The short answer
Most Criterion washer noise is a loose object, a load or an installation rather than a failing component, and the stage of the cycle tells you which. On this class the usual cause is a machine out of level, walking under spin, with an unbalanced load thumping through the spin next to rule out.
What you actually observe
- The machine has crept away from the wall over a few months — Walking is levelling until proven otherwise.
- A rumble or roar that rises with the drum speed — Anything that tracks speed is rotating, which narrows it sharply.
- NEAR MISS: the noise comes with water on the floor — A leak changes the order of work and the leak page covers it.
The causes, most likely first on this brand
- A machine out of level, walking under spin — A washer that is not sitting on all four feet lifts and drops on every spin, and the bang it makes travels through the floor into the rest of the house. Ranked first on a Criterion unit: these contract-built machines ship with simple screw feet and no lock-nuts worth the name, so they drift out of level within months.
- An unbalanced load thumping through the spin — A single heavy item, or a duvet that has gathered on one side, puts the drum out of balance and the machine bangs its way through every attempt to spin. Ranked second here: a light cabinet amplifies whatever imbalance the load has.
- Coins, buttons or underwire loose in the drum or the pump — Ranked third here: the basket on this design lets small items through readily.
- The drain pump grinding on debris — Ranked fourth here: last, and it is identified in one cycle by noticing that the sound only happens at drain time.
Check in this order, and why this order
- Push each top corner in turn with the machine empty and see which way it rocks — A machine that rocks under a hand will rock far harder under a spin.
- Open the machine and look at how the load is sitting — One heavy item on its own is the classic version of this.
- Turn the empty drum slowly by hand and listen for something sliding or rattling — An object moving with the drum rather than with the cycle is what you are listening for.
What an owner can safely check
- Level the machine on its feet and lock the lock-nuts, then check it again loaded — A spirit level front to back and side to side is the whole job.
Tools: spirit level, spannerAbout 25 min
- Redistribute the load by hand and add one or two smaller items to balance it — Wash a single heavy item with a couple of towels rather than on its own.
About 10 min
- STOP HERE if the next step needs a meter on live terminals or a panel off — That is where an owner check ends and a service call begins.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the machine or switch off its breaker before reaching into a drum, a pump housing or behind a panel: the drum and the impeller can both turn under power. Never defeat a lid or door interlock to watch the drum spin. A washer is heavy and awkward, so get help to move it rather than walking it on a corner.
When to call a technician
Call once the load, the level and the drum are all clean and the noise is a rumble that rises with the spin speed, because a bearing or a suspension rod means the machine largely dismantled. Call sooner if the drum has visible play or the machine moves violently enough to pull at its hoses. Bear in mind when you decide that this is a retailer house brand built by a contract manufacturer, so parts come through the retailer rather than from a brand service network.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page covers the Criterion washer as a class, not one family or model line. Bearing types, suspension hardware and drive arrangements all change from build to build and are deliberately not here. Where a family or model page exists for your machine, it is the more specific answer and the one to read first.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
