Help! Bosch Dishwasher Won't Start

Read the InfoLight first#

Bosch dishwashers in the SHX, SHP, SHV, and SHE series connect through a junction box under the unit rather than a plug, so troubleshooting begins at the breaker panel. The most useful indicator is the InfoLight — the small LED that projects a red dot onto the floor during operation. Press Start and watch: if neither the display nor the InfoLight activates, the fault is electrical supply. If the display lights and accepts buttons but Start produces nothing, the problem is in the door latch or the control module.

It helps to know Bosch's starting sequence, because a failure at any step blocks the cycle. You select a program and press Start, the module checks the door switch reads closed, the latch engages with a faint click, the AquaStop valve opens, the pump primes, and the cycle begins. A door that closes physically but produces no click is the classic latch-switch failure.

The tell: no display and no InfoLight is a supply problem; display active but silent on Start is the door latch or control module.

Causes ranked by likelihood#

Check it yourself, in order#

1. Press Start and watch for the display and the InfoLight red dot to decide supply versus start-circuit.
2. For no display and no InfoLight, check the breaker and the junction-box connections, since the unit is hardwired.
3. For an active display that ignores Start, close the door and listen for the faint latch click.
4. No click means the door latch assembly and its micro-switch are the likely fault.
5. Confirm 120V is present at the junction box before condemning the control module.
6. The lower access panel uses T20 Torx and the latch area may use T10 or T15 screws.

Prevent the repeat#

Closing the door firmly rather than slamming it protects the latch micro-switch that most no-start faults trace back to. Because the unit is hardwired, keeping the circuit on a sound breaker and avoiding nuisance trips also prevents the supply-side no-starts that look alarming but are really only a tripped breaker. Knowing to check the InfoLight and the breaker first will save you a service call on the most common version of this fault.

Repair or replace?#

A door latch or a breaker reset is inexpensive, so a no-start Bosch rarely justifies a new machine. A failed control module on an older unit is the pricier case where a repair-or-replace decision belongs. A technician can separate a supply problem from a latch or module fault in one visit. Book a diagnosis for an upfront quote.