What E03 actually means
The machine has spotted that the water heater is staying switched on when it shouldn't be, so it has stopped the wash to be safe.
The control board switches the heating element on and off during a wash. With E03 it has detected the heater receiving power when the programme hasn't asked for it — usually a fault in the switching circuit on the board or the heater's wiring. It halts the cycle because uncontrolled heating can overheat the water and damage the drum, seals and clothes. On some Montpellier models this code can also appear during an engineer's test routine if the drain pump has failed.
What usually causes it
- Faulty heater switching component on the main control board
- Wiring or connection fault at the heating element
- Failed heating element
- Water temperature sensor giving false readings
- Drain pump fault (when the code appears in service test mode)
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 socket, leave it a minute, then switch back on and try a short cold wash to see if the code returns
- Check the drain hose isn't kinked or pushed too far into the standpipe
- Clean out the pump filter at the bottom front of the machine if your model has one
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.
Other Montpellier washing machine codes
- Montpellier E01 — The machine can't confirm the door is locked, so it won't st…
- Montpellier E02 — The machine isn't getting enough water in the time it expect…
- Montpellier E04 — The machine thinks it's taking in too much water and has shu…
- Montpellier E05 — The machine can't tell how hot the water is, so it has stopp…
- Montpellier E06 — The machine has lost the signal that tells it how fast the d…
- Montpellier E07 — The washing machine's control board has lost or mismatched i…
- Montpellier E08 — The machine has detected that the electricity reaching it is…
- Montpellier E09 — The machine has detected that the mains electricity reaching…