White Knight E06 tumble dryer: what it means & what to check

Stop using it for now. Carrying on with this fault risks further damage or a leak. Switch it off at the wall until it has been looked at.

What E06 actually means

The control board has lost the signal that tells it the drum motor is turning, so it shuts the cycle down.

E06 is logged as "Motor Failure - 1" on these White Knight washer dryers, which are built on the Vestel platform. It points at the tachometer — the small sensor that reports motor speed back to the board — reading open or short circuit, or the motor's plug being off or loose. Without a speed signal the board cannot control the drum, so it stops rather than risk driving the motor blind. It is listed as a service-level code rather than a customer one, so if you are seeing it on the display the machine has already given up on that cycle.

What E06 looks like on a White Knight tumble dryer

Most people find this page having searched for what the machine is doing rather than the code itself. On a White Knight tumble dryer, E06 usually shows up as one or more of these:

Drum not turning
Won't spin
Hums or buzzes but nothing moves
Turns one way only
No function at all
Dead — nothing lights up
Lights flashing and nothing happening
Programme won't start

Recognise any of those? That is this fault, and the rest of this page explains what causes it and what you can check yourself.

What usually causes it

Motor connector loose, corroded or knocked off its terminals
Tachometer coil on the motor gone open or short circuit
Damaged or chafed wiring between the motor and the control board
Worn motor brushes or a failing motor causing an erratic speed signal
Control board fault on the motor drive side (less common, and often wrongly blamed first)

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 power it back up and try a short programme — if the code was a one-off glitch it may clear.
Take out some of the load if the drum was packed tight, and check nothing heavy has jammed the drum from turning by hand.

Which White Knight models show E06

E06 means the same thing on all 3 of these models. If yours is not listed, the explanation above still applies — the code is set by the control board, not the model number.

WK-AT75WDW · WK-AT7WM148W · WK-ATBIWM814W

Common questions about White Knight E06

What does E06 mean on a White Knight tumble dryer?

The control board has lost the signal that tells it the drum motor is turning, so it shuts the cycle down. E06 is logged as "Motor Failure - 1" on these White Knight washer dryers, which are built on the Vestel platform. It points at the tachometer — the small sensor that reports motor speed back to the board — reading open or short circuit, or the motor's plug being off or loose. Without a speed signal the board cannot control the drum, so it stops rather than risk driving the motor blind. It is listed as a service-level code rather than a customer one, so if you are seeing it on the display the machine has already given up on that cycle.

Can I fix White Knight E06 myself?

There are 2 checks you can safely do yourself first.

Turn the machine off at the wall for a minute, then power it back up and try a short programme — if the code was a one-off glitch it may clear.
Take out some of the load if the drum was packed tight, and check nothing heavy has jammed the drum from turning by hand.

This one usually needs an engineer once you have tried them.

How much does it cost to repair White Knight E06?

£66 including VAT for an engineer to come out and diagnose it, or £84 in total including VAT if it is put right on the visit and no parts are needed. Any parts needed are quoted on site before we fit them — you decide. Every repair carries a 90-day workmanship guarantee.

Tried the checks and it's still showing E06?

This one usually needs an engineer once you have tried the checks above. Then it wants someone who can open it up.

What it costs, before you call: the price is the same whatever the fault turns out to be — £66 including VAT for an engineer to come out and diagnose it, or £84 in total including VAT if it is put right on the visit and no parts are needed. Any parts needed are quoted on site before we fit them — you decide. Every repair carries a 90-day workmanship guarantee.

Our own engineers, not a call centre. We cover Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire — most tumble dryer faults are seen same day or next day.

Call 0115 648 0929 Book online — postcode and number is all we need

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 White Knight tumble dryer codes

All White Knight fault codes and repairs →

What this looks like when it happens

tumble dryer drum not turning

Repairs we cover near you

Written by the engineers at ASAP Repairs, 0115 648 0929. We repair these machines for a living in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.

White Knight E06 error — tumble dryer