Where the water appears decides this fault before any part does: the door seal, the inlet, the sump and the drain line each leak somewhere different. Where the water shows is the diagnosis. water on the floor in front of the dishwasher points at the door seal and the latch, water under the kick plate points inside the cabinet, and water that appears only at the end of the cycle points at the drain line. Owners describe it as water on the floor in front of the dishwasher, water under the cabinet behind the kick plate, leaks only during the wash cycle or leaks only when it drains. The most common single cause is failed or hardened door gasket at $185–$330 installed [S1], about 45 minutes of work — but two of the usual causes are free to rule out first.
What a technician actually does
failed or hardened door gasket [S1]
high likelihood advanced $185–$330 installed about 45 minn=42 completed jobs [S1]
water on the floor in front of the dishwasher
The most common single cause, and the reason a leak at the bottom of the door is its own diagnosis: the sides and top of the tub use one gasket and the lower door edge uses a separate strip, which takes the wear. S1 medians the job at $330 across 42 completed repairs; S2 puts an OEM gasket and door seal at $185-265 all-in. Time basis: S2 gives 30-45 minutes for the job; 45 minutes is the upper end.
both sources price the gasket as an installed job; no part-only figure for this model range is claimed
drain hose split or loose at the disposal or air gap [S2]
high likelihood advanced $195–$285 installed about 45 min
leaks only when it drains water under the cabinet behind the kick plate
The corrugated hose rubs against the cabinet floor or the clamp at the disposal loosens; the hose often looks intact until it is flexed. S2 pays particular attention to installations: a disposal fitted without the internal dishwasher plug knocked out makes the machine back up and overflow, and the installer usually does not realise. Time basis: no published duration, book estimate.
priced by the source as an installed hose replacement, not as a part
water-inlet valve weeping [S2]
medium likelihood advanced $215–$340 installed about 60 minn=37 completed jobs [S1]
water under the cabinet behind the kick plate
The tell is timing: the inlet side is under mains pressure continuously, so a leak that appears while the machine is off and idle points here rather than at the pump. S1 medians the inlet valve at $340 across 37 jobs, S2 puts it at $215-315 all-in. Hard water accelerates diaphragm failure. Time basis: no published duration, book estimate.
priced as an installed valve replacement by both sources
stuck float switch (the machine overfills) [S2]
medium likelihood advanced $185–$265 installed about 60 min
water on the floor in front of the dishwasher
Debris jams the float in the down position so the inlet valve never gets told to stop, and the tub pours over the door mid-cycle. The source's test: if the tub fills past the heating element and water comes out of the door, it is the float, not the gasket. Time basis: no published duration, book estimate.
priced by the source as an installed float and switch repair; no part-only figure is claimed
cracked sump or tub-to-sump gasket [S2]
medium likelihood advanced $285–$425 installed about 90 min
water under the cabinet behind the kick plate leaks only during the wash cycle
Hot and cold cycling cracks the plastic sump weldment or hardens the sump gasket; the leak appears only during wash and the machine is dry overnight. S2 reports 60-90 minutes for the job and names older direct-drive platforms as the usual cases. Time basis: S2's own 60-90 minute estimate, upper end used.
priced by the source as an installed repair requiring the machine to be pulled out
door latch out of alignment [S2]
medium likelihood advanced $165–$312 installed about 30 minn=28 completed jobs [S1]
leaks only during the wash cycle water on the floor in front of the dishwasher
Even with a sound gasket a misaligned latch lets the door lift at the top mid-cycle, so the leak sits high on the door rather than at the bottom. S1 medians door latch or switch work at $312 across 28 jobs, S2 puts the correction at $165-225. Common after the unit has been moved or a door panel replaced. Time basis: no published duration, book estimate.
priced by the source as an installed latch correction, not as a part
cracked tub [S1]
low likelihood advanced not priced about 60 min
water under the cabinet behind the kick plate
Usually terminal: the tub is the machine. S1 says a persistent leak from one specific spot on the tub bottom, continuing even with the valves off, is the signature, and that plastic tubs crack at the heating-element pass-through while stainless tubs almost never do. S2 recommends quoting against replacement instead of repairing.
the source quotes this against the price of a new dishwasher rather than as a repair, so no repair figure is claimed
Repair or replace?
The verdict
Almost every fault here is worth repairing - a seal at $330, a pump at $350 or a circulation motor at $374 on a machine that cost several times that is straightforward arithmetic. Two exceptions: a cracked tub is usually terminal because the tub is the machine, and a control board past ten years is where replacement starts to make sense. [S1]
- Typical completed repair: $275–$419 [S1] — n=331 completed jobs [S1]
- Door gasket or seal replaced, from a second published dataset: $330 median — the source publishes no middle half for this row [S1] — n=42 completed jobs [S1]
- Water inlet valve replaced, from a second published dataset: $340 median — the source publishes no middle half for this row [S1] — n=37 completed jobs [S1]
- Drain pump replaced, from a second published dataset: $350 median — the source publishes no middle half for this row [S1] — n=273 completed jobs [S1]
- Circulation motor replaced, from a second published dataset: $374 median — the source publishes no middle half for this row [S1] — n=122 completed jobs [S1]
- Door latch or switch replaced, from a second published dataset: $312 median — the source publishes no middle half for this row [S1] — n=28 completed jobs [S1]
- Planning life used for the decision: 10 years
The band is the middle half of one source's leaking-dishwasher invoices across 331 visits; a second repair company's per-cause all-in ranges of $165-425 sit inside that same band from a different market. The five labelled rows above are the same publisher's per-repair table across its whole 2,684-job dishwasher book rather than the 331 leaking visits: each row carries its own count and the source publishes no middle half for any of them, so each is printed with that limit stated rather than with an invented quartile. The 331 leaking visits are one symptom cut of that same 2,684-job book, so the whole-appliance rows and the leaking band are never added together or averaged into one figure.
A water leak also has a cost the repair quote does not show: the cabinet base and subfloor absorb it long before it reaches the room, so the flooring under the machine may already be compromised by the time a puddle appears.
S1's decision line: a control board repair on a unit past ten years is where replacement starts to make sense because the other components are near the end of their lives too
Have a quote?
Put your quote and the age of the unit into the calculator — the same half-of-new-price rule, with your own numbers.
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Quick answers
How much does it cost to fix a dishwasher with this problem?
Completed repairs run $275–$419 according to the sources cited on this page, after a diagnostic fee of $99–$149.
How long does a dishwasher last?
The decision rule used on this page works from a planning life of 10 years.
Repair or replace?
Almost every fault here is worth repairing - a seal at $330, a pump at $350 or a circulation motor at $374 on a machine that cost several times that is straightforward arithmetic. Two exceptions: a cracked tub is usually terminal because the tub is the machine, and a control board past ten years is where replacement starts to make sense.
