When your Bosch flashes Er6, it’s your oven’s way of saying, “I can’t confirm the door is safely locked.” On most Bosch models this points to the door lock system—the latch, the little switch that tells the control board the door is locked, or the lock motor and its wiring. Because high-heat modes (like self-clean) require a positive lock, the control shuts things down if that signal isn’t right.

What’s going on behind the scenes

Bosch designs the lock to slide a latch into place and then report back to the control. If the latch sticks, the switch doesn’t click over, the motor gets weak, or a connector loosens, the control never sees a “locked” confirmation and throws Er6. Sometimes this shows up right when you start a cycle; other times it appears after the oven warms a bit and the metal expands, making a marginal latch bind.

What you can safely try first

Before calling in a pro, a couple of non-invasive checks can clear simple hiccups:

• Power reset: Turn the oven off at the breaker for 5–10 minutes, then restore power. This reboots the control and lets the lock try a fresh cycle.
• Gentle latch check: With power off, open and close the door a few times and feel for a smooth latch movement—no grinding, no gritty resistance. Wipe the hook and strike plate; a thin film of baked-on grease or crumbs can slow the latch just enough to cause errors.
• Listen on power-up: After restoring power (or when starting a bake), listen for a brief whir or click from the lock area. No sound at all may point to a failed lock motor or lost connection; repeated clicking can mean the latch is trying but sticking.

When parts are at fault

If the latch is bent, the micro-switch doesn’t “click,” the motor never spins, or a harness is heat-brittled, the fix is replacement of the door lock assembly (and, if needed, its wiring). That’s a straightforward repair for a technician and restores the safety interlock the control is looking for.

Why this matters for safety

The lock isn’t just bureaucracy—it’s there to keep you from opening the door during high heat and to keep the control from running those temperatures unless everything is secured. Bypassing a lock or running with intermittent signals can leave the oven in a fault state or, worse, unsafe during operation.

Good times to call a professional

If Er6 returns immediately after a power reset, if the latch feels rough or misaligned, or if you hear the motor chattering without fully locking, it’s time for a tech. They’ll confirm the fault with a meter, check the switch state through the control, inspect the harness, and fit the correct lock kit for your model so the error doesn’t come back.

Preventing a repeat

Keep the latch area clean, avoid forcing the door closed when pans protrude, and let the oven cool a bit after high-heat cycles before tugging the door open. Small habits keep the lock from going out of alignment and help the switch report cleanly.

Model families differ. On nearly all Bosch ovens, Er6 maps to the door lock circuit, but the exact diagnostic tree varies by model number. If you have the E-NR (model) and FD (production) codes from your data tag, a technician can pull the exact parts list and confirm compatibility on the first visit.

If you’d like, tell me your model (E-NR) and I’ll tailor the steps and likely parts for your specific unit.