Hey Hartley, I recently just had a very similar issue. I have a MODEL NUMBER: DW80K5050UG/AA. Some the other day it was turning on and off consistently, while only half way through a cycle. I unplugged it, checked breakers, tried different circuit but nothing solved the problem. Sometime it would power on and other times it would spazz out. I checked the main control board on the bottom of the dishwasher and everything seemed to be in order, no blown caps or anything. I plugged it back in and listened to see if the panel was whining, and it was. I checked some forum and found out if it had an open or shorted control panel button it will whine(high pitched buzzing).
I decided that it was most likely the touch panel. I started by removing the torx screws that hold the metal panel on the inside of the door. I think there are 8 screws + 2 long screws for the part that clips into the main unit. Once off, separate the large panel from the touch panel it just slide down and off. Careful to not bend or break anything while unscrewing, it becomes flimsy, so support it with your leg/knees. Find the one bunch of cables that has a 6 pin connector, connected to the touch panel. It should be the only one. unplug that connector. Check to make sure it's not all eroded, mine was.
They make these so if you have wet hands, as my wife usually does while doing dishes, the water that gets on the touch panel sits inside that component and the only escape is right by that 6 pin connector. You can unhook each wire from the connector by using a very small flat head and pressing the little metal pins that are lines on top of the connector. Pull each wire out. Please double check and make sure everything is unplugged before you do this. After each wire is out you can soak them in vinegar for several minutes. I let them soak then used an old children's electric toothbrush to remove all the buildup/corrosion. You can clean the plastic bit out with just soapy water. reconnect the pins, make sure the are oriented the same was as you removed them, and plug it all back in. This should fix your issue.
I also went an extra step and also removed the faceplate to the touchpanel, you can use a heatgun and warm up the double sided tape under the panel face. Peel it back carefully and make sure you hold the controller as its literally just only being held in there by that tape. I had a lot of trouble getting this off carefully especially around the LCD screen. The double sided tape bunched up in a few spots so i cut those parts out with an exacto knife. I also didn't realize how thin the black backing was to this panel so you could see the cut lines from the face so I took some black paint/sharpie and etched that back in so there were no visible marks. When I finally got the tape off I checked the controller and it was covered in water. Particularly, the LED section.
I am not sure if it was the connectors or this that was causing my problem because I did them both at the same time. I would recommend checking that connector first since it was very easy and quick to fix. Removing the faceplate to the touch panel was a nightmare and you will do minor damage to. Alternatively, you can replace that whole piece, plastic panel, touch panel, and controller for $200 and just screw it in if your not feeling the headache.
I didn't double check what I wrote here so if something is off or confusing just ask, I should be able to help.
