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Wrench, exclamation mark, or unknown symbol on the display? What the icons mean
Not every warning comes with a number. A wrench often means a service reminder rather than a fault, an exclamation mark or triangle usually accompanies a code you have to scroll to, and a padlock or thermometer explains itself once you know to look. This guide decodes the common icons before you assume the worst.
Quick checks, in order
- Scroll through the display screens. On Bosch Purion press the i button, on Intuvia the i on the display or remote, on Shimano the function button; error numbers are often on a screen you have not reached.
- Look at the shape: a wrench or spanner is a service interval reminder on Bosch (dealer-set) and some Yamaha and Shimano displays; it does not stop the bike.
- A triangle or exclamation without a number on Bosch Purion means an error is present and the code shows after a moment or with the i button. On Kiox and Smart System the code appears in the Flow app.
- A thermometer means the drive unit or battery is outside its temperature range; wait and it clears.
- A padlock means the bike is locked (Bosch eBike Lock, some Shimano and app-locked bikes). Unlock with the paired phone or display.
- A battery with a cross, a flashing battery, or a battery with an exclamation means a battery communication problem; remove and refit the pack.
- Switch the system off, remove and refit the battery, restart. Many icons are a snapshot of a momentary fault and clear on restart.
Likely causes
Service interval reached
How to tell: Wrench icon, everything works normally. Bosch dealers set this in DiagnosticTool by distance or date; Shimano and Yamaha have similar options.
Fix: Not a fault. Book a service if you want the icon gone; a dealer resets it. Bosch Smart System shows it in the Flow app as a service notice.
How to tell: Wrench icon, everything works normally. Bosch dealers set this in DiagnosticTool by distance or date; Shimano and Yamaha have similar options.
Fix: Not a fault. Book a service if you want the icon gone; a dealer resets it. Bosch Smart System shows it in the Flow app as a service notice.
Error present, code on another screen
How to tell: Triangle or exclamation; assist reduced or off.
Fix: Find the number and look it up by brand. Restart first; if it comes back, the code page for that number explains what to do.
How to tell: Triangle or exclamation; assist reduced or off.
Fix: Find the number and look it up by brand. Restart first; if it comes back, the code page for that number explains what to do.
Temperature protection
How to tell: Thermometer icon after a long climb, a hot day, or a very cold morning. Assist reduced.
Fix: Wait 10-20 minutes with the system off. If it appears on flat roads in mild weather, the drive unit's temperature sensor or the unit itself has a fault.
How to tell: Thermometer icon after a long climb, a hot day, or a very cold morning. Assist reduced.
Fix: Wait 10-20 minutes with the system off. If it appears on flat roads in mild weather, the drive unit's temperature sensor or the unit itself has a fault.
Bike locked
How to tell: Padlock icon, assist refuses, display otherwise normal.
Fix: Unlock via the app or display. On a second-hand bike the previous owner must remove the lock from their account; a dealer can help with Bosch.
How to tell: Padlock icon, assist refuses, display otherwise normal.
Fix: Unlock via the app or display. On a second-hand bike the previous owner must remove the lock from their account; a dealer can help with Bosch.
Battery communication error
How to tell: Battery icon with a cross or flashing, percentage missing, sometimes assist cut.
Fix: Refit the battery, clean the contacts. If it persists it is a code (Bosch 530, Shimano E020) that the dealer reads.
How to tell: Battery icon with a cross or flashing, percentage missing, sometimes assist cut.
Fix: Refit the battery, clean the contacts. If it persists it is a code (Bosch 530, Shimano E020) that the dealer reads.
Speed sensor missing
How to tell: Speed shows dashes or 0, sometimes a sensor icon; assist off.
Fix: Check the spoke or disc magnet and the sensor plug.
How to tell: Speed shows dashes or 0, sometimes a sensor icon; assist off.
Fix: Check the spoke or disc magnet and the sensor plug.
Firmware update needed or pending
How to tell: Download or arrow icon on Bosch Smart System and Shimano displays, or a notice in the app.
Fix: Update via the app (Bosch Flow, Shimano E-Tube Ride) with the battery charged; the display and remote update in turn.
How to tell: Download or arrow icon on Bosch Smart System and Shimano displays, or a notice in the app.
Fix: Update via the app (Bosch Flow, Shimano E-Tube Ride) with the battery charged; the display and remote update in turn.
By drive system
- Bosch: Purion: a triangle with the code next to it, or press i to see it. Intuvia: the error scrolls in the text line. Kiox 300/500 and LED Remote: a warning icon; the code and description are in the Flow app. Wrench = service due (dealer-set). Padlock = eBike Lock. Thermometer = drive unit or battery temperature. Bosch codes are three digits; anything from 4xx is system, 5xx drive unit, 6xx battery.
- Shimano STEPS: STEPS displays show E or W codes on screen, but the small SC-E5000 displays only show a symbol and the code appears when you press the switch. W codes are warnings (bike still assists), E codes are errors (assist off). A wrench on SC-E displays is a maintenance alert set in E-Tube. A flashing battery outline is battery communication.
- Bafang: Bafang displays show an error number and a short text; the exclamation icon appears alongside. If you only see the icon, hold the i or M button to bring up the error page. A thermometer on the 750C/DP-C18 is controller or motor temperature (codes 10, 14). A wrench on Bafang displays is not used; a spanner-like icon is usually the settings menu indicator.
- Yamaha PW: Yamaha displays show a two-digit code on the main screen along with a warning icon; if the code is not visible, press the function button. Yamaha uses a wrench icon for the service reminder on some displays, which the dealer resets. A battery outline with an exclamation is battery communication (code 21).
- Generic: KT and King-Meter displays show a wrench or E plus a number in the speed field when there is a fault; the number is the code (e.g. E06 or 06 for a brake, 07 or 08 for motor hall, 21 for current). A wrench alone with no number is often the display's own way of saying 'communication error', which points at the display cable or the controller. Look up the number in the controller's manual; the display brand often matters less than the controller brand.
When to stop: Go to a shop when an icon persists after a restart and a battery refit and the code is not shown on any screen, or when the icon means the system logged a fault the display cannot show (Bosch Kiox/LED remote without the app, Shimano SC-E5000); the dealer tool reads the memory.
Related error codes
Bosch 500Bosch 530Bosch 540Bosch 503Shimano STEPS E010Shimano STEPS E020Shimano STEPS W010Shimano STEPS E033Bafang 30Bafang 10
Still stuck? Take a photo of the display and show it to a local e-bike workshop. Bring the bike's system name (e.g. Bosch Performance Line CX) and the exact code; that saves diagnostic time and money.
Frequently asked
The wrench icon is on but the bike works fine. Do I need to stop riding?
No. On Bosch, Shimano, and Yamaha the wrench is a service reminder set by the dealer, based on distance or time. Ride on; have the service done when convenient and the dealer resets it.
There's a triangle but I can't find a number anywhere.
On Bosch Purion press the i button; on Kiox and the LED remote the code is in the Flow app. On Shimano's small displays press the switch unit's function button. If there is truly no number, a dealer tool reads it from the drive unit's memory.
Does a restart delete the error so the shop can't see it?
No. The drive unit logs errors with a timestamp and distance; the dealer tool shows the history even if the display is clear. Restarting is safe and is the first thing the shop would do anyway.