Though I have not had this problem with either Bosch DW I did have it in an old KA. If there was any moisture in the soap dispenser it wouldn't open. I learned to make sure it was completely dry before putting soap in and it resolved the problem.

Hmm. I've been pretty careful to not fill the container all the way with soap, so I don't think that's the problem. Or, at least I know I didn't suddenly start adding more soap in the last couple of months.

I'll check on the dampness of the dispenser before we run the next load to see if that helps.

And the appliance guy is supposed to be here tomorrow to resurrect our oven from the dead, so maybe he'll know something more.

Jeff J

I have had the same problem with a Bosch also. I finally figured out that in most cases,but not all, something was stopping the spray arm from turning and so I check each time I run the washer to make sure the arm is not hitting a wooden spoon or some other tall object.

Also check to make sure there is not a piece of food lodged in one of the holes in the spray arm. If sufficient water of a certain temperature does not hit the soap dispenser door it will not open or opens only during the heat from the drying cycle.

Is there anything physically stopping the door from opening? We've got a Bosch and sometimes I found there was gungey soap in the dispenser, one day I heard the dispenser click back when I opened the door and I realised a chopping board (with the handle sticking out) had actually been preventing the dispenser opening properly. Now I stack more carefully and it hasn't happened since.

I had the same problem as karenintheuk. Our soap door pops out, and if I put a tall plate in front of it (a regular dinner plate) the soap door doesn't open.

I could never get it to stay closed on my last Bosch. I always assumed it was a defective spring. Anyway, it seems that there is something needs tweaking with the design. Otherwise they work great.

so what did the repair man say about the dispenser not opening. i have the same problem and its a waste of water, energy, adn time to run it twice! Ugh

Sorry - I never got around to updating the thread. The repair guy said "schedule a separate service call, but the dispenser might be busted". As you might suspect, I allowed him to continue out the front door, so as not to disrupt his already busy day.

The dispenser opens about 50% of the time. I have better luck when slamming the door OPEN prior to filling it, but not always. I've noticed that I haven't had to refill the Jet Dry part of the thing for months, so I suspect it really is broken.

Now I just have to find someone who will bother to look at it and fix it without being surly...

Jeff J

I realize this is a super old thread, but it's one of the first hits I got when this was happening to me and I googled "Bosch dishwasher soap tray not opening" so I figured I'd revive it with the solution I found.

My dishwasher seemed to be running (e.g. making swooshing noises) but the "in cycle" light stayed on, even overnight, and when I opened it the soap tablet dispenser was still closed with the tablet inside. It seemed to realize the soap dispenser hadn't opened and therefore wasn't completing the cycle.

I did two things and then it started working, so I'm not sure which was the fix. The first was following this video to clear out the soap dispenser. Honestly, mine didn't seem gunked up at all, but maybe the act of taking the lid off and putting it back on again fixed something:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wuEo__I9uY

The other thing I did was turn it off and back on again to get rid of the "in cycle" light and then reset it, which for my model meant holding down the start button for three seconds until the display reads :01. (my model says "press for 3 seconds to reset" right on the control panel next to the start button, I had never noticed that before!) Then I closed it, it ran a 1 minute cycle, and the next time I ran it for real it worked. Anyway, figured I'd share because I was NOT looking forward to arranging a repair!

There is likely to be one problem when the dispenser won't open. 1. If there is a gummy mess inside the dispenser, this is because the door didn't open and water got in the dispenser during the wash cycle and mixed with the soap. This is not the problem with the door not opening but can be fixed by running the dishwasher without soap. It's a dishwasher! It will then clean the mess out of the dispenser just like it cleans the dishes. The real problem with the dispenser is that the hot water warps the baseplate of the dispenser so it is too tight against the lid. Put a piece of paper between the lid and base and close the lid. It should be easy to move the paper from side to side. If you can't, you have to fix the baseplate. To do this, get a small piece of medium sandpaper, 210, 150, 180, 220 grit and fold it in half. Put it between the baseplate and the lid and close the lid on it. Then slide it back and forth, testing with the paper to be sure you have created enough room that the paper slides over the entire width of the lid. This may take 10 or more minutes. If you make the gap too large, water may get in and soak the detergent before it is dispensed but this shouldn't hurt anything. Better still, use Cascade Platinum pods for the cleanest dishes you have ever seen!