In one paragraph
Nine times out of ten this is the machine refusing to begin rather than failing to begin: the lock has not reported closed, the programme was not committed, or the supply the machine is plugged into is not live. Each of those is checkable before any panel comes off. On a Aviva washer the order below is what makes this page worth reading — the causes are ranked for this kind of machine, not listed alphabetically.
What owners actually report
- The panel lights up but nothing happens when you press start — Power has arrived and the control is awake, which moves the whole diagnosis to the lock and the start interlock rather than to the supply.
- The door or lid will not lock, or it clicks repeatedly and gives up — The lock is trying and not confirming. The machine will not fill until it does, and it will wait silently rather than complain.
- The display is completely dark and no button responds — That points at the supply, the plug or the inlet side of the board, not at the cycle logic.
- It starts, hesitates and shuts down again within the first minute — That is a start-then-abort, which is a different fault class: the machine got as far as trying and something failed its self-check.
- NEAR MISS — it starts, fills and then sits with water in the drum — That is a cycle-progression or drain fault, not a no-start. The page for that symptom is the one you want.
The ranking that matters
- Door or lid lock not confirming — Ranked first because it is the single most common no-start across every washer platform and because the machine gives no useful feedback when it happens — it simply waits. The lock is a wearing electromechanical part and it fails gradually, so an owner usually reports the machine as slow to start for weeks before it stops entirely.
- The cycle was never committed — Second, and it is not a fault at all. Delay-start left armed, a child lock engaged, a programme selected but not confirmed with the start button held long enough — each of these presents exactly as a machine that ignores you. It ranks this high because it costs nothing to rule out.
- No power at the outlet, or a tripped breaker the owner has not seen — Third rather than first: a dark panel makes it obvious, but a washer on a shared circuit with a dry-goods appliance can lose its supply without anything else in the room going out.
- Control board or membrane switch failure — Last, deliberately. It is the diagnosis people reach for first and it is the least likely of the four — and it is the only one where a wrong guess costs a part rather than an afternoon.
The diagnostic order
- Confirm the machine has power before anything else — A lit panel settles it in a second and redirects the entire diagnosis. A dark one sends you to the outlet and the breaker instead of into the cabinet.
- Watch and listen to the lock as you close the door — One solid clunk means it engaged. A rapid series of clicks, or silence, means it did not, and that is the answer — no further checking needed.
- Cancel everything and run the shortest cycle with an empty drum — This clears a stale delay-start or a half-entered programme, and it separates a machine that will not start from a machine that will not start THIS cycle.
What you can do yourself
- Reseat the plug and check the breaker — Pull the plug, look at it for scorching, push it back firmly and check the breaker is not sitting midway. Takes under ten minutes and rules out the whole supply class.
About 10 min
- Clear the control and cancel any delay or lock — Hold the cancel button, let the display clear, then look for a child-lock or key symbol and clear it per the panel legend. Most delay-start no-starts die here.
About 5 min
- Close the door deliberately and listen for the lock — Push the door until it seats rather than swinging it. On a top loader, press the lid down over the strike. Listen for the single engage click.
About 5 min
- Inspect the strike and the lock face for damage — Look for a bent strike, a cracked lock face or debris in the catch. Anything visibly broken there is the answer, and it is a replaceable part.
Tools: flashlightAbout 10 min
- STOP if the next step is a meter on the lock terminals — Continuity testing at the lock is where owner work ends. That is a service call, and the technician will have the wiring diagram for your family.
Safety first
Safety
Water and mains voltage share a small cabinet in this machine, so the breaker goes off before a panel comes off and stays off while your hands are inside. Shut the supply tap as well before undoing any hose. Leave the door interlock alone — it is what stops the drum turning or the heater firing with the door open.
When to call a technician
Call once the supply is confirmed live, the control has been cleared and the lock still will not confirm — at that point the fault is inside the lock circuit or the board, and both need a meter and a wiring diagram to separate. Call sooner if the plug or the outlet is discoloured or warm, because that is a supply problem that will outlive this appliance if it is left alone.
Nearby pages
Generalized information
A note on scope. This page generalizes across Aviva washer families rather than naming one, so nothing on it depends on a model number and nothing on it should be read as a service-manual figure. The family- and model-specific pages beneath this one carry that level of detail; they are linked here, and if one of them names your unit it is the more specific — and more useful — answer.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
