Guide · Faults

Lid won’t lock or won’t open

The locking arms don’t close, the lid is stuck or the display reports a locking problem? Often it’s dirt or a bowl that isn’t seated properly.

For the TM5 and TM6 · Mixklinik workshop · Updated November 2026

In short

The lid only locks when the bowl and lid are seated correctly. Clean food residue off the locking arms and the lid rim and refit both. If the TM6 shows C187, the lid only opens once the contents have cooled below 95 °C.

What you can check yourself

  1. Fit the bowl properly. It must sit all the way down and click into place.
  2. Fit the lid properly. Put it on straight; the seal must sit cleanly all the way round.
  3. Clean. Dough, sugar or grease on the locking arms and the lid rim stop it closing. Wipe with a damp cloth and don’t push anything into the mechanism.
  4. Restart. Switch off, wait a moment, switch on.
  5. Try another bowl. If you have a second bowl, try it. If the message doesn’t appear, the problem is the first bowl or lid.

Do the accessories match the machine? The TM6 bowl and lid don’t fit the TM5. The TM6 reports the wrong bowl with C381 or C387. Third-party accessories don’t always lock reliably either.

Locking messages

Model Code Meaning
TM5 C142–C147 Locking. Fit the bowl and lid properly; repair if it recurs.
TM5 C148 C149 Lid sensor. Fit the lid properly.
TM5 C153 C160–C162 C192 C208 Locking. Restart; if the message recurs, repair.
TM6 C142–C145 Lid won’t lock. Clean, reset to factory settings, try another bowl.
TM6 C146 C147 Lid won’t unlock. Check nothing is blocking the arms.
TM6 C148 C149 No lid detected or sensor blocked.
TM6 C187 Lid only opens below 95 °C. Wait.
TM6 C208 Locking is slow. If it regularly takes more than 10 seconds, repair.

Lid stuck with food inside

Never force the lid open and don’t lever the arms. Wait until the contents have cooled and restart the machine. If it stays locked, unplug it and get the contents out through the lid opening by carefully pouring them out or using the spatula. Never clean the machine under running water. After that, it belongs in the workshop.

Sources

Mixklinik is an independent workshop and is not affiliated with Vorwerk. Thermomix®, Cookidoo®, Varoma® and Cook-Key® are trademarks of the Vorwerk Group. Information given in good faith; your machine’s user manual takes precedence.