Washing Machine Not Spinning
or Stopping Before It Finishes?

"It stops with five minutes left and the clothes are still dripping." "It keeps rinsing and never spins." These are some of the washing machine complaints we hear most at Tanradio.

Very often nothing is broken. Before a fast spin, a washing machine checks that the water has drained and the load is balanced. If either fails, it slows the spin, skips it or stops. Work through the checks below, in order. None of them involve opening a panel.

If it does spin but bangs or shakes, read our sister guide: washing machine noisy or shaking when spinning.

Safe Checks You Can Do Yourself, In Order

1. Spread the load, or take some out

The most common cause. When wet clothes bunch on one side, the machine spins slower, or not at all, to protect itself — Samsung's Malaysia support page says the same. A rolled-up bedsheet or a single bath mat is enough.

Pause the cycle, wait for the door to unlock and spread the items around the drum. If you had to push clothes down to fit more in, take some out. Washing one heavy item? Add a couple of towels.

2. Check the drain hose

A machine that cannot drain will not spin. Follow the hose from the back to the drain and look for a kink, or a section crushed against the wall.

In many Malaysian wet kitchens the hose runs into a floor drain. The end should not be pushed deep inside or sit under water, and the floor drain itself must not be blocked — pour in a little water and see if it goes down. If the hose goes up into a wall pipe, keep it within the height your user manual allows.

3. Clean the drain filter

Most front loaders have a small cover at the bottom front with a drain filter behind it; many top loaders do not. Coins, hair clips and lint collect there until the machine cannot drain.

Your user manual shows how for your model. In general: unplug the machine, and after a hot wash let the water cool. Lay a towel and a shallow tray down — more water comes out than you expect. Unscrew the filter slowly, clear the debris and screw it back in firmly so it does not leak. No such cover? Skip this step; do not take panels off to find one.

4. Close the lid or door properly

A washing machine only spins with the lid or door fully closed. Check that no sock or towel edge is caught in the door seal or under the lid, close it firmly and restart.

5. Check the programme and spin setting

Delicate and wool programmes spin slowly on purpose, so clothes come out wetter. An earlier wash may also have set the spin to the lowest speed or no spin. Check the spin option before you start.

6. Use less detergent

Too much detergent makes suds that can stop the machine draining and spinning. Measure the dose, and use detergent made for your type of machine — front-load or top-load.

7. Restart with a spin-only programme

Switch off at the wall, wait about a minute, switch back on and run a spin-only or rinse-and-spin programme. If it spins now, one of the checks above was the cause.

Signs It Needs a Technician

If it still will not spin after the checks, the cause is probably a part inside. Call for help if you notice any of these:

• The motor hums but the drum does not turn, or the drum does not move at all in wash or spin.
• Water stays in the drum even with a clear hose and a clean filter — often the drain pump.
• The door will not lock, or will not unlock, or the lock light keeps flashing.
• The same error keeps coming back on the display after the checks and a restart.
• A burning smell, smoke, a leak, or the breaker trips.

Switch off at the wall and unplug the machine. Motors, drain pumps, door locks and control boards need a trained technician, and opening the machine yourself can make it worse.

When It Is a Warranty Case

If you bought the machine from Tanradio — at one of our showrooms or on Shopee or TikTok Shop — and it still will not spin after the checks, use our online warranty claim form. Have these ready:

• Your order number or receipt
• The model and serial number, from the sticker on the back or side of the machine
• The full address and postcode where the machine is
• What happens: where it stops, whether water is left in the drum, and which checks you have done

A photo of any error on the display, or a short video of where it stops, helps a lot. You get a tracking number to follow the repair. Some brands handle warranty repairs through their own service centres; when that applies, we pass your details on and keep following up.

Frequently Asked Questions