Dryer
Stops Mid-Cycle
The dryer starts normally, then shuts off partway through, sometimes restarting after it cools.
Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm
- 5 checks before you book
- 5 questions that narrow it
- 5 causes, cheapest first
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What it
usually means.
A dryer that stops on its own partway through is usually protecting itself from heat. The motor has a thermal overload that trips when it runs too hot, and the heater has a high-limit thermostat that opens when the exhaust gets too warm. Both reset when things cool down, which is why the dryer often runs again twenty minutes later. A restricted vent causes the heat in most cases; a door switch that loses contact, a failing motor or a control that reads a sensor wrongly accounts for most of the rest.
The 5 causes, cheapest first
Answer these first
Does it stop at about the same point each time, or at random?
Does it restart if you wait a while, or only after you open and close the door?
Is the cabinet hot when it stops?
Does the display show a code or a light when it stops?
Does it stop only on heavy loads like towels and bedding?
Check these
before you book.
Dryer stops mid-cycle: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything.
Clean the lint screen and check the outside airflow; a hot cabinet when it stops points at the vent.
Note whether it restarts after cooling, after the door is reopened, or not at all.
Wipe the moisture sensor bars and try a timed cycle to see if it runs to the end.
Also worth checking
- Write down any code or light that appears when it stops.
- Dry one smaller load to see whether size changes when it stops.
How soon does it need a visit?
Not urgent on its own, but a dryer that shuts off hot is warning you about heat. Unplug it until the vent has been checked if the cabinet is hot to the touch when it stops.
The causes,
cheapest first.
5 things dryer stops mid-cycle turns out to be, from moisture sensor ending the cycle early to control or thermistor error.
The cost guide-
01 no repair
Moisture sensor ending the cycle early
Coated sensor bars can read a load as dry and end an automatic cycle long before it should. Cleaning them with rubbing alcohol is the fix.
-
02 low
Restricted vent causing heat
Heat builds in the cabinet and trips the high-limit thermostat or the motor overload. It is the most common reason and the most important one to fix.
-
03 low
Door switch losing contact
A worn switch or a door that springs slightly open under vibration makes the control think the door has opened.
-
04 moderate
Motor overheating
A motor with worn bearings or lint packed around it trips its own overload after a while and resets once it cools.
-
05 moderate
Control or thermistor error
On electronic dryers, a thermistor reading out of range can make the control stop the cycle and show a code.
-
What it costs
Every repair on the site's cost scale, side by side
Open the cost guide
What else
it could be.
Most often confused with dryer overheating, then dryer vent clogged.
All problemsCodes that come with it
Also related
The makes
it happens on.
14 makes on this site; dryer stops mid-cycle can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page.
All 14 brandsDryer Stops Mid-Cycle,
where we come out.
9 metros, each with its own page.
All service areasTampa BayFL · 31 areas
Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas
New York MetroNY · 75 areas
HoustonTX · 36 areas
ChicagoIL · 50 areas
Los AngelesCA · 95 areas
San DiegoCA · 31 areas
Questions about
dryer stops mid-cycle.
Why does it run again after I wait?
Can a full lint screen alone cause this?
Is stopping early on sensor dry the same problem?
It stops and the display shows a code. What should I do?
Back to your everyday
Still seeing dryer stops mid-cycle?
Book with what you checked above — 5 answers save the technician the first part of the visit.