Siemens washing machine broken – flashing key symbol, child lock
Panic in the Techbelly family’s secret underground lair this morning when we thought the washing machine broken. A domestic disaster, given the child’s insistence of vomitting on or otherwise soiling everything we own, every day, more than once.
Just so others can find this post: the broken washing machine was a Siemens xlp1400 (or maybe xlp 1400), and the symptom was a flashing key symbol.
Turns out it wasn’t broken – the flashing key symbol meant that the child lock had been accidentally engaged. The fix, given by the friendly folks on the Siemens help-line: simply hold down the start button for two seconds.
Bingo, the laundry cycle can crank up again. They also offered to send us a new manual for the machine. Which was nice.
(update: other people have added the solutions for their machines below)
Couldn’t find any information on the interweb of how to solve this – hence this post. After-sales service on the web becomes increasingly impossible through the spew of affiliate and review sites that vie daily to dominate the search results – to everyone’s disadvantage it seems. (Although, it would have been helpful if Siemens published their manuals online in a way that google could search them. Just saying).
This might be the most boring post I’ve ever written. And the most useful.
Mark says: to release the childlock on the Siemens WM14S740BY: set mode to rinse & then hold option down arrow for 5 seconds (toggles on/off).
Declan says:to release the childlock on the Siemens WM14S76
-Set the mode to cottons, (dial clockwise once)
-Press and hold the option down touch button for 5 seconds or until you see the magic message ‘Child lock released’.
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I'm Ben Griffiths:
wow thanks for the advise this person is totally right !! hold the button 2 seconds (start ) !!
jo
Thank you. I have the xsp and this worked for me too. I just moved, have a 2 year old, lots of laundry and the flashing key symbol thing started – was kinda getting nervous, would we have to buy a new machine. THANK YOU!
Thanks – laundry crisis averted.
thanks for the advice regarding childlock, but after holding down the sart button yes the childlock goes off but when i start my washer again its back on and i need to keep turning it off when starting the washer and finishing its wash to open the door i mus keep pressing the start key
how can i turn it off pemanetly ?
You are a genius! Thanks for posting this. We were so lost!
Releasing Childlock… For ye who tried all of the above to no avail… here’s what worked for us: set mode to rinse & then hold option down arrow for 5 seconds (toggles on/off). My model is Siemens WM14S740BY
Thanks TechBelly. And extra thanks to Mark!
It was Mark’s tip that hinted at the solution for our machine. The illusive WM14S76, just try to find it on the Siemens website…!
Anyway, if you have one of these the way to release the child lock is:
-Set the mode to cottons, (dial clockwise once)
-Press and hold the option down touch button for 5 seconds or until you see the magic message ‘Child lock released’.
Thanks again.
thank you Declan, I keep doing this and can never remember how to unlock now I know I can find the answer on here, thank you.
WOW! Thank you so much for your blogg! It may have been the most boring blogg you have ever written but for me it has been the most usefull I have ever read!!!
Life saver!!
I want to join the list of congratulators (is that a word?!). Thank goodness for this blog – saved the day!!.
pls help me
how can i release the childlock on the siemens WM14S72
thanx in advance
manos
Help! We have the WD14H420, I have tried all of the above methods and called the helpline but no luck!
I must have set the child lock accidentally. Thought I’d have to call the engineer in having ‘lost’ the manual. Thanks for the advice it works and I would never have thought of trying it. Many thanks, money saved! Gilly
That was a very helpfull post. Our Daughter this morning decided to put the child lock on the machine and have been trying to get it off all day. We baught the machine in germany where will live and the manual was in Deutche so couldnt understand a word of it. So thanks you for the simple, easy to find answer……
My XLP1400 made an amazing noise and flashed error code F015 or F15, help I don’t know what it means. Anyone know?
Absolutely works! Thanks so much for this post. I looked at the manual and it doesn’t talk about a child lock. I found your post through a google search (Thanks Google!)
I would think marketing would have wanted to get a hold of this feature and use it as one of the benefits of their product because I didn’t even know it existed and with a front load, I can see it being a very useful benefit with children around.
most useful post from Declan. also valid for the Siemens S 16 79;-)
thanks
Thanks. This tip was very helpful as today my Siemens Washing m/c also had got child locked.
hola, a mi me paso lo mismo. no podia quitar el bloqueo.
la historia es pulsar opc. v 5 seg. en el mismo programa que se activo, y si no sabeis cual es probar uno a uno
Thanks a lot for the very useful information! I also had problems with flashing key a moment ago
No manual to find but your “boring post” helped me out. Great!
Jenny Nordin & family, Gothenburg, Sweden.
I was panic and this blog helped me. I have Siemens VM 14e3-d0. I hold the key for sec.
Thank you for your information.
Thank you for your assistants with the washer.
I have the same trouble & have followed the instruction to released the child lock & finished the work as told, the machine made “di-di-di” nose for couple times to confirm the job is done, but i still can not open the door, can anyone told me how to sort the problem?
Man, this is what the internet was made for. Man has problem, throws problem at search engine, other person with same problem has posted solution. Magical.
Thanks guys, you saved me moving the machine out of it’s built in position just to be able to read this tiny series number label hidden on the back to be able to download the instructions from the siemens support website…
Thank you so much for this. i was about to call someone to come and mend it.
Janet
We had the same problem with Siemens WD 7105. When the key symbol is flashing you will have to turn the setting knob onto the place where it stops flashing (it was the first or second setting from the “off” setting, turned clockwise). Then, hold the button with the clock 5 seconds. That’s it!