Error code
Bosch error code E23
Bosch error code E23: the drain pump is blocked, jammed or has failed. What the code covers, what to check first, and what it does not tell you — on dishwashers.
- From $95 diagnostic, credited to the repair
- 59 cities and neighborhoods covered
- OEM parts available on order
- In writing the price, before anything is opened
What we can confirm
Code E23, from the manufacturer's own pages
A code is only meaningful together with the generation showing it — the same two digits mean different things across generations.
What it narrows down to
Drain pump
What you are probably seeing
Diagnostic
From $95, credited to the repair
What it looks like from the kitchen
The symptom this code usually arrives with
A code names the subsystem; the symptom is what sent you to look at the display in the first place. That page says what it usually turns out to be, cheapest cause first.
-
The most common call Dishwasher not draining
Water standing in the bottom of the tub after a cycle. Two of the five causes come out by hand without tools, which makes this the symptom most worth five minutes before booking anything.
- Standing water after every cycle
- A code in the twenties, or four flashing lights
- Dishes clean on top, wet and gritty below
In more detail
About Bosch error code E23
What this one means
The drain pump is blocked, jammed or has failed. It is a code the manufacturer publishes for this appliance, not one we have worked out — and it is decoded here rather than left as three characters on a display.
The other ways your machine may say it
The same condition is published under more than one label, because it has been carried across generations of this appliance:
- E23, E6101 — the same condition, on machines of different ages
What the code covers
A published cause names a circuit rather than a component, which is the single most useful thing to know before ordering a part. This one covers:
- Debris in the pump
- A seized impeller
- A failed motor
What to try yourself
- Bail out any standing water
- Lift the drain pump cover beside the filter and clear what is in there
- Click the cover firmly back until it seats
Then what
A pump that hums without moving water is usually jammed rather than dead, and clearing it is the whole repair.
This code is published for dishwashers. The full list of codes has the rest of them, searchable, including the labels older and newer machines use for the same conditions.
This article is based on:
- Official manufacturer documentation
- Internal repair procedures
- Technician repair history
- Company quality standards