Dyson Vacuum Cleaner F6 Error Code Fix

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What This Error Means

F6 on a Dyson vacuum cleaner means the powered floorhead / brush bar circuit has faulted or overloaded.

The machine has detected a problem with the motorized head and shuts it down to protect the motor and electronics.

Official Fix

What Dyson expects you to do:

  • Power the machine off. Unplug it or pull the battery off if it’s cordless.
  • Remove the motorized cleaner head from the wand or hose. Don’t fight it; press the release button and slide it off.
  • Flip the head over and clear the obvious junk. Cut away hair, thread, and string from the brush bar with scissors. Don’t slice the bristles.
  • If your model lets the brush bar slide out, unlock the side cap, pull the bar out, and clean the entire length plus both ends.
  • Check the neck of the floorhead for blockages. Then check the wand and the main inlet on the vacuum. Anything tighter than a pencil opening is a clog.
  • Spin the brush bar by hand. It should turn easily and keep rolling a bit. If it’s stiff, gritty, or stops dead, the bearings are dragging and will keep tripping F6.
  • Inspect the electrical contacts where the head plugs into the wand or body. Wipe them clean and dry. Make sure the head clicks fully home when you refit it.
  • Empty the bin and clean or replace the filters if they’re caked. Choked airflow makes the head run hot and can throw F6.
  • Let the whole unit cool for at least 30 minutes so any internal thermal cut-outs can reset.
  • Reassemble, refit the head, and test on a hard floor first. If F6 still pops up, Dyson’s official answer is: replace the cleaner head assembly or book a service.

The Technician’s Trick

Here’s how a real tech narrows it down fast instead of guessing and buying random parts.

  • Isolate the head. Run the vacuum with just the wand or a non-powered tool (crevice, dusting brush). If it runs fine and no F6, the body is okay and the powered head is the problem.
  • Try another powered head. Borrow a compatible Dyson head or a cheap third-party powered head. If the spare head works and your original instantly trips F6, you’ve confirmed a bad head, not a bad main motor or main board.
  • Wiggle test the joints. With power off, flex the wand and the head connector. Look and feel for cracks, loose sockets, or exposed wires. A broken power wire inside the wand can open up when you tilt the head and trigger F6.
  • End-cap surgery. On heads with a removable end cap, pop the cap off, pull the brush bar out, and clean the hair packed into the bearing area. Add a tiny drop of light oil to the bearing, then reassemble. If the bar now spins freely and F6 disappears, you just saved the head.
  • Burnt smell = don’t waste time. If the head gives a burnt-plastic or burnt-electronic smell and F6 hits the moment you pull the trigger, that little motor or its control board is cooked. Skip the heroics and replace the head.

If the vacuum throws F6 even with no head attached, you’re into wiring or main PCB problems. That’s not a simple home fix; compare the price of a pro repair vs. a new machine before you sink money into boards and looms.

Is It Worth Fixing? (The Financial Verdict)

  • ✅ Fix: F6 only appears with the powered head attached, the vacuum is under ~6–7 years old, and a replacement head for your model runs under about $150.
  • ⚠️ Debatable: The machine is 7–10 years old, performance is already dropping, and you’d need both a new head and a new battery to make it decent again.
  • ❌ Replace: F6 shows even with no head attached, plastic parts are cracking, or the quote for head + battery + labor is over ~50% of a solid new vacuum.

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