Bosch Dishwasher error code E05
Wash arm diverter circuit fault
Which models this applies to. This page covers the Bosch dishwasher codes.
What is specific to the Dishwasher platform
Many codes carry a second number, such as E61-03 or E92 40, where the second part identifies which part of the circuit failed.
Your control board prints the code as text, for example F01 or EE3, so you read it off the display rather than counting blinks. The printed number is the fault itself, not a position in a table.
Quick answer
On Bosch Dishwasher (2000s onward), E05 is a fault. It means wash arm diverter circuit fault. A first thing to check: Vario motor or its cam has failed.
- Applies to
- Bosch Dishwasher
- Bosch dishwasher codes · Dishwasher · 2000s onward
- Type of code
- Fault
- Urgency: Needs attention soon
- First safe check
- Pull the lower rack out and check that each spray arm moves up and down freely by hand.
What E05 means on this model
The mechanism that directs water to different spray arms is not being commanded correctly by the main board. One zone of the tub comes out dirty while the rest looks fine, which is the symptom worth recognising on a machine with this code.
Symptoms you will notice
- Code appears at the start of a cycle
- A spray arm does not move when the others do
- Dishes in one zone come out dirty while others are clean
Common causes
The code tells you what the control detected, not which part failed. These are the causes we see most often, roughly in order of likelihood:
- Vario motor or its cam has failed
- Spray arm jammed in its track by debris or a bent arm
- Position sensor on the arm not reporting the position it should be in
- Gear stripped in the arm lift mechanism
- Hose or wire to the arm disconnected or pinched
What you can safely check
These are homeowner-level checks. None of them need you to open a live electrical compartment or work on gas.
- Pull the lower rack out and check that each spray arm moves up and down freely by hand.
- Look for a spray arm that is bent or sitting in its track crooked.
- Check that nothing in the rack is blocking the arms from moving.
Do not do these
- ×Do not force an arm that will not move. The lift cam strips, and then the whole assembly needs replacing.
When to call a technician
Book a technician, do not keep resetting it
This fault will not clear on its own. Every power cycle gives the control one more failed attempt, and repeated attempts are what turn a cheap part replacement into a seized or contaminated system.
- If the appliance has stopped mid-cycle, is making a noise you have not heard before, or smells burnt, stop reading here and call. Those are symptoms of something the fault code does not describe well enough.
Clearing a blockage is a simple owner job. A failed motor or stripped cam is a technician repair.
What it costs to fix
Parts
Vario motor $60 to $160. Arm assembly $40 to $120. Cam or gear $15 to $50.
Labor
One to two hours.
DIY or technician
Clearing a blockage is a simple owner job. A failed motor or stripped cam is a technician repair.
Typical US part and labor ranges, 2026. They vary by region, model and contractor, so treat them as a planning figure, not a quote.
Scope of this code
- Code table
- Bosch dishwasher codes
- How this model reports the code
- Printed on the control display
- Models in scope
- Bosch Dishwasher, 2005 onward
- How this platform differs
- Many codes carry a second number, such as E61-03 or E92 40, where the second part identifies which part of the circuit failed.
- Checked
- Confirm on your own unit
- Find the model number on the data plate, then check this code in the service manual for that model. Manufacturers revise code tables between model years, and a revised board can renumber a fault.