What can I do if my washing machine isn't agitating?

When your washing machine fills with water but fails to agitate your clothes, you can perform several practical troubleshooting steps before calling a repair technician. First, unplug the machine for safety and check the laundry load; overloading the drum or jamming large items can sometimes stall the mechanical drive. Second, open the lid or front access panel to inspect the drive belt (on belt-driven models) to see if it has snapped, slipped off the pulleys, or worn down completely. Third, test the lid switch or door latch assembly to ensure it clicks securely and signals the electronic control board that the door is closed, as a broken switch cuts power to the motor. Fourth, check if the central agitator itself spins freely in both directions, which indicates stripped internal drive dogs. Finally, perform a hard reset by unplugging the unit for five minutes to clear temporary control board glitches.

When your washing machine fills with water successfully but refuses to move or agitate your clothes, you can perform several troubleshooting steps. First, unplug the machine for 5 minutes to perform a hard control board reset. Second, inspect the lower cabinet drive belt to ensure it is intact and not slipping off the pulleys. Third, remove the top agitator cap to check if the plastic spline coupling or internal cam dogs are stripped. Replacing worn plastic components will restore proper agitation immediately.