I have a maytag quiet series 300 dishwasher. On the control panel there is a green light on next to a picture of what appears to be a lock with a number 3 in the middle of it. I am not able to use my dishwasher because of this problem. How do I fix this issue?

there should be 2 buttons on the control pad, that when pressed simultaneously for 3 seconds will unlock the control.

their is power to the dishwasher but the control panel does not light up and the machine will not start or run

press the heated button for 3seconds

Hold down the heated dry button for 3 seconds until the light goes off. This should take care of that problem.

replace the door latch and the handle check to see if the console loops that hold the latch are broken if so replace the console

The control panel has bee locked. Press and hold the heated dry button for 3 seconds until the light next to the lock "3" button goes off. This feature is to prevent small children from starting it. Locking the controls works the same way, hold the heated dry button for 3 seconds will turn it back on.

Hold down the heated-dry button for 3 seconds and the light will clear.

A water softner will not make the dishes any cleaner, it just makes it so they don't have water spots on them.
If the dishes are dirty, it is most likely that the nozzles (holes) in arms may be plugged.
Also check to make sure you are getting plenty of water to dishwasher. Make sure all water valves are full turned open.

If the control panel does not work all the time, it is very likely you have either a shorted wire, or a fualty main board which is very common in newer machines.

MY DISHWASHER KEEPS RUNNING, IT IS A WHIRLPOOL GOLD QUIET PARTNER IV

Mine was doing the same thing and I just pressed and held down the heated dry button until the light went off. Then I was able to start my machine as usual. Hope this works for you.