What this usually is
Nothing happens when the cycle is selected. On a Café dishwasher the interlocks and the supply account for this far more often than the control board does. That puts the door is not latching at the top of the list here and a control that needs a reset at the bottom.
What you observe
- The panel lights but the cycle never begins — Power is present and something is holding the start — usually the door latch or a delay.
- Completely dead — no lights, no beep — That is a supply symptom: the outlet, the breaker or the junction box under the tub.
- It starts only when the door is pushed hard — A latch or a strike that is out of adjustment, and it will get worse.
- NEAR MISS — it runs a full cycle but the dishes are wet or dirty — The machine is running. That belongs on the cleaning or heating page.
The ranking
- The door is not latching — The latch has to make its switch before anything runs. The door carries the switches and the interlocks, so a door fault presents as a whole-machine fault.
- A delay start or a control lock is set — Both are features, both are set by accident, and both produce a machine that lights up and waits. It leads here because the display is where this line announces its own faults, and reading it first saves dismantling something that was never wrong.
- No power reaching the machine — A dishwasher is usually hard-wired or on a switched outlet under the sink, and that switch gets knocked off during cleaning. Supply is proved before anything is condemned, because a dead outlet and a dead appliance look identical.
- A control that needs a reset — A stalled cycle can leave the control mid-program, so it neither starts nor reports anything useful.
What to check first, second, third
- Look for a delay or a lock symbol on the panel — Both are cleared from the panel and cost nothing to rule out.
- Check the switch under the sink and the breaker — A switched outlet is the commonest dead-machine finding in a kitchen.
- Open the supply valve fully and listen for the fill — A machine waiting for water behaves exactly like one that will not start.
Step by step, as far as it is safe to go
- Clear any delay start and unlock the panel — Work through the panel sequence, then select a short cycle and close the door firmly.
- Check the door strike, the seal line and anything fouling the close — A rack tine or a tall item in the top basket stops the latch by a fraction.
- STOP before opening the door panel to reach the latch switch — The switch is tested with a meter inside the door, next to mains wiring.
The safety line
Safety
Cut the power at the breaker or the switch under the sink before opening any panel — a dishwasher is wired to a mains circuit and the junction box sits under the tub. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off.
The line between a fix and a service call
Anything reachable from the panel or the sink cupboard is yours. A latch switch, a wiring fault or a board is a service call, and a machine that trips its circuit should be left off until someone has looked at it.
Nearest pages of this class
Generalized information — and what is missing from it
Generalized information: this describes the dishwasher class, not your serial number. Anything tied to a chassis — pinouts, part numbers, diagnostic key sequences — is absent by design. A family- or model-level page, where one exists, is linked below and takes precedence. The brand overview page linked below covers the other problems on this machine.
Links: - [Common Café Dishwasher Problems](/blog/caf-dishwasher-problems) - [Café Dishwasher: Abnormal Noise or Vibration](/blog/caf-dishwasher-abnormal-noise)
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
