What does error E15 mean on a Bosch dishwasher?

E15 signals a water alarm in the base of the machine — the anti-flood sensor has been triggered. With 4,429 reports in the Archimede management system, it is the single most frequent error code in the entire database, nearly double the second-place entry. The same code appears on Siemens dishwashers (1,275 cases), which is expected since Bosch and Siemens belong to the same industrial group (BSH) and share identical components.

What does error F05 mean on a washing machine?

F05 indicates a drainage problem. It is most common on Ariston (968 cases) and Whirlpool (554 cases). Notably, this code carries the same meaning across Ariston, Whirlpool, Indesit and Hotpoint — all brands within the Whirlpool group, sharing the same component platform. The typical causes are a blocked filter, a faulty drain pump or a kinked hose.

What does error E18 mean on a Bosch washing machine?

E18 points to a drainage fault: the machine cannot pump out the water. In the dataset it appears 1,044 times, making it the most frequent washing machine error code overall. The usual causes are a blocked pump filter, a kinked drain hose or a faulty drain pump. Clearing the filter resolves the issue in many cases.

Do error codes mean the same thing on different brands?

No — the same code can mean entirely different things depending on the manufacturer. For example, E03 means "won't drain" on Candy and Hoover, but on Samsung it signals a lock-up (the machine stalls mid-cycle). On the other hand, F05 keeps the same meaning across Ariston, Whirlpool, Indesit and Hotpoint because they belong to the same group. The data makes one thing clear: always check the code against the specific brand and model.

Why do dishwashers show error codes so often?

Dishwashers occupy 7 of the top 10 positions in the error code ranking, and this is not because they break down more often. Brands like Bosch and Miele have invested in more sophisticated on-board diagnostics, so the machine displays a specific code rather than simply failing. The result is that customers call quoting the code itself — "E15" or "F11" — rather than describing a symptom, and the engineer records it accordingly.

The most frequent appliance error codes

Published by Archimede · Numeri Primi Srl · Data updated March 2026

This ranking is based on repair interventions recorded in the proprietary Archimede management system (over 900,000 interventions, July 2019 – March 2026). For each error code: the appliance it appears on, the brand, the associated fault description, and the number of recorded occurrences.

For faults described in the customer's own words ("won't start", "won't cool", "leaking water") and for the full repair statistics overview, the Lab has dedicated pages.

Top 10 most frequent error codes

E15

The Bosch dishwasher E15 is the single most recorded error code — nearly double the second-place entry. Dishwashers occupy 7 of the top 10 positions.

Code	Appliance	Brand	Fault	Occurrences
E15	Dishwasher	Bosch	Alarm	4,429
E15	Dishwasher	Siemens	Alarm	1,275
I30	Dishwasher	Electrolux	Won't drain	1,126
F70	Dishwasher	Miele	Water leak	1,099
E19	Dishwasher	Bosch	Won't start	1,052
E18	Washing machine	Bosch	Won't drain	1,044
F11	Dishwasher	Miele	Won't drain	1,037
E09	Dishwasher	Bosch	Won't heat	1,029
F05	Washing machine	Ariston	Won't drain	968
E08	Washing machine	Candy	Drum won't turn	923

Bosch and Siemens belong to the same industrial group (BSH Hausgerate) and often share identical components. It is no coincidence that E15 appears for both brands with the same type of fault.

Dishwasher

The dishwasher generates the highest volume of error codes of any appliance (29,047 total occurrences). Bosch and Miele dominate the ranking — both brands with a strong presence across European markets.

Code	Brand	Fault	Occurrences
E15	Bosch	Alarm	4,429
E15	Siemens	Alarm	1,275
I30	Electrolux	Won't drain	1,126
F70	Miele	Water leak	1,099
E19	Bosch	Won't start	1,052

Washing machine

In washing machines, error codes are less concentrated: the problems are spread across more brands and more fault types. The F05 code (won't drain) appears for Ariston, Whirlpool and Indesit alike — all brands within the Whirlpool group.

Code	Brand	Fault	Occurrences
E18	Bosch	Won't drain	1,044
F05	Ariston	Won't drain	968
E08	Candy	Drum won't turn	923
F06	Whirlpool	Door won't open	603
E03	Candy	Won't drain	570

Tumble dryer

The tumble dryer is one of the fastest-growing appliance categories — and repair demand is growing with it. The E50 code (drum won't turn) is the most frequent, shared by Electrolux and AEG (same industrial group).

Code	Brand	Fault	Occurrences
E50	Electrolux	Drum won't turn	206
E50	AEG	Drum won't turn	109
E90	Bosch	Control board fault	104
E60	Electrolux	Won't dry	100
E70	Electrolux	Stalls / freezes	66

Fridge and oven

Fridges and ovens produce far fewer specific error codes than dishwashers and washing machines. The problems tend to present as generic faults ("won't cool", "won't heat") rather than diagnostic codes on a display.

Fridge — the most frequent error codes: F02 Liebherr (alarm, 50 occurrences), A02 Ariston (won't cool, 48), A01 Ariston (won't cool, 46). Much lower numbers than other appliances: the fridge breaks down, but it rarely shows a code.

Oven — the most frequent codes: F01 Whirlpool (won't start, 79), F03 Whirlpool (won't turn on, 78), F01 Ariston (electrical problem, 55). Again, relatively modest numbers.

Explore the Lab

906,994 interventions

Full overview: appliance types, brands and most frequent faults

14.2% won't start

The most frequent problems for each appliance, in the customer's own words

299,013 interventions

Faults, brands, error codes and fault profiles by brand

Source and methodology

The data covers error codes recorded in appliance repair interventions tracked by the proprietary Archimede management system (July 2019 – March 2026, over 900,000 interventions). These figures do not represent the appliance repair market as a whole, but the activity of service centres that use the software.

A frequently occurring error code does not necessarily indicate a manufacturing defect: it may simply reflect the wide distribution of a particular model or shared component platform. For the full overview: appliance repair statistics.