Bosch Dishwasher error code E16
Water not entering the machine
Quick answer
On Bosch Dishwasher (2000s onward), E16 is a fault. It means water not entering the machine. A first thing to check: Supply tap closed partway or the house valve not fully open.
- Applies to
- Bosch Dishwasher
- Bosch dishwasher codes · Dishwasher · 2000s onward
- Type of code
- Fault
- Urgency: Needs attention soon
- First safe check
- Open the tap the hose is connected to all the way, then confirm it stays open for the length of the cycle.
What E16 means on this model
The inlet path is not delivering water. An inlet hose that is kinked, crushed against a cabinet rail, or frozen is the first thing to look at, and a closed or partly closed supply valve is the second.
Symptoms you will notice
- Machine stays full of nothing and the door will not unlock
- Drum is completely empty when you open it
- Cycle sits at the first fill step for several minutes
- Clothes come out dry because no water ever entered
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:
- Supply tap closed partway or the house valve not fully open
- Inlet hose kinked, crushed behind the machine, or frozen
- Inlet hose connected to a hot tap when the cycle wants cold
- Debris in the mesh screen at the valve end of the inlet hose
- Failed inlet valve or valve solenoid
- Weak household water pressure
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.
- Open the tap the hose is connected to all the way, then confirm it stays open for the length of the cycle.
- Trace the inlet hose behind the machine. Pull it forward and look for a crush mark, a tight bend, or a kink at the fitting.
- Hold a glass under the tap for ten seconds. Weak flow there is the whole answer.
- Close the tap, unscrew the inlet hose at the machine, and look at the small mesh screen in the end of the hose.
- Compare the hose markings to the tap markings. Blue to blue and red to red, on a machine with both hoses.
Do not do these
- ×Do not use a hose that is too long or too small a diameter. Restricted flow makes the level sensor report a fault that is not really there.
- ×Do not leave a hose routed over a sharp appliance edge, which flattens it without anyone noticing.
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.
Replacing a hose and cleaning a screen is straightforward. A valve replacement means pulling the machine out and working in a wet cabinet, so it is a technician job for most people.
What it costs to fix
Parts
Inlet hose under $20. Inlet valve or solenoid $30 to $90. Pressure switch on older platforms $25 to $60.
Labor
Thirty minutes to an hour for a hose or screen. Budget an hour to an hour and a half if the valve has to be replaced behind the machine.
DIY or technician
Replacing a hose and cleaning a screen is straightforward. A valve replacement means pulling the machine out and working in a wet cabinet, so it is a technician job for most people.
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
- Models in scope
- Bosch Dishwasher, 2005 onward
- 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.