How to Replace the Door Latch on Your Samsung Dishwasher

While the door latch is by no means a fragile component of your dishwasher, it’s one of the pieces that are most heavily used and pressed. That can result in it breaking in the middle of the dishwasher’s lifespan, which can make the door difficult to close and can prevent the machine from turning on. If the door isn’t closing properly and you’ve isolated the cause as the door latch, replacing the part, which is #DD81-01629A for Samsung dishwashers, takes only a few minutes. Here’s how:

1. Turn off the power. Any time you repair or inspect an electrical appliance, be sure it’s powered off. This means either unplugging it from the wall for smaller appliances or, in the case of your dishwasher, flipping the circuit breaker off.
2. Remove the inner door panel without fully removing the door latch mounting screws. When you open your machine, you will see several screws holding the inner door panel against the door. Unscrew them so you can access the dishwasher’s internal workings. However, don’t remove the door latch mounting screws completely; the part is held in position by the screws and removing them completely will cause the part to slide further down within the panels.
3. Replace the old door latch. Split apart the two panels at the top and slide the door latch off the mounting screws. Disconnect the wires from the old piece and add the wires to the new part. Line it up on the mounting screws and push it carefully into position.
4. Put the door back together. Snap the two panels into place while ensuring the door latch doesn’t slip, then tighten the mounting screws. Reattach the inner door panel fully by screwing the perimeter into place.

Replacing the door latch switch is an easy fix to a problem that incapacitates your whole machine. If you have other repairs you want to make to appliances throughout your home, go to Fred’s Appliance Service for more step-by-step guides and tips.