How to Troubleshoot & Replace Whirlpool AP6012240 / WP8268540 Door Handle Spring

Second time in 12 + years door handle has broken, easy fix by removing 6 screws to loosen control panel 

With the assistance of AppliancePartsPro.com I was able to purchaser the part and do the repair in under 10 minutes. Great site for parts and instruction on repair! Saved $$$$$ 

At first I thought it may be the catch since that is what most of the videos were showing when diagnosing a dishwasher door that will not latch. However, upon opening the front door, I noticed that one of the handle ends was broken, but still attached and a spring was missing. I ordered a new handle, plus I picked up two new springs since one was lost in the belly of the dishwasher front panel. It recommend opening the the front panel before ordering parts, it may save you a return and a headache of further delay. All in all, it took 10 minutes to diagnose and 5 minutes to fix it when I received the part. The part was as described and fit perfectly. It took 2 days to arrive via standard shipping so that wasn't too bad. Good experience overall, I would do it again if the need arose. Cheaper than replacing or hiring a dishwasher repair person. 

Simple repair. replacement part had reinforced cap covering the spot that rusted out on the original. 

Replaced latch 

Followed the video. The trick turned out to be that the Whirlpool model attaches the handle to the latch assembly in a different place than the KitchenAid models, and the video showed the Whirlpool model. The latch assembly has two sets of hooks for the handle, one in the middle of the assembly and one lower down. The Whirlpool models attach in the middle; mine attached lower down. The extra twist is that the hooks which hold the door handle spring only work for the Whirlpool models; they point in the wrong direction for the KitchenAid and the spring slides off. I was wondering why there was no spring when I first took the unit apart to order the parts; now I know why. So save yourself the $3 and don't order the spring if you have a KitchenAid. 

I have used Appliance Part Pros on various Appliances in my home and my mothers Condo, I ordered part early in the day and it arrived next day, which tells me you all are a Customer orientated company that takes pride in your Customers and company! Telephone Rep from Tennessee was highly Qualified, Courteous and Professional, Thank You for your service! V/R Jeff Spircoff 

Luckily I found a video on your website performing the exact repair I needed to do. The only thing I did differently was to use a paper clip to put the springs back in the handle. 

I looked up the parts schematic for my KitchenAid dishwasher on the website, then watched the helpful video on how the parts go together. That let me know exactly what parts and tools I needed, so I ordered the parts and installed them. The only difference I noted was the fact that my machine was slightly different: The spring on mine mounts in the center of the handle instead of on the side. Very easy installation, though, and now it works like new. 

Watched AppliancePartsPro video, ordered part, received parts in 2 days, replaced latch and springs (be sure to order springs with the latch since they don't come with the latch itself and if your latch is broken one or both of the old springs will probably have fallen off behind the dishwasher door).