LG PE fault codewhat it means and how to fix it
The water level sensor has failed. LG give this one of only two "close the tap, unplug, call" answers in their whole table.
Take care
Get a qualified appliance engineer to look at your LG PE
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 PE means
PE is PRESSURE SENSOR ERROR in LG’s own naming, with the cause given as the water level sensor malfunctioning. What tells you how LG regard it is the remedy, and the remedy is the reason this page exists. Across the fifteen strings in their manual, LG reach for one particular three-part instruction twice and only twice: close the water tap, unplug the power plug, call for service. The other is FE, which is overfilling. Grouping the level sensor with the overflow code is a deliberate editorial choice, and the logic is not hard to reconstruct. The level sensor is what tells the machine to stop filling.
Where it has failed, the machine has lost the thing that prevents it taking in more water than it can hold, and closing the tap removes the supply rather than trusting the machine to manage it. That is why LG do not offer you a filter to clean or a hose to straighten here, and why a reset is not a plan.
Compared with codes like IE and OE, where LG publish real owner procedures, the silence on PE is informative: there is no external check that distinguishes a failed sensor from a blocked pressure hose, and both need the machine opening.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Level sensor failed | What LG name. The sensor reads how much water is in the tub, and every decision about filling, spinning and unlocking depends on it. | Common |
| Pressure hose blocked, split or off its spigot | The thin tube carrying air pressure from the tub to the sensor. A cheap fix that presents identically, and worth asking an engineer to check first. | Common |
| Wiring or board input | A good sensor the board cannot read. Established with a meter rather than by inspection, which is part of why LG offer nothing here. | Occasional |
Can you fix it yourself?
Stop — this needs an engineer
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£90–£190
Most of a £90 to £190 bill is the visit rather than the part. A blocked or displaced pressure hose found on the same visit costs the call-out and nothing else.
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
- 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: water fill and supply
- FFGet it checkedA frozen machine, not a broken one. LG name it FROZEN FAILURE and publish a thawing procedure using warm water and a warm wet towel.Related: water fill and supply
- 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
- 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
- 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: same brand
Own a LG washing machine? Save it and its codes come first next time.
Related guides
Common questions about LG PE
Why does LG want the tap closed as well as the plug out?
Because the part that has failed is the part that decides when to stop filling. Unplugging stops the machine doing anything; closing the tap stops water reaching it at all. In the UK manual LG use that pair of instructions on exactly two codes — this one and the overflow code — and both are situations where water could keep arriving. Their leak code AE, oddly, gets only "call for service"; this site tells AE readers to shut the tap anyway.
Can I use it once more to get the washing out?
Get the washing out, but do it by draining the machine at the filter rather than by running a programme. Any cycle you start hands control of the water back to a machine that cannot measure it, which is the specific thing LG’s instruction is asking you not to do.
Is there anything cheap it could be?
Yes, and it is worth naming when you book. Two of the three likely causes are not the sensor at all but the thin pressure hose that runs from the bottom of the tub up to it — blocked with sludge, split, or simply pushed off. Ask for that to be checked before a part is ordered, because it costs nothing but labour.
Does the ten-year motor warranty cover this?
No. LG’s long warranty is on the Direct Drive motor and, in their words, applies to specific parts only, with labour chargeable once the standard two years is up. A level sensor is nowhere near that. Expect to pay for this in full unless the machine is inside its ordinary warranty.
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
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.