Willow E17 washing machine: what it means & what to check

What E17 actually means

The temperature sensor on the drying side of your washer-dryer isn't giving a sensible reading, so the machine has shut the drying function down.

E17 on a Willow washer-dryer points to the dryer NTC — the small sensor that tells the control board how hot the drying air is. If its reading goes out of range, or the board loses the signal from it altogether, drying is stopped rather than allowed to run blind, because uncontrolled heating is a fire risk. In most cases the wash side of the machine still runs normally; it's the drying part of the cycle that fails, often part way through.

What E17 looks like on a Willow washing machine

Most people find this page having searched for what the machine is doing rather than the code itself. On a Willow washing machine, E17 usually shows up as one or more of these:

Not heating the water
Washing coming out cold
Cycle takes far longer than it should
Noisy fan
Not getting cold evenly
Cuts out after a few minutes
No function at all
Dead — nothing lights up

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

The dryer temperature sensor itself has failed
A loose or corroded plug on the sensor
Damaged wiring between the sensor and the control board
A control board fault that misreads the sensor
Heavy lint or fluff build-up around the drying air path affecting readings

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 off, wait a few seconds, then switch the machine off at the wall for a minute and restart — an occasional one-off reading will clear
Run a wash-only programme with no drying to confirm whether the wash side is unaffected
Don't overload the drum when drying; a heavily packed load makes heat and airflow faults show up sooner

Common questions about Willow E17

What does E17 mean on a Willow washing machine?

The temperature sensor on the drying side of your washer-dryer isn't giving a sensible reading, so the machine has shut the drying function down. E17 on a Willow washer-dryer points to the dryer NTC — the small sensor that tells the control board how hot the drying air is. If its reading goes out of range, or the board loses the signal from it altogether, drying is stopped rather than allowed to run blind, because uncontrolled heating is a fire risk. In most cases the wash side of the machine still runs normally; it's the drying part of the cycle that fails, often part way through.

Can I fix Willow E17 myself?

There are 3 checks you can safely do yourself first.

Turn the programme knob to off, wait a few seconds, then switch the machine off at the wall for a minute and restart — an occasional one-off reading will clear.
Run a wash-only programme with no drying to confirm whether the wash side is unaffected.
Don't overload the drum when drying; a heavily packed load makes heat and airflow faults show up sooner.

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

How much does it cost to repair Willow E17?

£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 E17?

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 washing machine 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 Willow washing machine codes

All Willow fault codes and repairs →

What this looks like when it happens

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.

Willow E17 error — washing machine