Shuts off in upright position and spitting dirt back out

Hi there, it's Jack at Dyson.

The issue you've described with your DC17 sounds very unusual - it's possible that the main suction motor may have overheated and shut itself off for protection. However, the brush bar should never rotate when the vacuum is standing upright.

I would encourage you to contact us directly so we can take you through some quick troubleshooting checks to help diagnose the issue. We can also recommend the best course of action to resolve the fault. You can reach us by calling 1-866-693-9766 (US), or 1-877-397-6622 (CA).

To clarify, do you mean the suction and brush motion shut off in the upright position, or that the entire unit shuts off?

If the latter, most Dyson uprights shut off the brush unit in the full upright position and shunt the suction into the handle for use with the accessories. There is also an on/off for the brush, next to the main power button for the DC25. If it's off ( or stuck that way), no brush motion. The manual also notes, 'for use, turn on power and click the foot pedal in back to recline the unit.' (Link to manual here:
http://www.dyson.com/medialibrary/files/dyson/support/downloads/uk/floorcare/manuals/DC25_Manual.pdf See Page 8). The
'High Reach Cleaning' section also notes that the brush bar won't rotate when the vacuum is in the full upright position.

If you are completely losing power, the manual notes that the unit will shut off if the bar is jammed, or if there is a significant line blockage that makes the motor overheat. If this is happening, check the accessory line in the handle for blockage.

Good Luck :-)

You need to clean the filter. Watch this video:

Check the roller ends for dirt build up, they pull off and you should be able to clean them out. The roller should just go back into place if pushed together.

Have you checked your permanent filter? Have you checked the hoses for clogs. As a last resort you can disassemble the cyclone and clean it. If the vac is less than 5 years old, Dyson will probably send you a new Cyclone to replace yours.
Also check that you have the gasket inside the center of the bottom of the clear canister on the right way. If it is backwards your suction will be much less

The "hidden" filter at the base of the unit is the HEPA filter, there is another filter on the side of the vacuum that you can remove and wash with water. Make sure that is washed out. If it's too dirty it will restrict air flow and the motor will overheat.

Clean/replace filters..

HI,
IS THE BASE OF THE WASTE BIN ATTACHED OR HAS IT SNAPPED OFF?THE BASE OF THE WASTE BIN JUST CLIPS BACK ON THE ONE END SO THAT IT CAN SWING.IF HOWEVER THE BASE IS ATTACHED BUT WONT STAY SHUT OR LOCK THEN ITS POSSIBLE THE LATCH INSIDE THE CYCLONE HAS SNAPPED OFF.IF ANY " DIRT CHEAP " ( EXCUSE THE PUNN )SPARE PARTS AR REQUIRED THEN PLEASE FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME DIRECT: [email protected]

The dyson.com website had a solution for this particular problem. Just press in a button in the area around the right wheel while lifting the rear of the vacuum up. This allows the base to roll forward enough to go back into the upright position. I did this and it worked. All fixed.

I had the same symptom. Lay the cleaner on its side locate the rubber flap at the bottom of the rear grey channel. Get a piece of wire (I used an old curtain wire that has an hook)and go fishing. I got about 2 handfulls of old fibre followed by the dust when I turned it upright.