Hotpoint F18 fault codewhat it means and how to fix it
An internal data error, and one of only four Hotpoint codes with a published owner remedy. Do the power cycle properly, once, before booking anything.
Take care
Did the code appear after a power cut or a tripped breaker?
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.
Yes, something happened to the power
This is the classic cause of an internal data error and the published reset exists for exactly this case.
Do the full two-minute power cycle once, properly timed, before you consider anything else.
No, it appeared on its own
Still worth the reset, but a data error with no supply event behind it is more likely to come back.
Reset once, then keep a note of dates. A repeating F18 is a different conversation from a one-off.
It has done this several times already
A code that keeps returning after a correct reset points at the board rather than at bad luck.
Book it, and tell them how many times and over what period. That is the useful part of the report.
What F18 means
Hotpoint give F18 as an internal data error, with the symptom that some or all of the display or functions do not work. It belongs in the same family as F01, F09 and F12 — the machine is confused rather than broken — and like F01 it is one of only four codes in the whole fourteen where Hotpoint publish something for the owner to do instead of a phone number. Their remedy is a specific power cycle: disconnect from the mains for a minimum of two minutes, reconnect, wait thirty seconds, then try again.
Two details make the difference between that working and appearing not to. It means unplugging at the socket, not switching off at the front panel, because the board is only properly de-energised when the plug is out. And it means the full duration rather than a quick flick, which is the commonest reason people report the reset as useless.
The duration is published inconsistently: the support row for F18 says a minimum of two minutes and then thirty seconds after reconnecting, while the printed books for the NSWM 1043C, WMAOD 844 and Aqualtis AQ113D say approximately one minute for any code shown with the lights flashing, with no thirty-second pause. Following the longer version satisfies both documents, which is the only reason this page uses it. Worth noting one small inconsistency in Hotpoint’s own publishing: their code list scopes F18 to washing machines and their flashing-lights tool words the same fault as applying to washer dryers. The code is the same either way.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Corrupted stored data on the board | What the title describes. Hotpoint publish a reset for this code and not for most others, which is the reason to do it properly before assuming a part has failed. | Common |
| Supply disturbance or brownout | A brief dip while the board was writing. Suspect it if the code appeared after a power cut or after something else in the house tripped. | Common |
| Board memory failing for good | Where the reset clears the code and it returns repeatedly, the storage itself is going and no number of power cycles will fix it. | Occasional |
What to try yourself
Pull the plug out of the socket. Not the switch on the front of the machine and not the isolating switch above the worktop if you can avoid it — the plug, so you can see it is out.
Leave it out for a full two minutes by the clock. Hotpoint publish a minimum of two minutes on the F18 support row and approximately one minute in the NSWM 1043C, WMAOD 844 and Aqualtis manuals, so two covers both. This is the step people shorten and then conclude the reset does not work.
Plug it back in and then wait another thirty seconds before touching anything. The support row specifies that pause separately from the two minutes; the manuals do not mention it, and waiting contradicts neither.
Select a short programme and start it. You are looking for the machine taking the instruction and beginning to fill, not just for the code disappearing from the display.
If it clears, write down the date. One occurrence after a power cut is unremarkable. The same code three times in a month is a board on its way out and worth reporting as a pattern rather than as an incident.
If the code survives a properly timed power cycle, stop repeating it and book. Hotpoint publish exactly one remedy for F18 and there is no second one to try.
Get a qualified appliance engineer to look at your Hotpoint F18
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–£300
Time on site
15 minutes
Nothing if the published reset clears it. Where the board memory has genuinely failed you are into a control board, which is £160 to £300 fitted.
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
- F01Get it checkedA 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.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 F18
How long exactly should the machine be unplugged?
Hotpoint’s support row for F18 says a minimum of two minutes and then a further thirty seconds after reconnecting. Their printed manuals — the NSWM 1043C reference guide, the WMAOD 844 book and the Aqualtis AQ113D book — say approximately one minute for the same switch-off on any code shown by flashing lights, and mention no second wait. The manufacturer contradicts itself and neither document acknowledges the other; two minutes plus thirty seconds satisfies both, which is why this page uses it.
The reset worked but the code came back. What now?
Then you have learned something useful rather than wasted your time. A one-off after a power event is normal; a code that returns after a correctly performed reset means the board is not holding its data reliably. Book it and lead with the fact that the reset works temporarily, because that is the detail that points at the memory rather than at a cycle fault.
Is the two-minute reset worth trying on other codes?
It will not hurt, but Hotpoint publish it for F01 and F18 only and there is a reason for that. Those two are data and board states that a full de-energisation can genuinely clear. A blocked pump or a failed element does not care how long the machine has been unplugged.
Why does the code apply to washer dryers on one Hotpoint page and washing machines on another?
Because Hotpoint wrote the two pages separately and did not reconcile them. Their code list says some or all display or functions do not work on washing machines; the answer in their flashing-lights tool says washer dryers. It is a wording inconsistency in their publishing rather than two different faults, and the remedy they give is identical.
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.