What the washer sees
F5E1 means the machine thinks the lid is open when it should be closed — even when it looks shut from the outside.
Lid switch, not lid lock
The Cactus Appliance washer guide defines it as: "Lid switch fault: the lid reads open while the washer runs, or on many models the lid was not opened between cycles." That second half matters — on some machines the washer expects the lid to have been opened between cycles, and F5E1 fires when it was not.
Clearing the strike slot
The source's fix is to "Open and close the lid, clear the strike slot and restart." It then locates the switch: "The switch is in the lid lock; a repeat with the lid opened between cycles is the lock." So if the code returns after you have opened and closed the lid cleanly, the lid lock — which holds the switch — is the next suspect, not a wiring gremlin.
Non-official repair reference — this page summarizes a technician's guide; it is not a Whirlpool or Maytag service manual.
Source and date
Source: Cactus Appliance — Whirlpool and Maytag Washer Error Codes · Checked 2026-11-12.