closing the door.The ones on my dishwasher had flat spots on them.They should be completely round.I replaced them and have not had a problem since, 2 months going strong.You can find the parts online at any of the KitchenAid replacement parts sites.The part# is W10082838.Oh yeah it took me last then a minute to replce them

Good luck,
Anthony

I replaced the latch assembly - did not help. Tried bending the latch hook - did not help.
Noticed that there was too much resistance to the door closing. Pulled off all the rubber gasket that press against the door, cleaned it well, re-installed it and the resistance was gone. Easy permanent fix after wasted time and money. Just do not stretch the gasket as you put it back in.
Paul

Hello,

I have had the same problem since our KitchenAid was new. The only solution so far is to try bending the metal door latch down slightly. You will know when you have bent it too far as the door will no longer close. Just bend it back up slightly. I used to work in the appliance industry and got the service man to admit that the door latch has been an issue and there is no real fix. I have looked at the new KA dishwashers and they have since redesigned the door latch. I am going to see if the new latch can be retrofitted into my Kuds01FLSS6 dishwasher. I will post on here if indeed it works.

Good luck
Tom

We have this dishwasher - it worked just fine for 7 years. I must say, tho, that I hate how you can only choose a 4 hour delay. I really would like a one hour delay and an 8 hour delay. I'd actuallly like to choose any hour up to 10, but I would settle for a 1, a 4, and an 8. All the lower end dishwashers do; why can't a high-end KitchenAid? Anyway, I digress. For about the last month (Feb. 2013) the door pops open CONSTANTLY during the cycle. I stand there and close it at least 7 times. What a way to spend your day. We finallyl got a long pole and wedged it under the handle on the front of the dishwasher and the other end of the pole crossed the entire kitchen to rest on the toe kick of a cabinet. Works great! You just have to deal with the ugliness of this look, the stupidity of having to do this to get your appliance to work properly, and the people who are so blind that they trip over the pole. My husband, who did most of the tripping, finally got a couple of widget wedges-itty type things and now we just shove those between the top of the dishwasher and the underside of the countertop. It holds it shut but this is NOT a permanent solution (it probably will be, actually :) ) I don't know what we're going to do because from reading these posts, it sounds like it is not the latch.

After months of having the door pop open multiple times while running and replacing the door latch, the strike plate, the door springs and tension ropes, I finally figured out the problem to our dishwasher. While reading this post, I read about the buildup of scum around the door. So, while cleaning around the door, I realized that when the foldable portion on the top rack was folded down, the door stays shut. When it is folded up for times when washing tall glasses, the door pops open. When the foldable part of the rack is in the up position, the little catch on this part of the rack puts pressure on the door and as the dishwasher ages it causes the door to open. I found that by leaving the rack down or just removing it takes care of the problem. Hope this helps.

We replaced the LINK, DOOR BALANCE & it fixed it. Check the Door & Panel parts manual ~ page 7, part #24, description is on page 8 of this manual. But, in the meantime, my hubby had a HUGE WELTED KNOT on his shin from the door flying open & hitting him while it was running! OUCH!

I have had this problem for several years and have replaced, or had replaced, the latch, door seal, springs, rope etc. Tried the chair and many other makeshift door closers. Finally my repair man (under the extended Kitchenaid warranty), said: Lets try and replace the door hinges. He did this and the DW works like new. No popping in more than 6 months.

Our dishwasher would stop often and the door would open slightly. I tried replacing the latch but it had no effect. I found by pulling on the bottom of the door (both bottom sides at the same time) while the door is closed, bends the hinges back into the proper position. This finally fixed it for us.

I have a new twist on this issue. My 120 lb son fell backward and sat down on the open door. It is now noticably lower than 90 degrees when open. Sadly, you have to push it hard to close and it pops open easily by its self. I think i am toast now unless I can figure out a way to bend it back somehow. I was thinking about putting a 2x1 or other object in the openned hinge at the bottom and use the resistance to bend it gentle and a bit at a time until it closes like it used to. I realize that this is risky as the object becomes the fulcrum and I the force I am applying is multiplied by the length of the door - but this is the reverse of what he did to it!
I will let you know how it goes.

I have also been experiencing the same problem with the door popping open during the wash cycle for at least over a year now. One thing I have done that has reduced the frequency of the door popping open is by pushing in the "plastic gray end pieces" on the sliding bars (which go inside the sliding track) on either side of the top rack after the top rack has been pushed in, before the dishwasher is to be started. Also make sure that nothing extends beyond the racks particularly the top one.

Besides all the problem with the door balancer ( I have installed 4 sets) and the problematic key pad and the door opening on its own recently which you all eluded to I have decided to use the stainless steel piece of _ h _ t as a boat anchor. Bosh is next purchase for me. Hopefully someone from Whirpool or Kitchenaid reads this and at least apologies to any one who owns their prized dishwasher anyone need door balances I purchased a few extra pieces of those sill string impregnated in plastic.

Hi These posts were very helpful so i wanted to add my experience. After reading many posts and repair ideas, replacing the latch, removing the 12 screws to access the latch and door panel, trying to adjust the height of th dishwasher legs etc etc...my solution turned out to be quite simple, although it took me forever to figure it out. For me, and i had the same problem as has been described - the dishwasher door would not shut - the problem was the top rack. That is, not the very thin rack at the top but the middle rack if you will. At the very least before you go through many painstaking hours as i did do a little troubleshooting....remove th top rack then try to close the door. I did this and was shocked ( but very happy) when i heard click and the door remained closed. Then at least i knew that the presuure against the door from the top rack was not allowing the door to stay closed. I simply cleaned out the tracks of the rack and made sure it was rolling all the way to the back and was surprised again when it worked!

I had one of these in my garage http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2080244/28851/6-x-3-Bessey-EZS-One-Handed-Bar-Clamp.aspx
I clamp it to the countertop just above my $900 dishwasher to keep the door closed - problem.....solved.....?

We just bought a new latch and striker -new part numbers made me think maybe they redesigned the latch - NO, just new numbers, otherwise exactly the same.

My son noticed there are two holes in the latch that align with two threaded holes in the door... but no screws. We're wondering of by adding two screws the latch stabilizes and prevents release.
Any ideas? Otherwise we'll continue with jamming something under the door handle.

Latch Old Number - 8270175
Striker Old Number - 8269426

Latch New Number - 8193830
Striker New Number - 857415

Thanks!

Sounds like a spray wand has become unbalanced. The motion (shaking) vibrates the latch causing the release. This may be an issue for KitchenAid repair.

Check your door tension. We were using a broom to hold the door closed for a few weeks. Then it finally stopped and there was a horrible noise on the lower left side of the door when opening and closing. The tension rope had broken. I am guessing that it was loose and not holding the door closed with enough tension prior to total failure and that was what was causing the door to pop open mid cycle. TO FIX: Once the dishwasher is pulled out, there are two springs and strings that loop over a figure 8. One of mine was broken at the top and not holding in position. See the attached photo of the kit I used. The broken piece was a small nub of white plastic that fit in the metal dishwasher shell. Not terrible to do.

5 years later and post still going.

Anyway, did what everyone suggested:
1. Tightened door screws
2. Removed never used stemware racks
3. Bent latch bar down
4, Checked steam port
5. Trimmed off excess and then removed door gasket, cleaned it & reinstalled
6. Checked grey dome plugs covering mounting screws. (unworn)

Seems to be working and no door pops yet.
I think #5 was the main solution.

Read all the posts. Did a series of things. 1- tightened the door skin screws with a hex wrench. Top two where latch was were most loose. I was gentle per the post so as not to strip. 2-swapped out the two grey plugs on right/left side. They were still rounded and not flattened as one post had said. 3-I cleaned the gasket gently. 4-I bent lock bad gently down. SO FAR.... SO GOOD! Running a cycle now and no popping open. Total time-20 mins. Cost - $0.00. No popping door open=priceless!

Our problem seems to be focused on the strike plate portion of the door latch unit. Using a thin flat-head screw driver, I pressed down on each tab on top of the strike plate and then the plate slid out easily. Comparing ours to photos of a new strike plate online, I could see there was a curve in the metal tongue that shouldn't be. I straightened the curve out and replaced the strike plate. Now the plate no longer lined up with the door latch. I removed the strike plate again and then adjusted the angle between the tongue and the strike plate. I reinstalled and this time it works well. The door shuts much more firmly (I can feel it latch).

Great to have all the input. In our case (Kenmore Elite), we had tried a new spring kit to rebalance the doors (which was needed anyway) a new latch assembly (waste of money), cleaning the door seal (waste of time), door screws (no change).

Ultimately it was the top rack - thanks to the first poster. We had it in the highest position, and there was a definite slope forward. As you close the door, moving the rack fully back, the door closes. During the cycle, and vibration, the rack slowly crept forward (as it is not level) and pops the door open.

Yes, I suspect that getting the latch "as good as it will go" may mitigate the issue, but ultimately if there's enough weight and slope in the top rack it will push the door open.

We simply adjusted the top rack to the bottom, and it instantly became level. No more popping open.

Easy enough to try - I'd recommend that you try this first.

(I suppose a new, top rack assembly might not have a forward slope to it, and might be closer to level. However it appears that over time it tends to tilt forward, towards the door.)

All of these tips were helpful. I found that a combination of the above actions help to resolve the problem. Most impactful were tightening all of the door screws and pulling up hard on the bottom of the closed door which seems to have tweaked the hinges in the right direction.

Same problem here and I think these doors are very touchy. There have been several causes and several solutions. These most severe seem to result from broken door links which bends the hinges. I have had some success with raising the washer up as high as it can go. I may replace the hinges in the future.

I am a original Poster Jan91356, 4-2009 and recently someone emailed and provided a wonderful, simple SOLUTION, that WORKS. Home Depot sells those hard rubber Door Stops. I bought Two medium size that came in a package, and another larger one. Take the two smaller ,and Jam under the counter where the metal brackets are in place. One the side jam the larger one near the top. I also braided about 5 very large thick rubber bands together, Open the dishwasher and place one end of rubber band around top left side corner edge of the metal edge while closing the door. Stretch this long band across the front door, and if you have cabinet drawers on the right side, lasso the other end of the long string of rubber bands tightly to form a pressure band assisting in keeping the door supported, wrap the other end of length around a drawer that opens. I will take a photo and post this silly but effective solution. I still hate Kitchen Aid for making my life so chronically miserable.

I think a lot of these problems with the door popping open is actually caused not by the door latch, but bent door hinges. I had a similar situation which the door balances on both sides snapped and the door crashed open several times. After replacing the door balances the door was slightly harder to shut closed and I noticed the door sagged slightly down. I replaced the door strike and latch since that was the most common solution to the problem (per this fixya thread) and like everyone that didn't fix my problem. While the new latch sounded like it was closing properly the door would pop open during mid cycle. It was not until I took apart the door to inspect the hinges, did I finally find the root cause of the problem which were bent door hinges. i believe due to the weight of the door and it crashing several times open did it bend the hinges so that the door would not close flush. I put the hinges in a table vise and bent the back to square, put them back in and that finally fixed the door popping open problem.

I had the same problem with this model. I found that there was soap buildup and hard water scale at the bottom of the door on the inside. Once I thoroughly cleaned the area at the bottom of the door on the inside, it has worked perfectly. Apparently the buildup at the inside bottom keeps the door from fully closing and allows it to open while it is operating.

KitchenAid KUDS01FLSS2 dishwasher door pops open during the wash cycle which stops the machine. This has been a chronic problem for many months. I did not change the latch assembly as has been suggested by an online parts supplier because I wanted to try some other suggestions as previously been written about in this FixYa web site service.

THE PROBLEM NOW SEEMS TO BE SOLVED! At least, after 4 wash cycles, the door has not popped open and stopped the cycle. What I did was to slide the washer out of the cabinet about half way and adjusted the front legs to raise the front end of the washer about 1/4 to 3/8 inches HIGHER. Then I used a small carpenter's level to make sure that the front end of the washer was level with respect to the floor. That was OK so no further leveling adjustments were necessary. Then I cleaned the rubber door seal of any accumulated debris that had not been rinsed out earlier. Then, I checked all of the TORX screws that hold the interior stainless steel skin to the door frame and I FOUND THEM LOOSE, especially those near the bottom of the door (nearer the hinges). I tightened them all except the two at the top that were still snuggly tightened. Finally, when I removed the two wood screws from the two small brackets that attach the dishwasher to the countertop, I discovered that the installer had only correctly installed one bracket to the dishwasher. These brackets are made to slip into a slot on the top frame of the dishwasher and secured in place by bending the sheet metal tabs at the end of the brackets so that they stay in place. So,because of the installer's mistake or oversight, that one bracket had slipped out of its slot on the frame and was doing nothing to firmly attach the dishwasher to the countertop (an absolutely necessary installation requirement). The other bracket was also not firmly attached to the countertop because a very short wood screw was used to attach it to the countertop wood frame and it had loosened considerably. I had to secure both brackets correctly to the dishwasher and I replaced the short wood screws by using wood screws that were about three times the length that were used by the installer. Since the brackets each have three screw holes, I also added an additional long wood screw to each side to insure a very firm and durable bracket attachments to the countertop wooden frame. Now, the dishwasher seems to be working OK but when we need to replace it someday, I will be shopping for one that has an old-fashioned positive mechanical locking handle on the door. In the meantime, I must remember to check all of those TORX screws and the countertop attaching brackets once-in-a-while.

This KitchenAid dishwasher was the most expensive top-of-line model available 7 years ago and has been a pain-in-the-*** for me since we bought it. We replaced an older KitchenAid that served us well for 25 years that had the mechanical door lock but was making a little more noise during the cycle compared to the newer ones that our neighbors and friends had gotten before we bought the new machine. I wish that we could still be using the old machine now.

We had this problem after a serviceman showed us how to lower the front end of the rack, using the top rack adjusters, to accommodate taller things in front. The door started popping open shortly after start-up and then a few times during any cycle. With the upper rack in this position, it is slightly front heavy and puts pressure on the door causing it to open. When we leveled the upper rack, problem was solved. We use the dishwasher about twice a week so it was a few weeks before we made the connection. But, since we "fixed" the rack, problem gone. I can set the machine with the 4 hour delay again.

I had similar problem with door popping open in drying cycle. After careful analysis, I discovered the front part of the upper rack where the handle is to pull rack out was bowed out slightly. The clearance between the face of the rack and the door is very small. In my case it was almost touching the door. When the washer went into drying cycle, the heat would expand the metal rack and it would push on the door until it popped open. I simply bent the front of the upper rack back to it's normal position. The problem went away and the unit has worked great now for over a year.

Hope this helps!

Path~

I have replaced the link door balance, springs, hinges, and latch. We always tighten door frame screws. For the first time in over a year our $900 dishwasher ran one complete cycle. On the second wash, the dishwasher ran for 10 minutes and the door popped. I am so frustrated.

DIsherwasher wont cycle, I held the cancel button 10 sec. and then tried again. There is a constant clicking in the control panel tho

We recently had to replace both sides of the door balance spring/latch... only to find then that the door would still pop open slightly. We tried bending the metal latch down to help but it didnt work. We ended up wedging a thick toothpick (acutally it's a thick souvlaki stick) in the latch to help keep the latch pressing down. So far.... it seems to work.
Also... we tried giving those inner screws and extra turn to two and that seems to help a little. Not sure what the permanent solution woudl be,