The short answer
On a Midea washer, a roar that grows with the spin most often comes down to a failed outer tub bearing. Midea washers build many of the machines sold under other names, and the pump filter and boot seal cover most of what goes wrong. The first check below is still an owner check, and the list stops where a meter on live terminals begins.
What you observe
- A loud roar or rumble that rises with spin speed — The classic tub bearing signature, and it gets worse quickly.
- Banging and knocking during spin only — Balance or suspension rather than a bearing.
- A rattle or clink at low speed — Something loose, often in the pump or the drum.
- NEAR MISS — a hum with no drum movement at all — That is a stalled motor and a different page.
Causes, most likely first on a Midea washer
- Failed outer tub bearing — Ranked first here: a failed bearing roars under spin and the noise rises with speed.
- Worn suspension rods or shock absorbers — Ranked second: tired damping lets the drum swing until it strikes the cabinet.
- Machine not level or feet not locked — Last on this list: a machine resting on three feet drums every vibration into the floor.
Check in this order, and why
- Note whether the noise tracks spin speed exactly — A bearing rises and falls with the drum. First: likeliest cause, least effort.
- Push the empty drum down and see whether it bounces back or oscillates — A drum that keeps moving has lost its damping. Second: it separates the next two causes.
- Push each top corner and see whether the cabinet rocks — Any rock at all is enough. Third: only once the checks above are clean.
What an owner can safely check
- Listen through a spin and note whether the noise follows the speed — This distinguishes a bearing from an imbalance.
Tools: noneAbout 15 min
- Push down firmly on the empty drum and release it — It should settle at once rather than continue to bob.
Tools: noneAbout 10 min
- Level the machine on the diagonal and lock the feet down — Check all four corners, not just front to back.
Tools: spirit level, spannerAbout 25 min
- Check the transit bolts were removed if the machine is new — Transit bolts left in produce a violent noise from day one.
Tools: spannerAbout 15 min
- STOP HERE if the next step needs a meter on live terminals — That is where an owner check ends and a service call begins.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off.
When to call a technician
Call once the load, the levelling and the pump filter are all cleared and the noise is unchanged, because bearing and suspension work is not an owner job. Call immediately if the machine walks across the floor, bangs hard enough to strike the cabinet, or the noise is a grinding under spin — a failed bearing that keeps running destroys the outer drum with it.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page covers Midea washers as a class, not one family or model line. It reasons from how Midea builds this appliance — enough to rank the causes, not enough for wiring colours, torque figures or part numbers, which differ by family. Where a model-specific page exists it is linked here and is the better answer; this class page has no such child yet, so nothing is withheld by omission.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
