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Reasons Why Bosch Washer Won’t Open (How To Fix)

A Bosch washer has a lock function which does not allow the door to be opened when it’s operating. However, at the end of the cycle the door can stay locked. Here’s why this happens and how to troubleshoot your Bosch washer if the door won’t open.

As a general rule, the internal computer needs to be restarted, the door mechanism is stuck, the door locking mechanism is broken, your washer won’t drain and therefore the lock won’t release, the childproof lock is on, or the internal computer has failed and can’t release the lock.

Modern white washer with clothes inside

A few of the troubleshooting steps are very easy to do yourself. Others require a few tools, and some experience working with appliances or electronics. Below, I will cover each of the troubleshooting steps in detail so you can get the door of your Bosch washer to function correctly.

Reasons Why Bosch Washer Won’t Open (How To Fix)

At the end of the cycle the door will generally unlock and you can open the door for your Bosch washer, and remove your clothes. However, a few problems with your Bosch washer can stop the door from unlocking.

Overall, your Bosch washer needs to be restarted, The child lock is on, the door mechanism is almost broken and is stuck, the door mechanism has failed, the internal computer is faulty and won’t release the lock, or your washer won’t drain and so the computer won’t allow the door to open.

Restarting and testing the child lock are easy and fast to check. And there is commonly an emergency release on Bosch washers that will allow you to open the door even if the door latch or another component is broken and the door won’t open.

What is Causing Bosch Washers To Not Open?

Modern white washer with clothes inside

Bosch washers have an electronic clip that is enabled and disabled by the onboard computer. If the lock is on even when you open the handle it won’t open but it can also not open for other reasons. Here’s what causes a Bosch washer to not open.

In general, the child lock is on and needs to be disabled, your Bosch washer needs to be restarted, your Bosch washer won’t drain so the door lock won’t release, the door mechanism is stuck, or broken, or the onboard computer has failed.

An easy first step is to restart your Bosch washer. To do that you unplug it at the wall, and plug it back in again.

This resets the onboard computer. If the door lock still won’t open, do each of the steps below one by one.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on September 12, 2022.

Bosch Washer Won’t Open Because The Internal Computer Needs To be Restarted

Modern washer with clothes inside

After a wash cycle some Bosch washers won’t release the door for a few minutes. So, if the cycle has just finished, come back in 5 minutes and see if the door lock has released. If it still won’t release the onboard computer can have a glitch and needs to be restarted.

It’s very easy to do, just unplug your Bosch washer at the wall, and then plug it back in again after about 10 seconds. Cancel any cycles by pressing the ‘stop button’, and then see if the door now opens. If not, move on to the next step.

Bosch Washer Won’t Open Because The Childproof Lock is On

Modern washer with clothes inside

There is a childproof lock that stop children from changing or canceling a cycle. When it’s enabled it locks all the buttons.

And at the end of the cycle the door won’t unlock automatically. The childproof lock needs to be disabled for the door to unlock.

The childproof lock is enabled and disabled by pressing the button with the lock icon on the control panel. You need to hold it down for 3 seconds. If your Bosch washer has an LCD display it will show a lock icon on it.

Otherwise, there can be a light that stays lit up above the ‘lock’ button on your Bosch washer. Hold down the lock button for 3 to 4 seconds, then try to unlock the door. If it still won’t open, move on to the next step below.

Bosch Washer Won’t Open Because Door Lock is Stuck

Modern washer with clothes inside

The door lock can be almost broken and so gets stuck every now and then. In some cases you can get it to release by tapping on the area where the lock is gently. This will move the mechanism slightly and make it release.

Another thing you can try is to press the door in and pull it out again a few times gently. Do so gently enough that you don’t damage the lock mechanism. Doing so can get it to click into the right position where the internal computer will unlock the door.

If these don’t work, there is a method that works very well for front loader Bosch washers. And that is to use a piece of string, or a credit card type card.

Opening the door using the emergency release

Many Bosch washers have an emergency release. It’s commonly located behind the panel where the water filter is located. If your Bosch washer has one of these it will be stated in the owner’s manual.

You can find an online version of your owners manual on this page of the official Bosch website. It also shows how to find the model number for your Bosch washer which you will need to find the owners manual.

Bosch Washer Won’t Open Because Door Lock is Broken

confused woman standing

The door lock on Bosch washers need electricity to function. If it’s blown because of a pair surge or has broken the door latch won’t be able to open and close.

The onboard computer will send the message to it to unlock if you cancel a cycle or stop a cycle. But, it wont respond.

The door lock is a small component that is fairly easy to swap out. And the repair can be done yourself if you have a bit of handyman experience. However, if not you should contact Bosch and ask them if the repair is covered under warranty, and they will explain to you how to organize a repair technician to repair it.

Bosch Washer Won’t Open Because It Cant Drain & Wont Release the Lock

Modern washer with clothes inside

A Bosch washer has a drain pump that pumps the water out of the tub on your Bosch washer at the end of a wash cycle. Bosch washers have a feature that won’t allow the door to open if there is still a good amount of water in the tub. This can occur for a range of reasons.

But, if you have a front loader washer you can see the water still in the tub. With front loader washers if you’re strong you can tilt the washer to one side slightly, and listen for the sound of water splashing around in the tub. Just be careful not to make the water splash a lot because it can go over the rim of the tub, and cause problems.

You can drain the water manually on any Bosch washers by removing the water filter. It’s typically located on the front of your washer.

Bosch Washer Won’t Open Because The Internal Computer as Failed

Modern washer with clothes inside

The internal computer on a Bosch washer sends instructions to each of the different components. For example, it will send a message to start the spin cycle, and at the end of a wash cycle it sends instructions to the lock mechanism to unlock. If the internal computer has a fault, or one part of it has blown, it will cause it not to send the message to the lock to unlock.

To diagnose whether the internal computer has failed, one or more of the panels need to be removed. This is a bit tricky if you don’t have much experience repairing appliances. So, get in touch with Bosch support to see if the repair is covered under warranty.

They can also tell you next steps. For example, they may replace the whole washer, or tell you how to organize a time for a repair technician to repair or replace it.

In general, the onboard computer needs to be restarted, the door lock mechanism has broken, or is almost broken and is stuck, your Bosch washer won’t drain so the door won’t open, or the childproof lock is on and needs to be disabled.

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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on September 12, 2022.

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