Goodman Furnace Error Codes: Flashes and EE Codes

By Ray Bennett · Updated 2 October 2026 · 5 min read · Checked against the maker’s manual

Goodman Furnace Error Codes: Flashes and EE Codes

Short answer

Goodman furnaces report faults either by flashing a light a set number of times or, on newer models, with a code like EE2 on a small display. Both lists run in the same order: 1 flash or EE0 is a lockout, 3 flashes or EE2 is the pressure switch and venting, 4 flashes or EE3 is the limit and airflow, and 7 flashes or EE6 is a dirty flame sensor.

Goodman furnaces tell you what went wrong in one of two ways. Older and many current models flash a light on the control board a set number of times. Newer ones show a three character code on a small display, starting with EE.

Everything on this page comes from Goodman’s own installation manuals: the one for the *MSS9 furnaces such as the GMSS96, and the 2021 manual for the *M9S80 furnaces such as the GM9S80. The asterisk in those model names covers Goodman and its sister brand Amana, which share the same controls.

Before you start

What to carry: a torch and a pen. Ten minutes.

Gas or electric? These are gas furnace codes. A Goodman heat pump or electric air handler uses its own lights.

Look before you open anything. Read the light or the display through the window in the lower door. The door has a safety switch that cuts the power when it comes off, and on many boards that clears what the light was showing.

Your own door has the final word. Goodman prints the chart for your exact board on a label inside the furnace door. Use it to confirm anything below.

Two codes that mean switch it off, not reset it. 5 flashes, or EE4: flame sensed when there should be none. Goodman describes it as flame sensed with no call for heat. Turn the furnace off at its switch and turn the gas off to it.

6 flashes, or E11: an open rollout switch. On the older list, 6 flashes can also mean the board fuse, so look at which one has tripped. A rollout switch means flame came out of the burners, and that needs a reason before it gets a reset: what a rollout switch is telling you.

Smell gas at any point? Leave the house and call from outside.

How to read yours

The same faults, two ways of showing them. Count the flashes on an older board, or read the three characters on a newer one.

Check 1Free, five minutes

Work out which system your furnace uses

A single light that blinks, then pauses. Count the blinks between pauses. That number is the code. Goodman notes the light also flashes once at power up, which is not a fault.

Steady on. Normal operation.

Off altogether. Goodman lists this as a control failure, but check the furnace switch, the breaker and that the door is fully shut first.

Flashing continuously without a pause. The 115 volt supply is wired the wrong way round. An electrician’s job.

A small three character display. A newer control. Codes starting with EE, plus E10 and E11, are faults. Anything else is the furnace telling you what mode it is in.

Every code, side by side

Flashes	Display	What Goodman calls it	Check first
1	EE0	Lockout, too many retries or recycles	Gas on, then the flame sensor
2	EE1	Pressure switch stuck closed	The switch or its tube. Technician
3	EE2	Pressure switch stuck open	Vent pipes, drain trap, tubing
4	EE3	Open limit switch	Filter and registers
5	EE4	Flame sensed when none should be present	Switch off, gas off
6	EE5	Open fuse on the control board	A short in the low voltage wiring
6	E11	Open rollout switch	Why flame came out, then reset once
7	EE6	Low flame sense signal	A dirty flame sensor
8	EEL	Igniter relay fault	The control board
	EEn	Igniter open	The igniter
Nonstop	EEA	Reversed polarity or grounding error	Mains wiring. Electrician
	E10	Grounding error	The ground wire to the furnace
	EEb, EEC	Internal or external gas valve error	Gas valve or wiring. Technician
	EEj	Inducer relay error	The control board
	EEE	Internal fault	The control board

The codes you can often clear yourself

Four codes that each have a free first check. Most come straight back if the real cause is left alone.

Check 2

Work the free check for your code

1 flash or EE0: lockout. Goodman says this happens when the furnace cannot light after three tries in one call for heat. It resets itself after an hour, or when you cut the power or turn the thermostat down for a few seconds and back up. If it comes straight back, look at the gas supply and then the flame sensor.

7 flashes or EE6: low flame signal. A coating on the flame sensor stops it proving the flame. Goodman’s manual says to clean it with emery cloth or steel wool and lists it as a job for a qualified servicer. Many owners do it with the power off: how to clean a flame sensor safely.

3 flashes or EE2: pressure switch stuck open. The inducer cannot prove the vent is clear. Look for snow, ice or a nest in the pipes outside, then the drain trap and the little tubes: the five places to look.

4 flashes or EE3: open limit. The furnace overheated. Goodman’s own manual calls poor filter maintenance the most common cause of poor heating, and suggests changing disposable filters every two months: why a furnace overheats and cuts out.

When it needs a technician

Check 3

Know when to stop

2 flashes or EE1. A pressure switch that reads closed when it should be open is a failed or stuck switch, and it has to be the right part.

6 flashes or EE5, if a new fuse blows again. Something is shorting the low voltage wiring, and it needs tracing rather than another fuse.

EEn, EEL, EEj and EEE. The igniter, the relays on the board, or the board itself.

EEb and EEC. Gas valve faults. Not a homeowner fix.

Anything that clears and returns. The cheap cause was not the real one.

Questions people ask

How do I reset a Goodman furnace from lockout?

Goodman gives three ways: wait an hour for the automatic reset, cut the power to the furnace briefly, or turn the thermostat down so it stops calling for heat, then back up. If the cause is still there, it locks out again.

Can I see the last faults?

On the 96 percent models the board keeps the last five codes and plays them back from a Fault Recall button, and newer display boards keep the last six in a menu. Both need the board powered with the door off, so they are usually read by a technician.

Do Amana furnaces use the same codes?

Many do. Goodman writes its model numbers with an asterisk at the front because the same furnace is sold as a Goodman and an Amana. Check the label in your own door.

It shows 1 flash and works again later.

That is the one hour automatic reset. The furnace is trying again, not fixed, and it will lock out for the same reason until the cause is found.

My display shows letters that are not in this list.

Those are status and setup codes, showing the mode, the fan speed or a menu. Only codes starting with EE, plus E10 and E11, are faults.

How often should the flame sensor be cleaned?

Goodman asks for the flame sensor to be checked in the annual inspection. A low flame code or a furnace that lights then drops out is the sign it is due sooner.

Sources: Goodman installation instructions for the *MSS9 (GMSS96) and *M9S80 (GM9S80) furnaces