LG E10 fault codewhat it means and how to fix it
LG say an internal short was detected in the control board, and then give you something to try anyway: unplug it for a full minute.
Take care
What E10 means
E10 is the odd one out in LG’s microwave documentation, because it is the only code where they describe a hardware fault and still hand the owner an action. Their words are that E10 "indicates an internal short was detected in the control board", and their resolution is two short steps: unplug the microwave for one minute, then plug it back in and retry using the control panel. Those sentences sit together strangely until you think about what a control board can detect. The board is watching its own inputs, and a short is one of the states it can recognise — two things electrically connected that should not be.
Some of the ways that state arises are permanent, like a component that has failed or a track that has been bridged by corrosion. Others are transient. Condensation across a connector, a supply glitch that left a latch in a state the firmware did not expect, or a surge that upset the logic without damaging it will all read as a short at the moment they happen and be gone afterwards. The board cannot tell those two families apart, so it reports what it saw and stops.
A minute with the power off is what separates them, and the duration matters more than it sounds: LG do not say cycle the power, they say a minute, because a board only truly loses its state once its supply capacitors have drained. Cutting the power and immediately restoring it can leave the fault latched. If the code clears after the minute and stays clear, the event was transient. If it comes straight back, LG’s description is literal and the board is the part. Nothing about that diagnosis involves going inside the appliance, and on a microwave it must not.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| A transient supply event | A brownout or a surge on the ring main can leave the logic in a state the firmware reads as a short without having damaged anything. | Common |
| Moisture across the board or a connector | A humid kitchen, or the appliance moved from a cold place into a warm one, will bridge adjacent contacts until it dries out. | Occasional |
| Control board genuinely failed | The literal reading of what LG publish. A component or a track has gone, and the code returns immediately after the minute. | Occasional |
| A harness chafed against a moving part | Insulation worn through where a loom passes an edge shorts intermittently and will come and go with vibration. | Rare |
What to try yourself
Unplug it at the socket, or switch off its circuit if it is a built-in without a plug.
Leave it a full minute. LG give the duration deliberately — anything less can leave the board holding the state you are trying to clear.
While you wait, look at where it lives. A microwave sitting against a kettle, under a poorly vented cupboard, or somewhere it gets wiped down often is a microwave that gets moisture into places it should not.
Plug it back in and set a short cook with a cup of water in it, so you find out whether it heats as well as whether the code has gone.
If E10 returns, stop and book a repair. LG describe this one as a board fault, and a returning code is the board agreeing with them.
Get a qualified appliance engineer to look at your LG E10
We do not pass enquiries to a repair firm, so there is no form here. When you book a qualified appliance engineer, tell them the make, the model and the exact code or message on the display, and ask whether they carry parts for this make — that is what turns one visit into a repair rather than a quote.
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£0–£180
Time on site
10 minutes
Nothing if the minute clears it. If the board is the part, expect roughly £100 to £180 fitted, and weigh that against a replacement — on a countertop model it is usually not worth it, on a built-in it usually is.
Typical UK prices including parts and labour, updated September 2026. Your quote may differ.
Own this appliance and had this code? . Nothing is published until a person has read it.
Related LG fault codes
- F3Get it checkedLG document this one twice and differently. One article says wipe the touch panel, the other says the control panel is faulty and needs service.Related: controls and electronics
- F1Get it checkedLG publish this as a problem with the mainboard and say it requires service. There is no owner remedy, and the useful question is whether the appliance is worth it.Related: controls and electronics
- LOCUsually simple to fixNot a fault. LOC is LG’s child lock, and it releases by holding STOP/CLEAR until the display drops it.Related: same brand
- DOORGet it checkedThe word DOOR rather than a number. LG say the door is not closed or the latch is not engaged, and they include transit packing as a cause.Related: same brand
- F16Get it checkedLG say a heating issue was detected. They publish F19 with word-for-word identical text, so both codes land here.Related: same brand
- F2Get it checkedLG describe a thermistor problem putting the temperature in the unit out of range. It is the reading that is wrong, not necessarily the cavity.Related: same brand
Own a LG microwave? Save it and its codes come first next time.
Related guides
Common questions about LG E10
Why does LG suggest a fix for something they call an internal short?
Because a board reports the state it detected, not the cause of it. Moisture, a supply glitch or a surge all produce that state briefly. The one-minute power-off is a test that separates a moment from a failure, and it costs nothing to run.
It cleared, and a week later it came back.
That pattern points at an intermittent cause rather than a cleared one — moisture that returns, a chafed loom, or a supply that dips. Note when it happens and mention it when you book, because intermittent faults are the ones an engineer most needs the history for.
Is a control board worth replacing?
On a countertop microwave, rarely — the board plus a visit is often most of the price of a new appliance. On a built-in it usually is, because replacing the appliance means finding one that fits the housing you already have.
Technical review
Not reviewed by an engineer
No engineer has read this page. Severity follows what the manufacturer publishes, and we would rather tell you that than let a byline imply a sign-off.
Sources and how we verified this
We establish the facts from the sources below and then write the explanation ourselves. We do not copy manufacturer wording and we do not host their manuals.
- Manufacturer support portal
This page has not been reviewed by an engineer, and we would rather tell you that than imply otherwise. The severity rating follows what the manufacturer publishes: where they say isolate the appliance and call someone, so do we.