The short answer
A dark machine is a supply problem: socket, plug, breaker. A lit machine that will not start is almost always the door lock, a child lock or an unconfirmed program, and all three are cleared without tools.
Which one is yours
- Completely dark, no panel lights — Supply. Start at the socket.
- Panel lit, start button does nothing — A refusal, not a power failure.
- The door will not lock — The most common single reason for a refusal.
- A lock symbol showing on the panel — Child lock active.
- It starts and stops immediately — A condition failing at once, often water related.
- Not this fault: it runs and stalls halfway — Read the cycle page instead.
Ranked for domestic machines
- Socket, plug or breaker — First on a dark machine, and it is often the socket rather than the appliance.
- Door not closed firmly enough to lock — First on a lit machine; laundry caught in the seal is the usual reason.
- Child lock engaged — Third, and it survives being switched off and on.
- Program not confirmed, or a delay start set — Fourth, and both look exactly like a refusal.
- Water taps closed — Fifth: some machines will not begin at all without a supply.
- Door lock or control failure — Last, and the point at which it becomes service work.
The order that resolves most cases
- Look at the panel and decide dark or lit — Everything else follows from this.
- Test the socket with something else if the machine is dark — It clears or names the supply in seconds.
- Open the door, clear the seal of laundry and close it firmly — The leading cause of a lit refusal.
- Check for a child lock and any delay-start setting — Both are common and free to clear.
Owner checks
- Plug a lamp into the same socket — The fastest test on the page.
Tools: lampAbout 5 min
- Reset a tripped breaker once, and check any earth-leakage device — Once only; a repeat trip is a fault.
About 10 min
- Clear laundry from the door seal and close the door firmly — A garment caught in the bellows stops the lock every time.
About 10 min
- Hold the child lock key for the period printed beside it — It survives power cycling and is often the whole answer.
About 5 min
- Open both water taps fully — Some programs will not begin without a supply present.
About 10 min
- Stop before opening the cabinet to reach the lock or control — Those are mains-connected parts in a wet machine.
Before any panel comes off
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Never force or hold the door lock closed, never run the machine with a panel removed, and do not repeatedly reset a breaker that trips whenever the machine is connected - that is an electrical fault and belongs on the electrical-safety page.
When to call
Call when the socket is proven good and the machine is still dark, or when a firmly closed door will not lock with no laundry trapped and no child lock set. Both point at parts inside the cabinet. Call sooner if the machine trips the breaker on connection or if there is any burning smell, because that is an electrical fault rather than a starting problem.
Other faults on this machine
Scope note
Generalized across Electrolux washer families rather than a single model line; where a family-specific or model-specific page exists it is the narrower answer. Not here: lock part numbers, control board identifiers, child-lock key combinations by panel generation and program confirmation sequences.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
