Dishwasher not starting: causes and safe checks

Check carefully

Quick answer

A dishwasher with power that won’t start usually has a door that isn’t fully latched, the child lock on, or a programme or delay start already running. Close the door firmly, turn off the child lock, and cancel any running programme. If it’s completely dead, check the socket. A faulty door latch needs an engineer.

Also covers: dishwasher won’t turn on · dishwasher buttons not working · dishwasher stuck on programme.

Likely causes

What you can safely check yourself

Stop and call a qualified engineer if:
  • Another appliance doesn’t work in the same socket, or the plug or socket is hot, scorched or crackling. Stop and call a registered electrician.
  • The code or problem comes back after you’ve done the safe checks on this page.
  • You smell burning, see smoke or scorch marks, or the appliance trips your electrics. Stop using it, and switch it off at the wall only if it is safe to reach. Otherwise switch off at the consumer unit.
  • The appliance is still under warranty. Contact the manufacturer first, because DIY work can affect your cover.

Work through these in order. Stop as soon as one of the signs above applies.

Close the door firmly until it latches

  1. Check nothing in the baskets sticks out and stops the door closing.
  2. Close the door firmly until it latches. Dishwashers will not start with the door unlatched.

Don’t force the door. If the latch won’t engage, it needs an engineer.

Check the child lock isn’t on

  1. Look for a padlock or key symbol, or a message such as CL, on the display.
  2. Turn the lock off by pressing and holding the marked button (or two marked buttons together) for about 3 to 5 seconds. Your manual shows which buttons your model uses.
  3. Some models have a mechanical child lock on the door instead. Your manual explains how to release it.

Cancel the programme properly

  1. If a programme or a delay start is already running, you can’t pick a new one.
  2. Press and hold the cancel or reset button (or button combination) your manual shows. The dishwasher drains and returns to programme selection.
  3. Switch it off and on, then choose your programme.

Check the socket and power supply

  1. Only do this if the plug and socket look and feel normal, are dry, and nothing has tripped. If the socket is hot, scorched or crackling, don’t touch it: switch off at the consumer unit and call a registered electrician.
  2. Unplug the appliance and plug a small appliance you know works, such as a lamp, into the same socket.
  3. If the lamp doesn’t work either, the problem is the socket or the household supply. Call a registered electrician.
  4. Plug large appliances straight into a wall socket, never into an extension lead.

Don’t keep resetting a consumer unit switch that trips again. That is a stop sign, not a fix.

Switch off at the wall and let it rest

  1. If the display shows a code, write it down first.
  2. Switch the appliance off and turn it off at the wall socket.
  3. Leave it off for the time your manual or the manufacturer suggests (see the note below if there is one), then switch on and try again.

For this fault: Bosch: disconnect the power at the wall socket (or switch off its circuit at the consumer unit) for at least 5 seconds, then try the programme again.

Don’t repeat this over and over if the code keeps returning. That means there is a fault to diagnose.

Related problems

Questions people ask

Can I replace the door latch myself?

Bosch doesn’t recommend it, for safety reasons. A latch that doesn’t engage needs an engineer.

More dishwasher problems and codes, or use the fault finder.

Sources

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We write every page in our own words from manufacturer guidance and check it against the sources above. If your manual says something different, follow your manual. How we check.