Dyson has an amazing cordless vacuum cleaner called the Handheld V6. It’s a very reliable machine that will only require some regular cleaning and charging to keep it working at its peak performance. But it is getting old now.

Cleaning the motorized rotating brush head weekly is a task I don’t really look forward to doing. All the people living with me have long hair including the dog. Even though the Dyson V6 does a wonderful job, occasionally the brush head gets clogged or tangled up with long hair and then the V6 brush bar will not turn.

Let’s look into why your Dyson V6 Brush Head is not Turning or Spinning Fast.

Dyson V6 brush bar not turning symptoms

There are 4 possible symptoms that can occur when your Dyson motorized brush head gets jammed.

  • With only minimal restriction of hair, the Dyson brush head will turn slower or occasionally stop and start.
  • The motorized brush head will not turn at all with a complete blockage or jam of the rotating head.
  • The Dyson battery pack is failing and unable to provide the necessary voltage to run both the V6 vacuum cleaner as well as the motorized brush head.
  • The belt has snapped and needs replacing.

The Dyson V6 motorized brush head actually has a small electric motor that is powered by the main battery. Wires travel through the vacuum tubes to the motorized head. Any blockage or dirt on the contact pins can cause DC power to not reach the brush head.

Dyson in its wisdom has set up an overload feature in its electronics for the brush head. Without this, the motor would pull too many amps and burn out. That’s why if you have a restriction on the rotating brush head you will notice the brush momentarily trying to turn. The V6 will temporally stop and then start up again without providing power to the rotating brush head. This saves the motor and your wallet from buying another part.

Dyson v6 motorhead brush bar not rotating fix

Let’s check out some simple tests to see where your problem is.

The following procedure is for the Dyson Models: DC59 Animal, DC61, DC62, V6 Animal, 595 650 770 880 SV03 SV04 SV05 SV06 SV07 SV09, and V6 Fluffy motorized brush bar.

  • Completely separate all parts to make sure the electrical contacts are not full of fluff or dirt
  • Look down all tubes looking for restrictions
  • Clean hair and fluff from the rotating brush head spindle
  • Open the 2 locking tabs on the motorized brush head and remove the spindle. Clean any strands of hair wrapped around each end of the spindle.
  • Put it all back together and check if the motorhead is spinning
  • If it’s not spinning we now have to get out some tools and fix the main problem.

Removing the black screw spindle

This is the part that had me stumped for a while. I could see that the rotating spindle was turning free but there was still a little bit of friction. When I first started up the cordless vacuum the Dyson v6 brush bar was not turning, or the brush head would turn for only a few seconds and then stop. This is the overload kicking in.

dyson v6 roller not turning

What was needed was the removal of the black screw spindle. To do this you will need a Star Torx T8 screwdriver. All of the screws on the Dyson V6 spinning head are Torx T8.

Once you remove the T8 screw from the center of the black spindle you will have to pry it off. Now I used my fingers but be careful you will have to pull very hard. You could also use a flathead screwdriver to prise it off.

dyson v6 brush bar not turning fix
Dyson V6 motorized head jammed with hair behind the spindle.

Once it comes out you will see the build of hair and fluff behind it. Just remove it and push the fitting back on and screw it all back together. It’s very deceiving as you can’t see the hair tangle behind the black spiral coupling. But it’s there and causing drag which means your vacuum V6 machine is pulling more amps and on its way to failing.

Trust me I have done this fix a few times now and I’m sure many cordless vacuums have been thrown out because of this problem.

As you can see our Dyson V6 Motorised floor tool gets a lot of work. Attach all the parts back and you will be good to go. No more stopping and starting of the motorized brush head. If you find that your Dyson v6 brush bar is not turning again check the belt it could have snapped. Further disassembly is required.

Check out the video below for an in-depth procedure to repair your Dyson HandStick motorized brush head not turning problem.

Dyson Tangle-free brush head

If you are having constant problems with tangles with your brush head then you should check out our review of the Dyson tangle free turbine brush head. It’s the perfect accessory for your Dyson V6 as it’s small and works wonders for cars, under beds, and for pets. No more tangles.

Even though it spins the rotating action prevents tangles. There is also no electrical motor so it works by the draft of the vacuum cleaner through a turbine.

You are limited though to the size of items that it can pick up. With a triangle-sized hole of like 1cm, you won’t be sucking up any marbles. But for small crumbs, glitter, dust, and dirt the Dyson Tangle-free turbine tool is a must for every V6 owner.

Replacing the Dyson V6 Battery Pack

If you are beginning to notice that your runtime on the V6 getting lower in both the normal mode and the max boost mode, you may need to replace your V6 21.6v battery pack.

This is a very simple procedure and will only require a small Philips screwdriver. First, remove the screw holding the battery pack. This screw is on the handle near the rear.

Next, remove the screw on the base of the battery pack near the dustbin. Gently pull out the battery pack and replace it with a new V6 SV03 battery pack.

We have recently done a more detailed write-up on How to replace the Dyson V6 extended battery.

Dyson V6 battery Pack Specs

  • Model Number: SV03
  • Voltage: 21.6V
  • Watts: 46w
  • Cells: 6
  •  2100mA (Stock)
  • VTC4 Battery 6 Cell

I like to have a spare battery fully charged and on hand. When I get motivated to vacuum the whole house I like to use the lighter Dyson V6 rather than the heavy Kirby vacuum cleaner we have. I need the extra power and run time with the extra battery and to change it out is only a 10-second job.

Don’t get me wrong the Kirby vacuum does a wonderful job and is very powerful, but going upstairs is a pain. The V6 hand stick is so much better.

Over time your battery may not take a full charge and you may get the dreaded Dyson flashing red light 32 times fix. Repair it yourself with a new battery.

Conclusion

Remember to always clean your electric-powered Dyson V6 rotating head from hair tangles. Your Dyson V6 will last many years and with just a little tender loving care. It will also save your pocket dollars from having to buy a new V6 motorized slim vacuum head.

Drop us a comment if you have any tricks or tips on how to clean your brush head fast.

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31 COMMENTS

  1. Thanks to your tutorials i have finally solved the intermittent stopping of the brush head motor.
    Who would have thought of looking behind the black spindle shaft, I almost bought a new one until i came across this advice.
    Many thanks for posting.

    • I would double check the black and white wires to the motor for pinching or damage. I found mine routed incorrectly causing insulation damage to the white wire.

  2. I purchased a manufacturer refurbed V6 and the brush did not turn freely from the start. I realized there was way too much resistance when turning the brush bar but the Dyson “help” site mentions nothing about the spindle screw. Removed it as you instructed and found the equivalent of a small mouse wound up in there. VERY shoddy work by Dyson and their refurb crew! Thank you so much for the great info. Wife is happy and I have hero status for the weekend. Cheers to you!

    • This fixed mine thanks so much. However, I also have the same problem with the smaller motorised brush but this time there seems to be no way to remove the spindle (no screw head visible. Any ideas please?

  3. I had the problem with the vacuum bypassing then the brush would stop. When I remove the extension and whet short bus everything worked. After pondering I noticed there’s contact’s between the sections ( small pins ) cleaned those and all is well now. Just my two cents.

  4. You have just saved me £60 for the cost of a new brush head – Dyson said it needs replacing – but your tip to remove the spiral worked a treat!

  5. Hi got my dyson animal apart cause the spinning brush head wasnt spinning. Narrowed the problem down to no power at the pins at motor.. why would this be, and any fix available??

  6. Had completely dismantled the head in an attempt to cure the issue and had resigned myself to the fact that I needed to buy a new motor until I stumbled across your page. Just removed a load of hair from behind the spindle and it’s all working perfectly again. Thank you so much!!!

  7. You are my new favorite person, thanks a million! It was a big bunch of tightly compressed hair behind the black spindle. All working perfectly again after months :)

  8. Thank you so much for your article, after days of searching and watching endless YouTube videos, I have finally fixed my Dyson V6.
    Great job, well done.

  9. Superb, the brush not rotating, well turning for a split second and then stopping, has been bugging me for a while, it has also been resulting in the battery over heating as well. I just removed the black spindle and there was loads of hair in there, removed it and the brush now turns perfectly and no more overheating battery either! That has just saved me a fortune as the wife was looking at buying a replacement cordless!

  10. If the battery is no longer charging – or lasts only for a few minutes on the regular (not MAX) mode – you may need to replace it. I had an older model, a Dyson DC35 from around 2012, which wouldn’t run for longer than 20 seconds no matter how much charge it had received. A new battery pack fixed the issue.

  11. I have done what the video showed, no build up behind spindle, all clean, but spindle & brush still not turning, do I now need to check motor in the head?

    • Try not to screw down the black spindle too hard. That could also cause issues. Just finger tight for the Torx screw. Is it pulsing?
      You could maybe have a broken motor belt.

  12. My Dyson V6 brush does not look like tutorial one. Brush comes off a shaft that appears to be permanent. Any help would be appreciated.

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