Brush bar or brushroll not spinning
Dyson says a jammed brush bar is common in homes with pets or long hair, and most jams clear by pulling the debris off or taking the bar out.
Dyson stick vacuums
Safety: Take the vacuum off the charger and detach the head before touching the brush bar.
- Pull wrapped hair and string off the bar. Cut along the bar with scissors if needed, cutting the hair, not the bristles.
- If it won't turn freely by hand, remove the brush bar with a coin: the padlock fastener on Direct Drive heads, a quarter turn on Torque Drive and High Torque, the end cap on Motorbar heads, and a 180-degree end cap lock on Fluffy heads.
- Clear the housing and the bearings at each end, then check the head's neck for a blockage.
- Refit and test. If a clean, free-turning bar still won't spin, contact Dyson; the head's motor and contacts aren't owner repairs.
Head-by-head steps and part numbers: Dyson floor heads.
Shark Navigator uprights
The brushroll only runs on switch position II, with the handle reclined. If the brushroll light is red, turn off and unplug, take the pod off the nozzle and clear the blockage. Flashing red means it also overheated: wait at least 60 minutes. Shark's guide says to cut wrapped hair away in place rather than remove the brushroll.
Shark Stratos and Vertex
The brushrolls only engage when the handheld is tilted back (and on the Stratos, with the swivel unlocked). If they still won't turn, clear the blockage. If the nozzle headlights are off too, the head isn't connecting: refit the handheld, wand and nozzle firmly.
Roomba Error 2
Error 2 means the rubber brushes can't spin. Open the cleaning head door with the green tab, lift the brushes out and pull hair off the square and hex pegs and from under the gray bearings.