Hotpoint microwave fault codes

Hotpoint UK’s microwave troubleshooting page holds two articles and neither is about a microwave. Their manuals, on the other hand, publish a fault code. These pages use the manuals, and say where the group’s own documents fill the gaps.

Where the code shows on a Hotpoint

Hotpoint microwaves report faults as the letter F followed by a number or a longer code such as F3E3, and which of those you see depends on the model rather than the fault. Their combination microwave-ovens — the models with a food probe and a full text display — carry a two-row fault table in the manual: one row for F3E3, which is the probe, and one generic row covering any other F code, which Hotpoint call a software fault and route to their service centre. Their plain built-in and freestanding microwaves carry no code content at all, so a code on one of those has nothing behind it in the documentation. Indesit models in the same family carry the generic row and not F3E3. Nothing on Hotpoint UK’s website adds to this: their integrated microwave troubleshooting page contains two advice articles, both about ovens, and tells you to call them for anything else. Where a Hotpoint code needs a meaning, the group’s Whirlpool documentation is the place it exists, because the F#E# codes are shared across the group.

How to reset a Hotpoint

Hotpoint publish a factory reset for their combination microwave-ovens and it is worth understanding before using it, because it is not a power cycle. Their instruction against the generic F row is to contact service and state the number after the F, and then to press the settings control, tap Info and select Factory Reset — and they warn in the same breath that all saved settings will be deleted. That means clock, language, any stored preferences and, on connected models, the network pairing. Try the ordinary power interruption first: switch the appliance off at its isolating switch or the breaker for a minute, then restore it, since a built-in usually has no reachable plug. That clears a transient without losing anything. Keep the factory reset for a code that survives a power cycle, and expect to set the appliance up again afterwards. Neither procedure involves removing a panel, and on a microwave none should — the high-voltage capacitor holds its charge after the power is off.

Most common Hotpoint faults

The Hotpoint codes people look up most.

Every Hotpoint fault code

3 published codes. Filtering happens in the page — every one is in the HTML.

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Showing 3 of 3 codes

Every published Hotpoint fault code with its meaning and severity
Code	What it means	Severity
F	The letter F and a number, with no explanation attached. Hotpoint call it a software fault and ask you to read the number out to them.	Get it checked
F3E3	The food probe is not connected properly, or not making contact. The one fault code Hotpoint publish for a microwave in their own documentation.	Usually simple to fix
Fan running when off	Not a fault. Hotpoint publish this as normal: the cooling fan can run for up to thirty minutes after the appliance is switched off.	Usually simple to fix

Hotpoint models

Codes can differ between generations. Check yours.

Guides that help with Hotpoint faults

Looking for Hotpoint’s own support? www.hotpoint.co.uk. We are not affiliated with Hotpoint.