Hotpoint F01 fault codewhat it means and how to fix it
A control board fault where some or all functions stop responding. Hotpoint give a specific two-minute power cycle, and it is worth doing once properly.
Take care
What F01 means
Hotpoint describe F01 as an electronic circuit board fault, with the symptom that the machine is not operating and some or all functions are not selectable. In practice that is a machine that lights up but will not take an instruction — buttons that do nothing, a programme dial that will not select, a start button that produces no response. The useful part is that Hotpoint publish an exact reset for this one rather than sending you straight to an engineer, and the specifics matter.
They ask you to disconnect from the mains for a minimum of two minutes, reconnect, then wait thirty seconds before trying again. Worth knowing that the manufacturer is not consistent on the number. The support page row for F01 says a minimum of two minutes unplugged and then thirty seconds after reconnecting; the printed books for the NSWM 1043C, the WMAOD 844 and the Aqualtis AQ113D all say, for any code shown with the lights flashing, to switch off, unplug, wait approximately one minute and switch back on, with no thirty-second pause. Neither document acknowledges the other. Following the longer version satisfies both, which is the only reason this page uses it.
What does matter, and is the reason many people conclude the reset does not work, is that this means unplugging at the socket rather than switching off at the front panel, and that a five-second flick of the switch is not the same procedure. Give it the full time before you decide it has failed.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Transient board lock-up | A brief supply disturbance or a software hang leaving the board unresponsive. The reason a proper power cycle is worth doing before anything else. | Common |
| Control board fault | The genuine version, where the board does not recover. This is what the code names, and it is established once a correct reset has failed. | Occasional |
| Poor mains supply | An extension lead, a shared adaptor or a loose socket. Worth ruling out because it is free and because a washing machine should be on its own socket regardless. | Occasional |
What to try yourself
Unplug the machine at the socket. Not the switch on the front, not the wall switch — pull the plug, so the board is genuinely dead.
Leave it for a full two minutes by the clock. That is the figure on Hotpoint’s F01 support row; their printed manuals say approximately one minute, so two covers both. The most common reason the reset appears not to work is that people give it ten seconds.
Plug back in, then wait a further thirty seconds before touching anything. The support row specifies that pause; the manuals do not, but nothing in them is contradicted by waiting.
Select a short programme and start it. If the machine runs, the fault was transient and there is nothing more to do.
While you are behind the machine, check it is in its own wall socket rather than an extension lead or a multi-way adaptor.
Get a qualified appliance engineer to look at your Hotpoint F01
We do not pass enquiries to a repair firm, so there is no form here. When you book a qualified appliance engineer, tell them the make, the model and the exact code or message on the display, and ask whether they carry parts for this make — that is what turns one visit into a repair rather than a quote.
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£0–£280
Time on site
10 minutes
Free if the reset clears it, which is a genuine possibility on this code. A replacement control board is typically £180 to £280 fitted, at which point the age of the machine matters.
Typical UK prices including parts and labour, updated September 2026. Your quote may differ.
Own this appliance and had this code? . Nothing is published until a person has read it.
Related Hotpoint fault codes
- Flashing lightsUsually simple to fixNo display, just lights? Hotpoint decode them by which are lit, not how many times they flash — and every "count the flashes" table online is wrong.Related: electronics and power
- F18Get it checkedAn internal data error, and one of only four Hotpoint codes with a published owner remedy. Do the power cycle properly, once, before booking anything.Related: electronics and power
- F12Get it checkedAn electronic control fault where the machine will not turn on at all. Different from the codes where it powers up and then refuses instructions.Related: electronics and power
- F09Get it checkedA software fault, usually showing as several lights flashing at once and no way to select a programme. Hotpoint send this one to an engineer and publish nothing else about it.Related: electronics and power
- F05Get it checkedThe machine cannot pump out, so the door stays locked with water inside. Hotpoint treat it as an owner job, and two of their own documents agree on the causes.Related: same brand
- F06Get it checkedA door lock fault — and the one code on this machine with an open safety recall behind it. If yours was built between October 2014 and February 2018, check the recall before anything else.Related: same brand
Own a Hotpoint washing machine? Save it and its codes come first next time.
Related guides
Common questions about Hotpoint F01
How many times should I try the reset?
Twice at most, done properly. A correct two-minute power cycle either clears it or does not; doing a bad one six times proves nothing. If two proper attempts fail, the board fault is real.
Is a control board worth replacing?
This is where the arithmetic gets uncomfortable. A board is one of the most expensive parts in the machine, and on anything past about seven years old the quote often approaches the price of a new machine with a fresh warranty. Get the figure before agreeing to the work.
F18 sounds like the same thing. What is the difference?
Hotpoint give the identical reset advice for both. F18 is an internal data error rather than a board fault, so the code differs, but from where you are standing the first thing to try is the same.
Technical review
Not reviewed by an engineer
No engineer has read this page. Severity follows what the manufacturer publishes, and we would rather tell you that than let a byline imply a sign-off.
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
- Manufacturer technical and service documentation
This page has not been reviewed by an engineer, and we would rather tell you that than imply otherwise. The severity rating follows what the manufacturer publishes: where they say isolate the appliance and call someone, so do we.