What is actually happening
A motor that runs while the drum stands still is almost always a snapped drive belt — the belt is a thin band that wraps the whole drum, and when it goes the motor spins freely with nothing to drive. The easy confirmation is that the drum will turn far too freely by hand, with none of the usual resistance.
The Montpellier fault codes that point at this
A Montpellier tumble dryer will usually tell you what it thinks is wrong before anyone opens it up. These are the codes we hold for this make that relate to drum not turning:
- E06 — The control board has lost the signal that tells it how fast the drum motor is turning, so it shuts the cycle down.
- E09 — The machine has decided the electricity reaching it is outside the range it will work with, so it has stopped the programme rather than carry on.
- E10 — The control board is not getting a sensible reading from the water level (pressure) sensor, so it stops rather than run a cycle blind.
- E12 — The machine's main control board has lost contact with one of the other electronic boards it talks to, so it stops rather than carry on blind.
- E15 — The machine has sensed the drying air getting hotter than it should and has shut the drying part of the cycle down to protect itself.
- E16 — The machine has measured a higher temperature than it should reach during the drying part of the cycle, so it has shut the heat off and stopped.
- E32 — The dryer can't get a sensible reading from the moisture sensor inside the drum, so it can't tell when your washing is dry.
- E51 — The machine's motor control board is running the wrong software, so the electronics refuse to drive the drum and the cycle stops.
If yours is showing one of those, that is a much shorter conversation than a general fault — tell us the code when you book and the engineer can often carry the part.
The usual causes on a Montpellier tumble dryer
- A snapped or slipped drive belt
- A failed drum bearing or worn support rollers, which can seize the drum
- A failed motor or motor capacitor
- An item jammed between the drum and the casing
What you can safely check yourself
- With the dryer off, turn the drum by hand — no resistance at all points at a broken belt
- Listen: a motor humming with no drum movement is the classic sign
- Check nothing is jammed at the edge of the drum
Still drum not turning?
Most of these need an engineer once the checks above are done. £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 engineers work on Montpellier machines week in, week out, so they arrive knowing the machine rather than reading the back of it. Local engineers across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.
Call 0115 648 0929 Book online — postcode and number is all we need
Common questions
Why is my Montpellier tumble dryer drum not turning?
The dryer starts and hums, but the drum does not turn. A motor that runs while the drum stands still is almost always a snapped drive belt — the belt is a thin band that wraps the whole drum, and when it goes the motor spins freely with nothing to drive. The easy confirmation is that the drum will turn far too freely by hand, with none of the usual resistance.
Can I fix a Montpellier tumble dryer drum not turning myself?
With the dryer off, turn the drum by hand — no resistance at all points at a broken belt. Listen: a motor humming with no drum movement is the classic sign. Check nothing is jammed at the edge of the drum. Beyond those checks this one normally needs an engineer.
What Montpellier error codes mean drum not turning?
Montpellier tumble dryers report this through their own fault codes. The ones that point at drum not turning are E06, E09, E10, E12, E15, E16. If your machine is showing one of those, that narrows it down considerably — each has its own guide on this site.
How much does a Montpellier tumble dryer repair cost?
£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.
Other Montpellier tumble dryer faults
- tumble dryer not heating
- tumble dryer not drying the clothes
- tumble dryer making a noise
- tumble dryer will not start
- tumble dryer burning smell
- tumble dryer keeps stopping