Bosch Oven Throwing E118? Here's Why It Won't Heat (And the $30 Fix)

Your Bosch oven is flashing E118, refusing to heat, and shutting itself down before it ever gets close to temperature — and now you've got a lasagna that's just sad, cold pasta.

A frustrated home cook standing in a modern kitchen, staring at a sleek Bosch wa

What's Actually Going On

The E118 error code on a Bosch oven is the control board's way of screaming at you that something is wrong with temperature sensing. Specifically, it means the oven's brain is getting a reading from the temperature sensor that's either out of range, erratic, or completely dead. The oven isn't being dramatic — it's doing exactly what it's supposed to do by shutting down rather than running blind and potentially torching your kitchen.

The culprit almost every single time is the oven temperature sensor — also called a temperature probe or RTD sensor. This is a small rod-shaped probe, usually mounted on the back wall inside the oven cavity, that constantly reports the internal temperature to the control board. When it fails, the board sees garbage data (or no data at all), throws E118, and locks out the heating elements as a safety measure. The oven isn't broken-broken. You just need a new sensor.

Now, here's the thing a lot of people get wrong: they assume E118 means the control board is shot and start pricing out a $300+ board replacement. Don't do that. Nine times out of ten, a bad temperature sensor is the whole story. The sensor is a wear item — it lives inside a hot oven cavity through thousands of heat cycles, and the internal resistance element eventually drifts out of spec or fails entirely. Totally normal, totally fixable.

A close-up cartoon scene inside an oven cavity, showing a thin metal temperature

The Fix

Here's how to knock this out. You'll need a Phillips screwdriver and maybe a ¼" nut driver. Total time: about 20 minutes.

Cut the power. Unplug the oven or flip the breaker. Not optional, fam.
Open the oven door and locate the sensor. It's the thin metal probe sticking out from the back wall of the oven cavity, usually top-center or upper-left.
Remove the mounting screws. Typically two screws hold the sensor bracket to the back wall. Back them out and gently pull the sensor forward into the oven cavity.
Disconnect the wire harness. Pull the sensor through far enough to access the connector behind the back wall, then squeeze the tab and unplug it.
Install the new sensor. Plug the new 00487278 Bosch oven temperature sensor into the harness, feed the wire back through, seat the sensor, and reinstall the mounting screws.
Power it back up and clear the code. On most Bosch models, cycling the power clears E118 automatically. Set the oven to 350°F and watch it climb — no more ghost shutdowns.

The part itself is right around the $25–$35 range. That's it. That's the whole repair cost if you're doing it yourself. Compare that to an appliance service call and it's basically a no-brainer.

When to Call YAP vs. DIY

DIY it if you're comfortable with basic hand tools and following steps — this is genuinely one of the most beginner-friendly oven repairs out there. Grab part 00487278, watch a quick video, and you're done in a lunch break.

Call YAP if you've replaced the sensor and E118 is still showing up — at that point it's worth having a conversation about the wiring harness or, yes, possibly the control board. We can help you figure out what you're actually dealing with before you start throwing expensive parts at it.

We keep Bosch oven parts in stock and can look up your exact model on the spot. Swing by the shop in Piedmont or text 405-876-8100 and we'll get you the right part same day. No appointment, no markup drama — just the part you need and a straight answer.