Hotpoint F10 fault codewhat it means and how to fix it
Heating element fault — and the page to read the safety notice on if your machine was built between 2005 and 2015.
Take care
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When was your dishwasher manufactured?
The right answer depends on what you can see. Pick the one that matches.
Choose the option on the left that matches what your appliance is doing, and the answer for that case appears here.
Between 2005 and 2015
Your machine falls inside the window covered by the open Hotpoint and Indesit dishwasher safety notice. That does not mean it is affected — the notice covers specific models, not every machine from those years, and Hotpoint publish no list.
Put your model number through the Hotpoint or Indesit dishwasher model checker before using the machine again. If it comes back as affected, their instruction is to stop using it and ring 0800 151 0905 to arrange a free repair. It takes two minutes and costs nothing.
2016 or later
The safety notice does not apply to your machine. Hotpoint also state that the problem does not affect any models on sale today.
Treat this as an ordinary heating fault and get it looked at in the normal way.
I do not know
Most people do not know, and you do not need to work it out from the serial number to get an answer.
Put the model number into the checker regardless. It will tell you either way without you having to establish the year first.
What F10 means
F10 is a heating element fault, and on its own it is an ordinary failure with an ordinary consequence: the machine runs, appears to finish, and leaves you with wet, greasy dishes that have not been sanitised. Dishwashers rely on heat both to dissolve grease and to dry the load, since they dry by heating everything and letting the water evaporate off hot china rather than by blowing air. So no heat means a cycle that completes without achieving very much. The reason this page carries more than that is a live safety notice, and it needs stating carefully in both directions. Hotpoint and Indesit have an open modification programme covering dishwashers manufactured between 2005 and 2015. Their wording is that a small number of dishwashers have an electrical component that can fail, which may lead to overheating and in rare cases a potential fire hazard. The remedy is a free repair, and their instruction where a machine is affected is not to use it until the repair visit. Now the caveat that matters. Hotpoint do not say which electrical component, and we are not going to guess that it is this one. There is no published link between the notice and F10. But a reader with a heating fault on a machine from those years is going to wonder, and the answer is not to speculate — it is to spend two minutes on the model checker and find out.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Heating element failed | The literal reading of the code. Elements fail open circuit and the machine detects that the water is not warming. | Common |
| Element scaled up | In hard water, limescale coats the element and insulates it, so it cannot transfer heat into the water even though it is working. | Common |
| Wiring or connection fault at the element | A failed connection reported as an element fault. Only diagnosable with the machine open. | Occasional |
| Control board fault | The board failing to switch the element rather than the element failing. Hotpoint list a separate main board code, F13, but the two can present similarly. | Occasional |
Can you fix it yourself?
Stop — this needs an engineer
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£110–£240
Typically £110 to £220 fitted, though the repair is free if your machine turns out to be covered by the safety notice — another reason to check before booking anything.
Typical UK prices including parts and labour, updated August 2026. Your quote may differ.
What other owners found
Nobody has shared what worked for them on this code yet. If you have had it, you would be the first — and it genuinely helps the next person.
Related Hotpoint fault codes
- HEGet it checkedHeater circuit failure. The dishes come out wet and nothing has been properly sanitised, even though the cycle appeared to finish.Related: heating and drying
- E8Get it checkedThe water heating element is not working correctly, or the filter plate is clogged. Candy bundle two very different problems into one code.Related: heating and drying
- E06Get it checkedTemperature sensor faulty. Beko tie it to a specific symptom — the code plus poor washing means get it looked at.Related: heating and drying
- i60Get it checkedThe water inside is too hot, or the sensor that measures it has failed. Note that AEG’s own index describes this one differently from the article behind it.Related: heating and drying
Common questions about Hotpoint F10
Is the safety notice about the heating element?
Hotpoint do not say. Their wording is only that "an electrical component can fail", with no component named. We are not going to guess, and neither should anyone else — but if your machine is from 2005 to 2015, the model checker settles it for free and is worth doing before you use the machine again.
Why is this not on the government recall list?
Because it was never listed with the Office for Product Safety and Standards. Searching their database for dishwasher recalls from these brands returns nothing, and the only OPSS entry for Hotpoint and Indesit is a gas cooker programme. This is a manufacturer-run modification programme, so anyone checking gov.uk alone will wrongly conclude their machine is fine.
Does the notice cover Whirlpool dishwashers?
No. Whirlpool’s own safety notice page lists gas hobs and a KitchenAid kettle, with no dishwasher entry. The notice covers Hotpoint and Indesit only, which is easy to get wrong given all three brands share the same fault codes.
The cycle finishes. Are the dishes clean?
Rinsed rather than cleaned. Without heat the detergent cannot lift grease and nothing has been sanitised. Wash chopping boards, baby equipment and anything raw meat has touched by hand until it is repaired.
Could it just be limescale?
Quite possibly, particularly in a hard water area on a machine run without salt in the softener. Scale insulates the element so it cannot get heat into the water. That is a cheaper repair than a new element.
Sources and how we verified this
We establish the facts from the sources below and then write the explanation ourselves. We do not copy manufacturer wording and we do not host their manuals.
- Manufacturer support portal
Checked by Appliance technical reviewer (Qualifications to be displayed on appointment) on 5 August 2026.