Dyson Vacuum Cleaner F4 Fix (Error Code Guide)

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What This Error Means

F4 on a Dyson vacuum basically means “motor overload / motor fault detected”.

The machine sees too much load or heat on the drive circuit, so it shuts the motor down to protect itself.

On the Dyson vacs that actually show F-codes, F4 is almost always triggered by blockages, choked filters, or a dying motor.

Official Fix

What Dyson wants you to do, straight from the manual playbook:

  • Unplug the vacuum or remove the battery so it is fully powered off.
  • Check for blockages from floor head to bin: look in the brush head, wand, hose, and bin inlet. Pull out any clogs, coins, Lego, hair wads, etc.
  • Flip the floor head over and cut away hair and string wrapped around the brush bar and end caps. Make sure the brush can spin freely by hand.
  • Remove all filters (pre-motor and post-motor/HEPA). Tap off loose dust into a trash can.
  • Wash filters under cold running water only. No soap, no detergents, no hot water. Rinse until the water runs clear.
  • Squeeze out excess water gently and leave filters to dry a full 24 hours minimum. Damp filters will trip F4 again fast.
  • While filters dry, let the machine sit at room temperature 30–60 minutes so the internal thermal cutout resets.
  • Reinstall bone-dry filters, reassemble the vacuum, and test it again.
  • If F4 still shows after this, the official line is: stop using it and contact Dyson support or an authorized service center for a motor/electronics inspection.

The Technician’s Trick

What we actually do in the field to figure this out fast and cheap:

  • Bare-body test. Run the vacuum with no wand and no motorized floor head attached (just the main body or a simple non-powered tool).
    • No F4 now? Main motor and control board are probably fine. Problem is in the floor head or wand wiring.
    • Still throws F4 with everything removed? You’re looking at a cooked main motor or control board, not a blockage.
  • Wand wiggle test. On models with power to the head, run it on a hard floor and gently flex the wand where the internal cable runs.
    • If F4 pops when you bend a certain spot, that cable is fractured. Replace the wand, not the whole machine.
  • Head swap shortcut. Borrow a matching Dyson head or grab a cheap compatible aftermarket one just to test.
    • Runs fine with the other head and no F4? Your original floor head motor is done. Swap the head and you’re back in business.
  • Real cyclone clean (the bit nobody does). Filters aren’t the whole story. Packed dust in the cyclone can overheat the motor.
    • Pop off the bin and cyclone unit.
    • Hold the cyclone over a trash can and knock it firmly with your palm to shake out the fine compacted dust.
    • If you have compressed air, blow through the cyclone ports from outside in. Wear a mask; it’s messy but it drops motor load a lot.
  • Sniff test = motor verdict. Run it briefly until F4 hits, then smell the exhaust.
    • Plastic/dust smell only: usually blockages/filters/head. Keep troubleshooting.
    • Sharp burnt-electrical smell plus instant F4, even bare-body: the motor’s on its way out. Stop chasing clogs; you’re into motor-replacement territory.

Is It Worth Fixing? (The Financial Verdict)

  • ✅ Fix: F4 only shows under heavy load, vacuum is under ~6–7 years old, and clearing blockages or replacing filters/head/wand (under about $120 in parts) makes it behave.
  • ⚠️ Debatable: Machine is 7–10 years old, signs point to a failing main motor or control board, or the repair quote is around 40–60% of a solid new vacuum.
  • ❌ Replace: Strong burnt smell, instant F4 even with everything disconnected, cracked plastics, weak suction, or tired battery on a cordless, and the fix is close to new-vacuum money.

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