Those With Dyson Cordless Vacuum, Have You Had Problems With It?

[NateW]

40 days ago we bought a new Dyson V10 (cordless) vacuum and the trigger linkage has failed and it won't turn on. Up until the failure we really liked it and it did an excellent job, but are learning Dyson cordless vacuums have reliability issues and that Dyson customer service can be quite frustrating. Consumer Reports has withdrawn their recommendation for Dyson cordless vacuums due to widespread reliability problems. If you have a Dyson cordless vacuum, have you had problems with it?

This is what I experienced. Yesterday the new Dyson V-10 failed to turn on. Two days prior, the trigger that turns it on (there is no on or off switch, the trigger is always active, which is an annoyance) began having more play in it and the vacuum would turn on further towards the end of the trigger's travel. It finally got so bad the vacuum was cutting on and off as the trigger was firmly held. Now it won't come on at all.

Researching this problem I discover that the thin plastic linkage between the trigger and push-button switch that is part of the battery assembly is poorly designed and breaks or bends so it no longer presses the push button. I removed the battery assembly to get a look at the trigger linkage that was hidden by the battery and verified this is the problem with ours. The trigger assembly is part of the main body of the vacuum, so the fix is basically the price of a new vacuum if it's out of warranty, or about $400 for the V10.

Yesterday I called Dyson to make a warranty claim and hopefully get a replacement. The only option presented to resolve power issues, including not turning on, was via text messaging. I was asked a few very basic questions by an automated system and it erroneously concluded the battery pack was bad (the question that led to this conclusion was "do any lights come on when the trigger is pulled" and the only choices were yes or no). I disputed this via text, and then realized I was texting with a non-human, because the next question came just as I sent the answer to the previous one. So the automated attendant ordered me a replacement battery pack I don't need. The order confirmation email was machine generated too, and thus I could not reply to it to explain the issue.

Today I called Dyson three more times attempting to get a customer service person, which their recording noted were available to help (I avoided the texting only queue by selecting "Some other problem"). First two times Dyson's system hung up on me after about 15 minutes on hold waiting for the next available rep. The 3rd time I called a nice lady helped me. She said Dyson is well aware of the trigger linkage failures, and cancelled the order for the battery. She was going to send me a new V-10 main body, but Dyson had none in stock (probably due to the trigger linkage failure problem). So she got authorization to send me a new V-10 with all the accessories. That was not in stock either. So after another hold she received authorization to send me a new V-11 Torque Drive with all attachments after I send them the defective V-10 main body, long tube and one motorized attachment. I can keep the rest of the V-10 items, which fit the V-11. The price of the V-10 is about $400 and the V-11 is about $700. Not sure what to think because the V-11 has the same trigger linkage and very high failure rate. I'm also skeptical I'm getting a V-11. Won't believe until I see it. I was not sent a confirmation email stating this, but did get an email with shipping label to send back the V10.

 

[W2R]

I have a Dyson V-8 that I purchased three years ago.

I haven't had any problems with it at all, but it's still pretty new.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

The battery in our cordless Dyson died. The service rep said the battery is sealed in the housing, and we'd have to replace the whole central unit to the tune of $95. We threw the machine away.

 

[Dd852]

We have a D cordless that’s about four years old - no trouble at all.

 

[Bamaman]

I had a battery failure, and they sent me another. My only gripe is that the inlet gets stopped up, and the unit cuts on and off until it's cleared. I keep a plastic knife around to unstop the unit about 1x per day.

I don't know what we'd do without the Dyson--with 100% hardwood flooring, a rottweiler and 3 cats. We use our V-6 many, many times every day.

We owned two Shark rechargables and were satisfied with them other than their wearing out batteries every 6 month and no parts were available.

 

[Christine]

I have a 7 years old Dyson DC35 that occasionally don't react when pressing the trigger. But it works OK most of the time. Battery seems OK too. Not heavily used though - perhaps once a week?

 

[pj.mask]

We have one from Costco. If it breaks early, it will go back to Costco.
Since it was an expensive purchase I expect to get at least 3 years trouble free.

 

[braumeister]

We own four of them -- two full size and two hand-held. The oldest is 6 or 7 years old, newest about three years. All have been great and we love them. Best vacuums we've ever owned.

 

[donheff]

I have a Dyson Animal from several years ago which works great for shedding Golden Retriever hair. I had a lot of trouble with cleaning and the power button cycling but finally got it right. I like the machine but it's touchy.

 

[Aerides]

Wow your story makes it sound like they are a completely different company now... Mine I picked up in 2015, I think from Overstock? It was sold as a refurb, but came with a 1 year warranty. I love it, and dropped far more on their hair dryer, big fan.

I was just OOW when the vacuum brushes stopped spinning. I called CS who first suggested I needed a minor replacement part (which turned out not to be it), but when that didn't work they sent me a whole new head/brush replacement for free - even though by that point I was just over 1 year. I was impressed, and it's worked fine ever since. And I never had to text, always just got a person.

Just this past week, I've noticed the unit sometimes dies if I hold the trigger firm (like I've always done) and have to hold it about 80% depressed to work. Still, for a 5+ year old refurb I'm happy how long it's served me well. Was figuring I'll get a new one when the next Costco deal comes around but now...hmmm gonna have to do some reading.

 

[Zathras]

We have been using a Dyson cordless for a bit over four years.
The only time we had any trouble with it was when the filters needed cleaning. Once I cleaned those up, it worked perfectly.

 

[misanman]

We have a newer V7 (no problems) and an older model but I'm not sure which one as it is at our lake cottage. The older one did have a problem turning on which I attributed to the switch. Checking for YouTube solutions, I found that it was instead a loose connection with the battery. A strip of electrical tape to hold the pack firmly in place solved the problems. Our limited contact with Dyson customer service has been good. A hose ruptured on our cord model Dyson and they sent out a replacement right away.

 

[NateW]

I have a Dyson V-8 that I purchased three years ago.

I haven't had any problems with it at all, but it's still pretty new.

Best I can tell from the limited research I did it's the models after the V8 that are having problems. Perhaps added complexity?

Here is the Consumer Reports article:
https://www.consumerreports.org/sti...se-cr-recommendation-over-reliability-issues/

 

[NateW]

The battery in our cordless Dyson died. The service rep said the battery is sealed in the housing, and we'd have to replace the whole central unit to the tune of $95. We threw the machine away.

This appears to b the biggest complaint I found (battery needs replacing). What model did you have? The V10 battery is held in with 3 screws and can be changed in about 2 minutes. Dyson sells it for $125 though

 

[Aerides]

In your shoes OP, at 40 days while you're technically outside many store return policies, I'd be making a huge stink - in person if needed - for a full return and refund. Where did you buy it?

 

[Tailgate]

Have replaced battery twice...never again.

 

[NateW]

I had a battery failure, and they sent me another. My only gripe is that the inlet gets stopped up, and the unit cuts on and off until it's cleared. I keep a plastic knife around to unstop the unit about 1x per day.

I don't know what we'd do without the Dyson--with 100% hardwood flooring, a rottweiler and 3 cats. We use our V-6 many, many times every day.

We owned two Shark rechargables and were satisfied with them other than their wearing out batteries every 6 month and no parts were available.

I do have to admit that the V10 picked up a lot of dirt and worked well. We had no clogging issues. Loved the smooth floor power attachment (roller). We bought the Dyson to replace a $125 stick vacuum (Orfeld) that lasted 3.5 months and we made one warranty claim on it and it failed a second time. We figured the Dyson would work for years. Well, at least the Dyson picked up a lot more dirt. We use the vacuum about 30 minutes every day.

 

[NateW]

I have a 7 years old Dyson DC35 that occasionally don't react when pressing the trigger. But it works OK most of the time. Battery seems OK too. Not heavily used though - perhaps once a week?

Usage frequency would have a direct bearing on the overall life of the machine, except for battery life, which age comes into play partly. We used ours every day for about 30 minutes.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

This appears to b the biggest complaint I found (battery needs replacing). What model did you have? The V10 battery is held in with 3 screws and can be changed in about 2 minutes. Dyson sells it for $125 though

I can't remember. It Might have been a V7 or V8. DW is in charge of buying the vacuum cleaners. We have a Shark now. It's OK, but like the Dyson overpriced for what it is. Hoover has a similar model for $100 less.

 

[NateW]

In your shoes OP, at 40 days while you're technically outside many store return policies, I'd be making a huge stink - in person if needed - for a full return and refund. Where did you buy it?

DW bought it at QVC. I have a hunch if I do not put as much pressure on the trigger it won't fail, or fail as quickly. I have a very strong grip and paid no attention to it. Got a blister on my finger using the vacuum. The Dyson CS rep. seemed to agree that high trigger pressure leads to failures. But it's hard not to apply alot of force due to the design. The Dyson has a handle somewhat like a pistol grip and it's used to push, pull, and maneuver the machine with one hand only and evidently the plastic trigger does not have a limit stop and pressing very hard (by tightly squeezing the grip) to push or pull the machine overextends the trigger which over stresses the linkage. It's a very poor design. At least the owner's manual should state not to apply the pushing force through the trigger.

 

[NateW]

Have replaced battery twice...never again.

I read a lot of Dyson reviews after I discovered problems were common. This is the most frequent problem noted.

 

[NateW]

We own four of them -- two full size and two hand-held. The oldest is 6 or 7 years old, newest about three years. All have been great and we love them. Best vacuums we've ever owned.

The upright corded models seem to last a long time and have few issues from what I read, as did the earlier Dyson stick vacuums.

 

[NateW]

Wow your story makes it sound like they are a completely different company now... Mine I picked up in 2015, I think from Overstock? It was sold as a refurb, but came with a 1 year warranty. I love it, and dropped far more on their hair dryer, big fan.

I was just OOW when the vacuum brushes stopped spinning. I called CS who first suggested I needed a minor replacement part (which turned out not to be it), but when that didn't work they sent me a whole new head/brush replacement for free - even though by that point I was just over 1 year. I was impressed, and it's worked fine ever since. And I never had to text, always just got a person.

Just this past week, I've noticed the unit sometimes dies if I hold the trigger firm (like I've always done) and have to hold it about 80% depressed to work. Still, for a 5+ year old refurb I'm happy how long it's served me well. Was figuring I'll get a new one when the next Costco deal comes around but now...hmmm gonna have to do some reading.

From the reviews I read, several noted very poor customer service, but they were recent reviews. Something must have changed at Dyson. The recording I heard when I called Dyson notes that several customer service centers were closed due to Covid. I also have read articles noting the extreme difficulty in getting appliances and parts in general due to the pandemic and more people being at home. That may partly explain Dyson's spotty customer service and low stock issues. It does not explain their poor engineering and high failure rate of $400 -$700 machines, though.

 

[plsprius]

My second Dyson hand-held is a V7 Animal bought at Costco about 3-4 years ago. Then, a year ago the battery would not hold a charge for more than a few minutes of use, so I went to Amazon and bought a third-party replacement battery and filters for $37. That restored it to like-new function. (Watched a YouTube video to learn how to install the battery--it was easy with a screwdriver.) Use it almost everyday, and particularly like it for cleaning the car. So, it has worked out well for me.

 

[cyber888]

I just bought a brand new V7 Fluffy for $199 a week ago, it works fine. It was listed for $329 and was on sale. I found a third-party replacement battery on Amazon for $30-$32. I hope it last