Dishwasher door dropping: what our engineers find
These figures come from NAC's own repair records: 86 dishwasher jobs our engineers attended for this fault. Here is what they found, what fixed it and what it typically cost.
When a dishwasher door drops open or slams down instead of lowering gently, the cause is most often a broken door spring or a snapped rope. These sit on each side of the door and work together to take its weight, so when one gives way the door feels heavy and falls. Sometimes a spring has simply stretched over time rather than snapping, and a loud bang from the door area can be the moment a rope or spring breaks.
An engineer will open and close the door to feel how it moves, then check the springs and ropes on both sides. With built-in models this can mean easing the dishwasher out of its space to reach them. Where one side has failed, the other is often worn or close to breaking too, so engineers frequently replace both sides together. The right spring or rope usually has to be ordered to suit the model, so the repair is often finished at a second visit.
Once the new parts are in, the engineer checks that the door opens, holds and closes properly, and usually runs the dishwasher to make sure it fills, washes and drains as it should.
Written by our engineers from these jobs.
- Jobs attended
- 86
- Confirmed repairs
- 56
- This is not a success rate. Jobs inside their 60-day window, jobs still being classified, jobs held for review and visits that didn't end in a repair aren't counted.
- Fixed at the first appointment
- 5%
- about 1 in 20 of our repairs
- Typical total paid by customers
- £157 to £219
- including parts and VAT, from 55 repairs
What's usually behind it
The causes our engineers found and fixed, as a share of our 56 confirmed repairs for this fault.
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Broken door springs or ropes: about 4 in 5 of our repairs, from 45 jobs.
80%
We only list causes with enough repairs behind them, so the shares won't add up to 100%.
About the price. £157 to £219 is the typical total paid by customers, including parts and VAT: the middle half of what customers paid on 55 of these repairs. Repairs paid for by manufacturers and insurers aren't counted, because that work is charged at contract rates. It's a guide, not a quote. Your engineer confirms a fixed price before any work starts.
Before you check anything yourself
- Switch the dishwasher off and unplug it, or turn it off at the isolator switch, before you touch anything. Our guide to safely isolating an appliance walks you through it.
- If it involves the mains supply, sealed parts, or you're not confident at any point, stop and book a qualified engineer rather than risk injury or further damage.
Rather leave it to us?
- Fixed-price quote before any work starts
- Same or next-day visits where available
- UK-wide engineer coverage