Dishwasher lifespan by source
| Source | Lifespan | What it’s based on | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Reports | About 10 years | What most of the 20-plus manufacturers CR asked told it | industry study (Consumer Reports) |
| NAHB / Bank of America study (2007) | 9 years | 2006 telephone survey of manufacturers, trade associations and researchers | industry study (NAHB) |
| InterNACHI life expectancy chart | 9 years | Home inspectors’ chart, assuming regular recommended maintenance and normal wear | industry study (InterNACHI) |
| US Department of Energy (2024 rule) | 15.2 years average | Lifetime estimate used in DOE’s dishwasher standards analysis | official (US DOE) |
| Fannie Mae useful-life tables (2019) | 5 to 12 years, depending on property type | Guide for assessing apartment buildings, not single-family homes | industry guideline (Fannie Mae) |
| Range used by the checker above | 9 low / 10 typical / 15 high | Low is NAHB and InterNACHI’s 9; high is DOE’s 15.2 rounded; typical is the median of the four central figures (9, 9, 10, 15.2), which is 9.5, rounded up | our estimate |
Most sources cluster at 9 to 10 years. DOE’s 15.2-year figure is an outlier on the high side. It is a statistical average of how long dishwashers stay in service nationwide, not a rule of thumb for replacement. The 2007 NAHB study notes that appliances “are often replaced long before they are worn out because changes in styling, technology and consumer preferences make newer products more desirable.”
Consumer Reports’ survey data shows problems aren’t rare. About 21 percent of dishwashers either broke or stopped working as well as they should have within five years of ownership.
What shortens or extends a dishwasher’s life
The NAHB study says the life of home components “is greatly affected by the quality of maintenance.” Consumer Reports’ maintenance advice for dishwashers:
- Clean the filter. Clean it manually about every month, and more often if dishes feel gritty or wash performance drops.
- Check the spray arms. Every few months, make sure the nozzles in the wash arms are clean and not blocked.
- Watch for hard-water buildup. Deposits show up as a cloudy film on dishes and inside the machine, and can make rack rails and wheels stick.
- Don’t overload it. Cramming in too much blocks the spray and means rewashing, which CR says “whittles away at the machine’s lifespan.”
Differences by type
None of the sources we reviewed publishes separate lifespans for built-in, compact, drawer or portable dishwashers, or by brand. Consumer Reports’ reliability survey covers more than 77,000 dishwashers across 27 brands bought new between 2015 and 2025. CR notes that “no brand is free of problems” and that a brand’s quality can vary over time.
Signs a dishwasher may be near the end
The problems Consumer Reports members report most often:
- Fails to clean
- Fails to dry well or to drain water
- Dish racks that broke or stopped working properly
Consumer Reports links poor cleaning and gritty dishes to a dirty filter, so check the filter and spray arms first. The repairs that point toward replacing are major component failures on an older machine:
| Repair | Angi (2026) | HomeGuide | Fixr (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most dishwasher repairs | $175 to $325 | $100 to $300 | $100 to $300 |
| Motor replacement | $250 to $600 | $350 to $500 | $400 to $600 |
| Control board replacement | $200 to $400 | $200 to $600 | $200 to $500 |
| Pump replacement | $150 to $350 | $100 to $400 | $150 to $400 |
| Door latch repair | $75 to $175 | $90 to $160 | not listed |
Trade estimates, labor included, as of September 2026. HomeGuide and Fixr are independent of Angi; HomeGuide pages are titled 2026 but were first written in 2023–24, and Fixr pages were updated in 2025. Consumer Reports’ member survey found a median repair cost of about $142. CR’s overall view is that “with dishwashers, the data typically leans toward replacement,” because they lose value faster than people expect.
When members hired a technician, CR found 73 percent of repairs worked the first time and 18 percent after more attempts. In 9 percent of cases the problem was never fixed.
How old is my dishwasher?
The serial number on the rating label gives the build date, not the purchase or installation date. Find the label, then read the date code with your brand’s rule; the checker at the top of this page decodes it for you.
Where the dishwasher’s serial label is
Open the door fully. The label is on the edge of the tub frame or on the side or top edge of the door, where you only see it with the door open.
- Left edge of the tub frame (Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, GE, Samsung)
- Right edge of the tub frame (GE, Frigidaire, Samsung)
- Side or top edge of the door, or its inside (LG, GE, Frigidaire, Bosch, Samsung)
Basis: Official manufacturer help pages (Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, GE, LG, Samsung, Frigidaire, Bosch) and Sears PartsDirect for Kenmore. Diagrams are simplified; your model's exact spot can differ.
| Brand | Where the manufacturer says to look |
|---|---|
| Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid | Left side of the tub frame (KitchenAid double-drawer models: right side of the top drawer) |
| GE | Left or right front inside edge of the tub; or the right side edge of the door |
| Bosch | On the top of the door, or on the right-hand side of the door |
| LG | Right side of the door, with the door open |
| Samsung | Top of the door’s inner rim, the left or right side of the door rim, or the inside edge of the tub |
| Frigidaire, Electrolux | Inside the door, or on the right side of the tub (door open) |
| Kenmore | Tub rim or the inside edge of the door; on some models, behind the kickplate |
Basis: official manufacturer help pages (Whirlpool, KitchenAid, GE, Bosch US, LG, Samsung Canada, Frigidaire) and Sears PartsDirect for Kenmore.
Copy the serial (“S/N”, or “FD” on Bosch), not the model number printed next to it.
Reading a dishwasher date code by brand
| Brand | Characters that carry the date | Code repeats | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag (modern) | The year character follows the one or two plant letters; the week comes next, in two digits | Digits mean the 2010s; K, L, M, P, R, S, T, U, W and Y the 2000s; X and A–J the 1990s or 2020s | FR2499999 = week 24, June 2004 |
| GE family | First letter: month. Second letter: year | Every 12 years | A serial starting SD: September 2026, 2014 or 2002 |
| Bosch, Thermador | The four digits after FD: two for the year, then two for the month | No repeat from 1970 to 2029 | FD 9111 = November 2011 |
| Frigidaire, Electrolux | The year’s last digit is in place three; the week is in places four and five | Every 10 years | TH00257759 = week 02, January 2000 |
| LG | The year’s last digit comes first, then the month in digits two and three | Every 10 years | A serial starting 410: October 2024, 2014 or 2004 |
| Samsung | 15 characters: year in 8th place, month in 9th (1–9, then A, B, C). 11 characters: 4th and 5th | Every 20 years | Samsung year letters |
| Kenmore | Decode with the real maker’s rule, from the model prefix | Varies | 665 = Whirlpool, 587 = Frigidaire, 363 = GE (a few prefixes are disputed; see the Kenmore guide) |
Basis: GE’s and LG’s rules are official (GE’s support page; LG’s, archived 22 October 2026). The Frigidaire and Bosch examples are documented dishwashers (electrical-forensics.com); the Whirlpool example is a serial-range limit from CPSC recall 05-123. The Whirlpool-family, Bosch and Samsung rules come from independent date-code references cross-checked against documented units. Full tables: Whirlpool and KitchenAid, GE, Bosch, Frigidaire, LG, Kenmore.
For the Whirlpool family, an illustrative serial starting F522 is plant F, year 5 (2015), week 22: late May 2015. A C in the year spot means 1993 or 2023, and a dishwasher with app-connected controls would be the 2023 one. On Bosch, read 50–99 as 1970–2019 (add 1920) and 00–09 as the 2020s: FD 0301 is January 2023.
Basis: electrical-forensics.com (the Bosch rule and FD 9111) and tab-tv’s chart (FD 0301). Bosch’s own documentation says where the FD is but not how to read it, so treat post-2019 Bosch readings as likely rather than certain.
Two documented dishwashers and three recall range limits, decoded
| Dishwasher | Serial or FD | Date characters | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whirlpool, first serial in CPSC recall 05-123 | FR2200000 | R = 2004, week 22 | Late May 2004 |
| Whirlpool, last serial in that range | FR2499999 | R = 2004, week 24 | June 2004 |
| Kenmore, model number starting 665 (built by Whirlpool), last serial in its range | FR4599999 | R = 2004, week 45 | November 2004 |
| Frigidaire MDB100RGW0 | TH00257759 | 0 = 2000, week 02 | January 2000 |
| Bosch SHE55M16UC/64 | FD 9111 | 91 = 2011, 11 = November | November 2011 |
Basis: the three FR serials are serial-range limits from CPSC recall 05-123, not individual documented units; the Frigidaire and Bosch dishwashers are documented by electrical-forensics.com. The readings are ours, using the date-code table.
Why R reads as 2004. References disagree on Whirlpool’s R (Sears PartsDirect reads it a year later). CPSC’s February 2005 notice settles it for these dishwashers: they were sold from June 2004 through January 2005, so weeks 22 to 45 can only be 2004. The recall covered under-the-counter, plastic tall-tub models starting DU1, DUL, GU1, GU2 or GU6 and Whirlpool-made Kenmores starting 665.143, 665.160, 665.163, 665.170 or 665.173, for a wiring defect that could overheat the wash motor. Not every unit in the range was included, and CPSC says the serial tag is inside the tub near the left side of the door opening, where Whirlpool still puts it.
Basis: official (CPSC recall 05-123); the year reading is ours. More on that range: Whirlpool and Kenmore guides.
An official check on the Bosch rule. CPSC recall 09-100 (January 2009, about 476,500 Bosch and Siemens dishwashers) lists FD 7905 to FD 8507 and says the units were made from May 1999 through July 2005, exactly what the FD rule gives; a plain-year reading would be 20 years early. On those models the FD is inside the door panel, upper right.
Basis: official (CPSC recall 09-100); the FD reading is ours. Worked rows: Bosch serial number lookup.
Settle the decade
Most codes repeat, so check the reading against one of these:
- Model number. Search it on the maker’s support site; the years its manuals and parts cover show when that dishwasher was sold.
- Owner’s manual print date, usually on the front or back page.
- Paperwork: a receipt, installation invoice or registration card.
- Design: control panels and rack layouts change between model generations, so compare with photos of the model online.
What the build year tells you
- Where it sits against the lifespans on this page. By simple subtraction (our estimate, not a forecast for one unit), a dishwasher built in 2016 or earlier has reached the typical 10 years in 2026, and one built before 2011 is past the 15-year high end.
- Built on or after May 30, 2013: made to the federal limits still in force in 2026. A standard-size dishwasher may use no more than 307 kWh a year and 5.0 gallons a cycle; a compact one no more than 222 kWh and 3.5 gallons. Basis: official (10 CFR 430.32).
- An ENERGY STAR label: dishwashers have been an ENERGY STAR category since 1996, and the criteria have been updated several times; the current ones took effect on July 19, 2023. An older label shows the unit met the criteria of its day, not today’s. Basis: official (ENERGY STAR).
- A build date inside a recall range: the Whirlpool, Kenmore and Bosch recalls were defined by serial or FD ranges, so the build date tells you quickly whether a unit is worth checking. Run the model number through the recall check and confirm on the CPSC notice.
If the label is missing or unreadable
- Check both door edges and both sides of the tub, and on Kenmore behind the kickplate.
- Fall back on the model number. It narrows the era and still works in the recall check, though not to a build month.
- Ask the seller for the installation invoice or manual.
What this means when buying a used dishwasher
- Find the age. Use the steps for finding a dishwasher’s age on this page, or go straight to our serial number guides for GE, Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Frigidaire, Kenmore, Bosch and Maytag.
- Compare age with the typical lifespan. A 6-year-old dishwasher measured against a typical 10-year life is about 4 years short of the typical replacement age. Against the low (9) and high (15) ends, that’s 3 to 9 years. This is simple subtraction, not a prediction. Averages hide wide variation.
- Factor in installation. A dishwasher needs water, drain and electrical connections. Hire a qualified installer. Angi puts a new dishwasher with installation at $500 to $1,300 (2026), which caps what a used one is worth to you.
- Check for recalls with our recall check or on CPSC.gov.
What to check in person (tub, racks, door seal, signs of leaks) is in the used appliance buying checklist.
The energy and water angle
According to ENERGY STAR:
- A standard-size ENERGY STAR certified dishwasher costs about $50 a year to run.
- A certified model can save about 5,800 gallons of water over its lifetime.
- Compared with washing by hand, a certified dishwasher uses less than half the energy and saves 8,400 gallons of water a year.
Limitations
- Lifespan figures are averages, rules of thumb and our estimate. They can’t tell you how a particular dishwasher was used or maintained.
- DOE’s estimate is much higher than the others and was built for energy-standards analysis. We use it only for the high end of our range.
- Repair costs are national trade estimates and vary by region and technician.
- A serial dates the build. It can’t show when the dishwasher was sold, installed or last serviced.
- Only GE and LG have published their date rules; the other brands’ rules come from well-corroborated independent references. Bosch’s 2020s FD readings and Samsung’s 2026 code are less certain than older ranges.
What to do next
- Find the age: type the brand and serial (or FD number) into the checker at the top of this page
- Have a repair quote? Try the repair or replace calculator
- Inspect before you pay: used appliance buying checklist
- Check for recalls: appliance recall check
- Buying other kitchen appliances? See how long refrigerators last
Checked against the sources below on 26 September 2026; estimate labels revised on 6 October 2026; the dishwasher age guide (checked 26 September and 16 October 2026) merged in on 2 November 2026.
