DishwasherRepair.center (844) 430-4286Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm Book a visit
A person's hand switching off a breaker in a residential electrical panel, with a kitchen dishwasher visible through a doorway in the background.

Dishwasher
Burning Smell

A hot, electrical or melted-plastic odor during a cycle, sometimes with smoke from the vent or the kick plate.

(844) 430-4286

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • Water or wiring at risk
  • 5 questions that narrow it
  • 5 causes, cheapest first

Book a visit

Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 430-4286

Stop the water and power first

Treat a burning or electrical smell as a fire risk. Turn off the dishwasher at the circuit breaker, not only at the control panel, and keep it off. If there is smoke or visible flame, leave the kitchen and call 911. Do not run another cycle to test it.

What it
usually means.

A burning smell from a dishwasher comes from one of two places: something inside the tub touching the heating element, or something electrical overheating beneath the tub. The first is common and harmless once the item is removed. The second involves a motor, a wire connection or a control board getting hot enough to scorch insulation, and it should be treated as an electrical problem until someone has looked.

A dishwasher circulation pump assembly rests on a workmat below an open tub in a US home kitchen. The 5 causes, cheapest first

Answer these first

01

Does the smell resemble melted plastic, or hot wiring and electrical insulation?
02

Is there visible smoke, and does it come from the tub, the door vent or the kick plate?
03

Did a small plastic item such as a lid or a utensil drop off the bottom rack?
04

Is the machine still running normally, or did it stop partway through?
05

Are there brown marks or melted spots on the heating element loop at the bottom of the tub?

Check these
before you book.

Dishwasher burning smell: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything.

01

Stop the cycle, switch the dishwasher off at the breaker, and do not restart it to find out if the smell returns.

02

Once the tub is cool, look at the heating element loop for melted plastic or a blistered spot.

03

Look behind the kick plate with a flashlight for scorched wire insulation or discolored plastic.

Also worth checking

  • Note whether the smell was plastic, electrical or like hot dust; it narrows the visit.
  • Leave the machine unplugged or off at the breaker until it has been checked.

The causes,
cheapest first.

5 things dishwasher burning smell turns out to be, from plastic item resting on the heating element to shorted control board or element terminal.

The cost guide
  1. 01 no repair

    Plastic item resting on the heating element

    A lid, a baby bottle part or a utensil handle that falls through the rack melts onto the element. Once cool, it can usually be peeled off.

    No repair: check it yourself
  2. 02 no repair

    New element burning off residue

    A freshly installed element or a first cycle after a long idle period can give a faint smell that fades after a cycle or two.

    No repair: check it yourself
  3. 03 low to moderate

    Burnt wire connection at the terminal block

    The power connection behind the kick plate can loosen over time. A loose terminal arcs and scorches, which is a genuine fire risk.

    Fixed by controls and sensors
  4. 04 moderate

    Overheating wash or drain motor

    A motor that is jammed by debris or has failing bearings draws more current and gets hot enough to smell before it stops altogether.

    Fixed by wash motor and circulation
  5. 05 moderate

    Shorted control board or element terminal

    Water reaching the board or the element terminals can char components. The smell often comes with a dead display or a tripped breaker.

    Fixed by heating and drying repair See dishwasher tripping the breaker
  6. What it costs

    Every repair on the site's cost scale, side by side

    Open the cost guide

The makes
it happens on.

27 makes on this site; dishwasher burning smell can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page.

All 27 brands

Dishwasher Burning Smell,
where we come out.

9 metros, each with its own page.

All service areas

Tampa BayFL · 31 areas

OrlandoFL · 30 areas

Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas

New York MetroNY · 75 areas

HoustonTX · 36 areas

ChicagoIL · 50 areas

Los AngelesCA · 95 areas

San DiegoCA · 31 areas

San Francisco Bay AreaCA · 74 areas

A family unloading clean plates from an open dishwasher together in a bright contemporary kitchen, a child handing a plate to a parent
For the heart of your home.

Questions about
dishwasher burning smell.

I pulled a melted lid off the element. Is it safe now?
Usually, yes, if the element surface underneath is intact. Scrape away what you can once it is completely cool and run an empty cycle while you stay nearby. If the element shows a blister, a split or a bright spot, leave it off and have it checked.
The smell is gone. Do I still need a visit?
If it was electrical rather than plastic, yes. A loose terminal or a scorched harness does not repair itself, and the next episode can end in a tripped breaker or worse. A short look behind the kick plate is cheap compared with what an arcing connection can do.
Could the smell be coming from the garbage disposal?
It can. A dishwasher that drains through a disposal pushes hot water past it, and a jammed disposal motor smells hot too. Note whether the smell is stronger under the sink or at the dishwasher door.
Should I turn off the water as well as the power?
Power first, then the supply valve under the sink if the cycle stopped with water in the tub. That way nothing refills while the machine is being inspected.

Back to your everyday

Still seeing dishwasher burning smell?

Book with what you checked above — 5 answers save the technician the first part of the visit.

Schedule a repair Call (844) 430-4286
(844) 430-4286 Schedule a repair