What F43 Means
WHICH MACHINES THIS APPLIES TO: F43, printed as F:43 on the DW90.1 display, is a DW90 platform code. The DW20 and DW70 boards use F6 for the same fault, and it is not among the codes the current DBI, DFI and DSD user manuals publish.
DW90 PLATFORM - WHAT F43 MEANS: the service manual reads "Pressure sensor fault. Output signal greater than 4.8 V. The program continues. Only indicated in service menu." The pressure sensor is how the machine knows how much water is in the tub, and it reports that as a voltage. Above 4.8 volts the signal is outside anything the sensor should produce, so the control stops trusting it. Asko's check list is short: "Pressure sensor, control unit and cables."
WHAT THE MACHINE DOES NEXT: it keeps going. The programme continues and the indication is in the service menu only, so the owner is told nothing. What can appear instead is a machine that behaves inconsistently from one cycle to the next - filling to different levels, draining at odd moments, giving variable results - with no message to explain any of it.
CLASSIFICATION: fault. Invisible by design, which is precisely why a stored F43 is worth reading out: it explains months of odd behaviour in one line.
Common Causes of F43
- Pressure sensor failed or out of range
- Cable or connector between sensor and control unit damaged
- Pressure chamber or its hose partly blocked, giving a false reading
- Control unit misreading a sound sensor
🔧 One Safe Check You Can Try
Nothing to clear and nothing to open - what helps is a record. Over several cycles note whether the water level looks normal when you pause a wash and look through the door, whether the machine sometimes drains at a point in the programme where it did not used to, and whether the fault pattern is the same on every programme. Note the model number from the plate on the inside edge of the door. Clean the coarse and fine filters as normal maintenance while the machine is switched off at the outlet or the breaker and the water has cooled - that will not fix a sensor, but it removes the most common alternative explanation for erratic water levels before a technician arrives. Do not go into the base after the pressure chamber: it is under the tub, its hose runs beside the pump wiring, and the appliance has to be drawn out of the cabinet to reach it.
⚠ Why You Shouldn't Go Further Than That
- The pressure sensor and its chamber sit below the wash tub, so the machine must be isolated from power and drawn out of the cabinet before they are reachable.
- The sensor hose runs alongside pump wiring that is live whenever the dishwasher is connected to power.
Opening a panel to inspect or repair something yourself doesn't automatically cancel your manufacturer's warranty — but it can risk accidental damage, and some manufacturers do have specific service conditions. Check your product's warranty terms, or ask us, before deciding.