What E16 actually means
The machine has decided the water inside is getting hotter than it should be, so it has stopped the wash rather than carry on heating.
On these Willow machines E16 is logged as a high temperature error. The control board watches the water temperature during the heating part of the cycle, and if the reading climbs past what the selected programme allows — or climbs when no heating was asked for — it halts and shows the fault. Typically the wash stops part-way through with the drum full of hot water, and it may refuse to restart until it has cooled.
What usually causes it
- A faulty temperature sensor giving a false high reading
- The heater staying powered when it should have switched off, usually a control board fault
- Water fed to the machine from a hot supply rather than cold
- Wiring or connector trouble at the sensor or heater
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 programme knob to the off position, leave it for a few seconds, then select a cool wash and see whether the fault returns — this resets the machine.
- Turn it off at the wall for a minute in case the board has latched the fault.
- If the machine has been plumbed in recently, check the fill hose is on the cold tap and not the hot one.
- Let the machine stand and cool before retrying if the water inside is hot.
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 Willow washing machine codes
- Willow E01 — The machine can't confirm the door is locked, so it won't st…
- Willow E02 — The machine isn't getting enough water in, so it has stopped…
- Willow E03 — The machine can't get the water out of the drum, so it has s…
- Willow E04 — The machine thinks it has taken in more water than it should…
- Willow E05 — The machine can't get a sensible reading from the temperatur…
- Willow E06 — The machine has lost the signal that tells it how fast the d…
- Willow E07 — The washing machine's control board has lost or mismatched i…
- Willow E08 — The control board can't drive the drum motor properly, so th…