Kenmore dryer
showing dE
dE on a 796-prefix Kenmore is a door switch error.
Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm
- Door and lock
- Door switch and latch repair
- Source: Kenmore
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What dE
actually means.
dE on a 796-prefix Kenmore is a door switch error. The control is not getting a clean signal that the door is shut, so it will not run.
Kenmore dryer display
What to do when dE shows on the dryerKind of codeDoor and lock
The control cannot confirm that the door is shut, so it will not start. A worn strike or a bent latch is looked at before the door switch itself.
Usually leads toDoor switch and latch repair
A dryer that ignores the start button with its door shut, or a door that will not stay closed, fixed at the switch, catch or hinge.
Shows up asDryer Door Won't Latch
The door swings back open, will not stay shut, or closes but the dryer acts as if it is open.
MakeKenmore
Store-brand dryers in electric and gas versions, built for Kenmore by other manufacturers over the years.
SourceSears PartsDirect: Kenmore 796 model dryer error codes (Wayback 19.11.2019)
Kenmore 796 model dryers (Sears chart).
Before you book,
in this order.
Each step comes from Kenmore's own guidance for dE on its dryers. Follow it to the end: the last card says whether this is a visit.
Open and close the door firmly, checking that nothing is caught at the edge.
Leave the tech sheet in the console in place; it explains the test mode used to check the switch.
Book a visit if dE stays with the door properly closed.
Still there?
It usually turns into door switch and latch repair. Book with the code and the model number.
What not to do
dE is not always a bad switch. A door that is not fully closing gives the same code, so the latch and strike are checked too.
What you may
notice with it.
The dryer problems dE tends to arrive with. Answer these at the dryer before anyone is booked.
All problems
Dryer Door Won't Latch
5 causes, cheapest first
Where dE usually leads
Door switch and latch repair.
Kenmore
dryers.
Store-brand dryers in electric and gas versions, built for Kenmore by other manufacturers over the years.
Kenmore dryer repairMore Kenmore codes
Door and lock on other makes
Electric dryer
The most common dryer in US homes: a 240-volt heating coil, a belt-driven drum and a vent to the outside.
Gas dryer
Heat from a burner on natural gas or propane, lit by an igniter and watched over by a flame sensor, with the motor on 120 volts.
Stackable dryer
The dryer half of a stacked pair or a single-frame laundry center, where the height and the closet decide how the repair is done.
In Kenmore's own words
Door switch error
Every code on this site is taken from the manufacturer's documentation, never from a forum or a parts listing. Kenmore 796 model dryers (Sears chart).
Kenmore dE dryer repair,
where we come out.
The same visit in every metro below: the code, the model number, and a diagnosis before any part is ordered.
All service areasTampa BayFL · 31 areas
Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas
New York MetroNY · 75 areas
HoustonTX · 36 areas
ChicagoIL · 50 areas
Los AngelesCA · 95 areas
San DiegoCA · 31 areas
Questions
about dE.
Can I clear dE myself?
Where is the tech sheet for my Kenmore 796 dryer?
Will my Kenmore 796 run at all while dE is showing?
Back to your everyday
Still showing dE?
Book with the code exactly as displayed, the whole model number, and whether you smell burning or gas — for a code, that is where the diagnosis starts.