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My Shimano Steps-powered e-bike is frequently but irregularly giving me the errors E010 and E012. In the E6000 Series Dealer’s manual and E8000 Series User's manual I found the following:

E010: A system error was detected. Power assistance is not provided during riding. Press the power button of the battery to turn it on again. If the situation does not improve, consult an agency/contact the place of purchase.

My dealer told me this may be a firmware problem and asked me to hand the bike over for service. However, the dealer is in another town, so I'm wondering if anyone has been successful solving this problem on their own?

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    Have you tried pressing the power button on the battery? What happened? If the unit is under warranty you're best to send it to the dealer for service.
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Nov 16, 2016 at 23:04
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    Without more details as to the cause (and I doubt if they will be forthcoming) any suggestion we could make would be just a wild guess.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented Nov 16, 2016 at 23:44
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    (But of course try unplugging and replugging everything.)
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented Nov 16, 2016 at 23:45
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    The problem is that you don't know what the codes mean. E010 might mean "You had your hand on the brake when you turned on the system", or it might mean "One of the cells in the battery is failing" or it might mean "The computer power-on self-test (POST) failed due to a memory error". We don't know.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented Nov 18, 2016 at 3:57
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    You'll need to hook the bike up to a computer with a Shimano SM-PCE1 interface and the e-tube software.
    – Emyr
    Commented Nov 24, 2016 at 10:16

11 Answers 11

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The E012 error means that the torque sensor is misaligned. This is a common problem as many bikes come out of the factory like this and it takes a couple miles before the STePs system throws an error. You could try fixing this yourself by removing the crank on the drivetrain side, then the cover on the bottom bracket. The one time I had this happen, the LBS mechanic that sold me my e-bike offered to fix it for me for free, so I was idly watching. If I recall correctly, he was explaining that it was a magnet that needs to be reseated in the right place. Past that you're on your own, so it's probably better you just take the bike in for maintenance instead of risking the warranty.

Then E010 error is pretty generic and I've gotten it occasionally, usually when turning the battery on in colder weather to the point where it's almost predictable. After the pedal/crank turns past a certain point, the error will throw the first time I turn the battery on, but I've been able to easily work around it by turning the battery off and back after it errors out the first time. Likely, it is a firmware issue, but Shimano hasn't fixed it (yet). Until they do, it's not too much of an inconvenience.

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Shimano authorized new battery. Fits much better and so far no more e020/e010 errors. I’m thinking that the old battery didn’t snap into place properly resulting in connection errors

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  • That’s great. Thanks for coming back and updating us. You can mark your own answer as correct by checking the check box. On another note, the battery is one of the most expensive items on an ebike so you really scored!
    – RoboKaren
    Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 13:11
  • Same problem occurred again. Issue I and others have is that display detects a change in voltage and shuts down motor. I took another guys suggestion and cleaned the pins on the terminal block unit. Reinstalled battery and no issues for 3 rides so far...I used a toothbrush and Sensodyne toothpaste ( important to use the stuff for sensitive teeth). Just kidding. I’m an old guy - 62 and that’s all we have. Lol
    – user33938
    Commented Dec 12, 2017 at 19:42
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Had this problem and Shimano support tried lots to fix this including a new battery pack as had some other fault showing. Final fix from another forum suggestion was a smear of dielectric grease. Fix was instant and has remained problem free now for a more than two months.

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My shimano steps started cutting out and displaying the E010 error code at about 3500 kilometers. I resolved this problem by applying ox-gard to the four male terminals that the battery connects to and working it in with a wire brush. enter image description here This product was intended for electricians to use when joining aluminum wiring.

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    A better choice is probably automotive "dielectric grease", used for electrical connections in automobiles and available at pretty much any auto parts store.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented Dec 26, 2019 at 2:38
  • I have travelled over 25000 kilometers now and have not had any issue since I treated the terminals with ox-gard at 3500 k's. Can't imagine how dielectric grease could be any better. The bike has been perfect since.
    – Craig
    Commented May 5, 2023 at 22:33
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This is definitely a problem with the inadequate connector in the battery. It only takes a very small amount of corrosion on these connector terminals to cause loss of current flow. The fix is simple. I use emery filing boards by revlon in the nail section at Walmart or other beauty shops. The small end fits perfectly in the battery connector slot. Just a light wiping motion on the side of each terminal will clean them. I then use 91 % alcohol to finish the cleaning. Electronic contact cleaner will also work. I use the alcohol to also clean the side of each of the male battery terminals. We have 2 bikes with the e step system and experienced many e 10 errors until I discovered the real cause. We are in Florida 200 yards from the Gulf so0 corrosion is a real issue. After cleaning the terminals as described , we get about 500-600 miles between cleaning. Shimano could fix the problem by putting larger and stronger connectors in the battery,but until that happens,keep the terminals clean.

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  • Good input - have you considered a dielectric grease on the terminals? Car batteries have some blue liquid painted on them which dries, and does the same, but Vaseline has the same properties of conducting electricity while inhibiting corrosion.
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Mar 18, 2018 at 19:38
  • Could help and certainly won't hurt.
    – user36978
    Commented Mar 18, 2018 at 20:57
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    After cleaning the contacts apply automotive "dielectric grease".
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented Dec 26, 2019 at 2:40
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I just experienced the E012 error. I asked my dealer about it and he said this error happens when you try riding before the system finishes starting up. That’s exactly what happened- I took a break and powered off the system. Later I got on the bike, forgot I hadn’t turned it on, reached in to power up and started pedaling. After proper restart it was fine.

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  • I can also confirm this seems to match the times I have had this error.
    – Qwertie
    Commented Aug 1, 2018 at 0:38
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I and others have been getting E020 followed by E010 errors. Motor shuts down. Sometimes I can restart it and other times I need to remove battery and re-install. Needless to say, I'm not impressed. Firmware update didn't fix the issue.

Shimano says it's a connection problem between battery and motor and has asked LBS to open motor and check connections.

We'll see what we find out and if they can resolve the problem. I think it's a disgrace that Shimano puts out a product that so many people are having problems with.

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  • Lbs took motor apart. No connection issues found. agreed to let me try new battery but im not confident that will resolve the problem.
    – Larry
    Commented Oct 8, 2017 at 15:21
  • did you have any more progress with this bike? You can use edit to add more-recent information which may be helpful to OP.
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Dec 26, 2019 at 23:12
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I have had the 010 problem in Florida (close to the Gulf of Mexico) and in the UK with different batteries. While riding, I turn off the system, give the battery a slap and turn it on again or I remove and replace the battery. This cures the problem for a time, but it is random. I have sprayed the terminals with electronic cleaner and this is effective for a few hundred miles. I will remember to spray at intervals when I think of it!

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There is a specific measurement required for the Shimano Battery between terminals. If this is not correct you will experience 010 issue. Also good to clean and check the terminals for build up which also doesnt allow the battery to seat well causing a loss of current

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    Welcome to the site, don’t forget to take the tour. Just to clarify, what kind of measurement do you mean, a distance, a voltage?
    – Swifty
    Commented May 31, 2019 at 18:43
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My EO10 error needed the motor changing. 565 miles it had covered and 1 year old. Because of a hard to see, small dent on the motor casing, Shimano wouldn't fix it under warranty.

Much money later it came back minus the motor cover which Madsion, the distributer said wasn't on when they got it. Luckily, I had photos of the bike as I left it in the bike shop.. I'm still waiting for the cover a month later.

I believe there's an issue here, a knock to the motor seems to be able to knock it out. On a mountain bike, that's not fit for purpose in my mind.

Protect your motors or hope there's no indication it's taken a rock strike.

I'm aware of a number of EO10 errors that have ended up with a new motor.

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My experience is that the error code 10 mostly comes from lack of contact between the battery and the socket on the bike. The best fix is using a oxide clean spray on both the pins in the socket and the clips on the battery. I find it even boosts the effect a tiny bit. I have taken a sharp pick and spread the contact pins on the battery itself so they are closer together. This has been the fix for me.

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