Hotpoint F03 fault codewhat it means and how to fix it
The machine cannot read the water temperature, so it stops rather than guess. Washing comes out cold or the dryer side will not run.
Take care
Get a qualified appliance engineer to look at your Hotpoint F03
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 F03 means
Hotpoint give F03 as a temperature sensing fault, and the symptom they publish is that the machine is not heating on wash or dry settings. Read those two words carefully, because they are what separates this code from the other three heating codes Hotpoint publish. F03 is about sensing, not heating. The thermistor is a small resistor whose resistance changes with temperature; the board reads it to decide when to switch the element off and when the wash is up to temperature.
If that reading goes open circuit, short circuit, or simply lands outside the range the board will accept, the board has no safe way to run the element at all. It could easily boil the load. So it declines, and you get a cold wash and a code rather than a damaged machine. That is why the outcome looks identical to a dead element from the laundry basket: cold clothes either way.
The part is different and much cheaper, which is the practical reason to quote the code rather than the symptom when you book. Hotpoint themselves give no owner steps for F03 — the entire published advice is to book an engineer, which puts it in the ten codes out of fourteen where they offer nothing to try.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Thermistor failed or gone open circuit | The commonest answer. The sensor sits in a pocket on the element or in the tub wall and it either reads or it does not. | Common |
| Connector or harness at the sensor | A displaced plug reads exactly like a dead sensor to the board. Cheap to put right once the panel is off, and worth an engineer checking before the part is ordered. | Occasional |
| Board input stage failed | The sensor is intact and the board cannot read it. Established by substituting a known-good sensor, not by inspection. | Rare |
Can you fix it yourself?
Stop — this needs an engineer
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£80–£160
A thermistor is an inexpensive part and most of the bill is the visit — expect roughly £80 to £160 all in. A displaced connector found on the same visit costs the same call-out and no part.
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
- F08Get it checkedA heater fault that stops the programme part way through. Hotpoint offer nothing to try at home and send this one straight to an engineer.Related: heating and temperature
- F07Get it checkedA dual-titled fault with one very distinctive symptom: the programme stalls and the pump keeps running. Hotpoint give no owner steps.Related: heating and temperature
- F15Get it checkedA heater control fault. Hotpoint scope this one to both washing machines and washer dryers, and either half can be the one that stalls.Related: heating and temperature
- F13Get it checkedA washer dryer only code. The drying half cannot read its own temperature, so the machine washes normally and will not dry.Related: heating and temperature
- 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 F03
Can I still use the machine on a cold wash?
Hotpoint describe the machine as not heating rather than not running, so in many cases cold cycles do complete. Whether that is acceptable depends on the load. It washes, but you have lost the temperature that matters for towels, bedding and anything from a sick household, and you cannot tell from outside whether the machine is running cold deliberately or has simply stopped trying.
How do I tell F03 from F08 before the engineer arrives?
You mostly cannot, and that is the point of the code. Both produce cold washing. F03 says the machine cannot measure the temperature; F08 says the heating itself has failed. A thermistor is a modest part and an element is a bigger one, so quote the exact code when you book and the visit is far more likely to be a single trip with the right part in the van.
The code appears on a washer dryer and it is the drying that stopped.
Hotpoint word F03 as "not heating on wash or dry settings", so it covers both sides of a washer dryer. If the drying alone has failed and the washing is still coming out hot, look at F13 instead, which Hotpoint scope specifically to the dryer temperature sensing circuit on washer dryers.
Is a thermistor a reasonable repair on an older machine?
Usually yes. It is one of the cheaper parts in the machine and the labour is the bulk of the bill, so the calculation is really about whether you want an engineer visit at all rather than about the component. It is a poor reason to replace a machine that is otherwise sound.
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
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.