LG AE fault codewhat it means and how to fix it
LG’s owner’s manual gives AE as water leakage, with no owner remedy at all. Close the tap, unplug it, and stop using the machine.
Stop — this needs an engineer
Get a qualified appliance engineer to look at your LG AE
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 AE means
In LG’s UK owner’s manuals the AE row is headed WATER LEAKAGE, the stated cause is "water leaks", and the stated remedy is "call for service" with nothing else offered — not even the close-the-tap-and-unplug line LG print against the overflow and level-sensor codes. This page adds it anyway, and the reason is obvious. A leak inside the cabinet of a washing machine is the single hazard these appliances genuinely have, because the same cabinet contains a mains-voltage heating element, a motor and a control board.
The right response is not to diagnose it. Turn the water off at the tap behind the machine, switch off at the wall, unplug it, and leave it until somebody has looked. LG’s global front-load list, which describes AE as a leak that has tripped a safety switch, asks you to check the inlet hose for loose connections or cuts and to unplug for 60 seconds before requesting service; that is as far as any LG document goes.
There is one thing that makes this code confusing and it needs stating plainly, because getting it wrong would be serious. LG also publish a UK-hosted article about top-loading washers that gives AE an entirely different meaning — a rotation error, grouped with the motor-locked code, with a remedy about removing coins from between the wash plate and the drum using tweezers. A wash plate is a top-loader part and the UK does not buy top-loaders in volume, so on a UK front-loader the manual meaning is the one that applies. Two LG documents, two incompatible answers, and only one of them is about the machine you probably own.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Internal hose or connection leaking | A perished sump hose, a loose clip or a split fill hose inside the cabinet. Water reaches the base before it reaches your floor. | Common |
| Door seal or sump split | A tear in the bellows or the outer tub. Often shows first as water only on certain programmes or only at high spin. | Occasional |
| Detergent drawer or dispenser overflowing internally | Foam and water finding a route down the inside of the cabinet rather than into the drum. Looks like a leak because it is one. | Occasional |
| Pump or filter housing not sealed | Frequently follows a filter clean where the cover was not seated. Worth mentioning if anybody has had the cover off recently. | Occasional |
Can you fix it yourself?
Stop — this needs an engineer
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£90–£260
A hose or a clip is at the cheap end. A door seal is around £110 to £190 fitted and an outer tub is usually the point at which the machine is not worth repairing.
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
- FEGet it checkedLG publish two different answers for FE. Their manual says close the tap and call an engineer; their UK website says clean the filter and change detergent.Related: leaks and overflow
- OEGet it checkedThe machine could not drain the water it used. LG point at the drain filter and the drain hose, and both are owner-accessible.Related: same brand
- IEGet it checkedThe drum did not fill to the level it wanted in the time allowed. LG treat IE and 1E as the same code, so you do not need to tell them apart.Related: same brand
- UEUsually simple to fixThe load is heaped on one side of the drum. LG describe it as laundry piled to one side, and it is normal behaviour rather than a breakdown.Related: same brand
- LEGet it checkedThe drum failed to turn. LG name overloading and a foreign object first — and if it is the motor, the ten-year warranty may cover the part but not the labour.Related: same brand
- dEGet it checkedLG call this a door error and mean the door sensor. It is one of nine codes where their own manual answer is to ring the service centre.Related: same brand
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Related guides
Common questions about LG AE
I can see no water on the floor. Is it still a leak?
Probably, and the absence of water outside is the point. Water collects in the base of the machine before it escapes, which is where it gets detected. A dry floor means you have found it early rather than that there is nothing wrong.
I read that AE is a rotation error fixed with tweezers.
That comes from an LG UK article about top-loading washers, and it talks about coins caught between the wash plate and the drum. A front-loader has no wash plate. On the machine most UK households own, LG’s owner’s manual is the source that applies and it says water leakage with no owner remedy. Following the tweezers advice on a front-loader means ignoring a leak.
Can I finish the load first?
No. Drain it at the filter if you need the washing out, but do not start a programme. LG’s instruction is to call for service; closing the tap and unplugging is this page’s addition, because running a machine that has reported a leak is how a contained problem reaches the floor and the electrics.
Might it just be the filter cover?
It might, and it is the best outcome available. If anyone has had the filter cover off recently, say so when you book, because a cover that is only most of the way home leaks steadily and is free to put right. It does not change the advice to turn the tap off in the meantime.
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 technical and service documentation
- 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.