My Kenmore Dishwasher Leaks at the Top Left of the Door

Door Panel

• One of the primary sources of a dishwasher door leak is a cracked or damaged door panel. With heavy use, the paneling on the door cracks, which can cause leaks when the tub is filling with water. After the load is finished, open the door and check for any signs of damage to the inner door panel. Signs of damage include peeling, cracks or chipping. Contact Sears customer service to have someone come out to service the problem because the paneling isn’t available in stores.

Door Gasket

• A likely source for the leak is a damaged door gasket. If the gasket is cracked, folded or broken, it can cause leaks when the tub is filling with water. If the gasket is damaged, it will need to be replaced. However, if you don’t notice any damage to the gasket, take a damp cloth and wipe it off to remove any dirt or debris that might have gotten caught in it. A dirty gasket can cause the door not to seal properly.

Over-Sudsing

• A cause for the dishwasher leaking from the door is user error from putting too much dishwasher detergent in the machine, which causes over-sudsing. This can also happen from adding the wrong detergent such as liquid dish soap or hand soap. Those types of soap create too many suds for the dishwasher to handle. To fix this problem, open the dishwasher door and let the bubbles dissipate on their own. Once a good portion of the suds are gone, add a gallon of water to the tub and start the dishwasher on a drain cycle to remove the remaining suds.

Rinse Aid

• Adding too much rinse aid to the compartment can also cause the dishwasher to leak from the door. The rinse aid creates a lot of foam when in contact with water and can leak out during the wash cycle. This typically happens when you spill the liquid outside the designated compartment and it is not cleaned up properly. If you accidentally spill the rinse aid or the regular dishwasher detergent, clean it up thoroughly before starting the dishwasher.