What E60-21 actually means
The machine has told the motor to turn the drum, the drum hasn't moved, so it has stopped to protect itself.
E60-21 (the older code was E43) is a locked rotor fault. The control board sends power to the motor but sees no rotation, or rotation that's badly restricted, so it shuts the cycle down rather than keep pushing current into a stalled motor. In practice you'll notice the drum sitting still, often at the start of a wash or as it tries to build up to a spin.
What usually causes it
- Drum physically jammed by a tightly packed or bunched-up load
- Something small apped stuck between the inner drum and the outer tub \u2014 a coin, wire or underwire
- Worn drum bearings making the drum stiff and rough to turn
- Failed motor or motor carbon brushes
- Fault on the control and power module driving the motor
What you can safely check yourself
Work through these in order. Anything beyond this — panels off, testing parts, anything to do with the wiring — is an engineer's job, and not one to attempt with the machine plugged in.
- Turn the machine off at the wall for a minute, then back on and try a short cycle
- If the door will open and the drum is safe to reach, remove the laundry and try turning the drum by hand \u2014 it should spin freely and quietly
- Redistribute a heavy or twisted load rather than cramming it back in
- Wash a smaller load to see whether the drum will turn at all
When to call someone
This one usually needs an engineer once you have tried the checks above. We cover Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire, and it's £66 including VAT for an engineer to come out and diagnose it — £84 in total if it's repaired on the visit with no parts needed. Any parts needed are quoted on site before we fit them — you decide. Every repair carries a 90-day workmanship guarantee.
Outside our area? The explanation above still stands — take it to a local engineer and tell them the code. Knowing it saves them time and you money.
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