Dishwasher Door Won't Latch or Close

A dishwasher that refuses to start almost always comes down to one thing first: the control board hasn't detected the door as securely latched, so it won't let the cycle begin at all, whether that's from something physically in the way or a worn latch mechanism.

What this looks like

You push the door shut, it seems to close, but pressing Start does nothing — no click, no cycle, sometimes not even a beep. On some units the door won't swing far enough to catch at all, staying open a crack no matter how firmly you push it. On others the door closes and latches fine by feel, but the cycle still won't start, which points less at the mechanical latch and more at the switch or wiring that tells the control board the door is closed.

Most likely causes, ranked

1. Something physically blocking the door. An overloaded top rack, a tall item hitting the door from inside, or packaging material left in from a new install are the most common and easiest to fix.
2. The door wasn't closed within a few seconds of pressing Start or Resume. Some models require the door to latch within a short window of the button press or the cycle won't begin.
3. A worn, misaligned, or broken door latch assembly. Over years of use the latch mechanism itself can wear down or shift out of alignment with the strike plate.
4. A damaged or disconnected door switch wire. Even a mechanically fine latch won't start a cycle if the switch that reports "door closed" to the control board has a bad connection.

Which error codes this can show as

Among the codes documented on this site, only Whirlpool's F5E1 is an explicit door-latch fault code — a door latch switch error that stops the cycle from filling because the control board isn't detecting the door as securely closed and latched. Bosch, Samsung, LG, and KitchenAid don't have a distinct documented code for this exact condition in this dataset; on those brands, a door that won't latch or close typically just prevents the cycle from starting at all, sometimes with a blinking light rather than a lettered or numbered code. If that's what you're seeing, the dishwasher won't start and blinking lights with no error code pages cover those cases directly.

What you can check yourself

1. Close the door firmly within a few seconds of pressing Start or Resume, rather than closing it first and pressing the button later
2. Check for anything blocking the door from closing completely, including an overloaded top rack or a tall item pressed against the inside of the door
3. Open and close the door a few times, watching and listening for whether the latch catches properly, and visually inspect the latch mechanism for visible wear or misalignment
4. Power-cycle the unit at the breaker or outlet before trying another cycle

Related

• Dishwasher won't start
• Dishwasher blinking lights with no error code shown
• Whirlpool F5E1 — the documented door latch switch fault
• Whirlpool codes · Bosch codes · Samsung codes · LG codes · KitchenAid codes