An LG dryer regulates heat with thermistors, small temperature sensors placed at points along the air path. When one of them reads outside the range the control expects, or the control cannot read it at all, the dryer stops and shows a tE code. LG's dryer guide lists tE1 through tE6, and on many models tE1 and tE2 are the ones owners actually see. Each number identifies a sensor by position rather than by severity, so the digit tells a technician where to look and tells the owner very little.
How the Dryer Behaves
Typically the cycle stops early with the code on the display, or the dryer refuses to start and shows the code within seconds of pressing Start. Sometimes the run-up to the code is a period of poor drying: clothes that came out damp, or cycles that ran to the maximum time, because a sensor drifting out of range makes the control cautious about heat before it fails outright.
Airflow Comes First
A thermistor can be perfectly healthy and still report a temperature the control considers impossible if the air around it is far hotter than it should be. That happens when the exhaust is restricted. Before assuming a sensor fault, clean the lint screen, confirm the outside exhaust hood opens freely with the dryer running, and if the dryer has shown a d80, d90 or d95 message recently, deal with the duct first. On a gas dryer, closing the gas shutoff valve and unplugging the machine come before pulling it away from the wall to reach the duct; on an electric dryer, unplugging it does.
The Reset
Unplug the dryer for a few minutes and restore power, then start a short timed cycle. If the code appears again at once, the sensor circuit is open or shorted and no amount of airflow will help. If the code appears only after the dryer has run hot for a while, the airflow work above is where the answer lies.
Why the Sensor Is Not an Owner Part
The thermistors sit inside the cabinet: on the exhaust duct near the blower, on the heater housing, and on heat-pump models around the evaporator. Reaching any of them means removing the rear or front panel with the dryer disconnected from power and, on gas dryers, the gas closed, and then working next to a heater element or a gas burner assembly. Testing is a resistance reading at a known temperature. The part is inexpensive; the access is what makes it a visit rather than a project.
What to Report
Say which tE number appeared, whether it shows immediately or after a run, whether the dryer has been drying slowly, and whether it is gas, electric or ventless. Include the model number from the plate inside the door. Book an LG dryer repair and, until the visit, leave the dryer unplugged rather than running repeated cycles with a sensor the control cannot trust.