First, is it actually stopped?
Look for the time remaining or the beam on the floor before anything else, because a quiet machine mid-cycle is the commonest false alarm on this brand. If it is genuinely not running, the next candidates are the door reaching its second detent, a child lock, and the base leak sensor holding the machine back.
What you are seeing
- No sound at all after pressing start — On this brand that is weak evidence. Check the display or the floor projection before concluding anything.
- The display shows a time but nothing seems to happen — It is running. The cycle is long and the early stages are nearly silent.
- The door will not pull fully shut against the seal — A dish, a rack or a seal fold keeping the door off its second detent, which the machine reads as open.
- A key or lock symbol is showing — Child lock. It looks like a dead panel and is not one.
- Water is visible in the base tray when the plinth is off — The leak protection has done its job and the machine is deliberately refusing to fill.
Ranked for this brand
- The machine is running and cannot be heard — First, because the design makes it so and because nothing about the panel contradicts it. This is the single most common false report on these dishwashers.
- The door not closed to its full detent — Second. The door has to seat properly before the machine will commit, and a rack corner or a tall item stops it by a few millimetres.
- Child lock engaged — Third. A deliberate feature that presents as an unresponsive panel, exactly as it is meant to.
- The base leak sensor holding the machine off — Last by frequency, and the only one of the four that is a real fault. It is also why a Bosch refuses rather than floods.
The sequence that resolves most cases
- Look for a time remaining or a light projected on the floor — It settles running against stopped in one glance, which is the whole question on this brand.
- Open the door and close it slowly until it seats fully — Second cause, and the resistance you feel tells you whether something is in the way.
- Look for a lock symbol and clear it with the marked pad — Third cause, and a few seconds of holding is all it takes.
- Only then remove the lower plinth and look for water in the tray — It needs a screwdriver and it is the least likely of the four, so it goes last.
Owner checks, in order
- Stand still in a quiet kitchen and watch the display or the floor beam for a minute — A machine that is counting down is working. Nothing else on this page applies if it is.
About 5 min
- Pull each rack out and back, then close the door firmly to its stop — You are looking for the door to seat with a definite feel rather than resting against something.
About 5 min
- Hold the pad marked with a key or lock symbol for several seconds — The symbol clears and the panel answers normally if this was the cause.
About 5 min
- Remove the lower plinth and look for standing water in the base tray — Water there means the leak protection is holding the machine off, and that is a call rather than a fix.
Tools: screwdriverAbout 15 min
- STOP at the point the machine has to be pulled out and isolated — The supply and the water connection are behind a fitted appliance, and that is a technician task.
Before reaching under the machine
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel, and remember a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Water in the base tray and mains wiring are close together under a dishwasher, so isolate the circuit before removing the plinth. Leave the door catch as the factory adjusted it: it is what keeps hot water inside the cabinet.
When it needs a technician
Call if there is water in the base tray, because the leak protection is reporting an actual leak and the machine will not run until the source is found. Call also if the panel is dark with the breaker on and the switch under the sink on. Do not keep pressing start on a machine holding itself back on a leak sensor: it is preventing damage, and overriding that is not a repair.
Nearest pages of this class
Scope
Written for the Bosch dishwasher class rather than a single range. Which pad carries the lock, whether your model projects a beam, and where the plinth screws sit differ by family, so those belong on the family page for your machine. That page is the more specific answer where it exists.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
