Why Shark vacuum lights are flashing? – Troubleshooting guide

Vacuum cleaners have become a standard cleaning tool in the majority of households. They can be used for a variety of things including furniture, upholstery, or carpets. With the technology being more and more advanced, those units also became more convenient and easy to use.

On the other side, advanced technology also happens to be more faulty. This is why we are writing this article – Today, we will talk about the most common problems with the vacuum, that are indicated by flashing lights.

Flashing lights are a way in which the Shark vacuum lets you know, that something isn’t working properly. When you see any unusual activity in terms of the lights, you should take a moment to consider what may be wrong with the vacuum.

Below we will talk about all the most common reasons why your Shark vacuum’s lights are flashing.

Why Shark vacuum lights are flashing?

In most cases, the flashing lights will mean, that the brush roll isn’t spinning. However, if the lights are red, the brush roll can be clogged, or the vacuum is overheating. The situation is different if the headlights of your vacuum are flashing – This could mean, that the vacuum isn’t in carpet mode.

This would be a short answer to your question, although, there is more to cover. Therefore, if the paragraph above didn’t satisfy you, we highly recommend reading the rest of the article. It will help you find the origin of the problem and solve the issue.

Usually, there are a couple of steps, that you need to take in order to diagnose the problem. After the fault-finding, you just need to solve the problem by either cleaning the vacuum or replacing parts. Firstly, we need to take a look at the lights, to know what’s wrong with your cleaning device.

In Shark’s vacuum, different lights will have different meanings, therefore, if your vacuum is:

• Showing green light – This usually means, that the vacuum is functioning properly and nothing needs to be repaired. Although, there can be exceptions as the technology isn’t perfect.
• Showing red light – Red light usually indicates an error, overheating, or clog. In order to take care of this problem, you will need to diagnose the issue (we will cover this in the latter part of the article).
• Blinking or flashing lights – Those lights usually indicate, that the battery level is low or charging. However, this can also indicate, that something is wrong with the vacuum.
• Not showing any lights – If there are no lights showing, this could mean, that the vacuum isn’t in the correct mode, or it’s not receiving any power.

The list above should help you find out whether the vacuum needs some repairing or not. After you have a general idea about the problem, you can go ahead to the next part of the article – Fixing the most common problems.

How to fix the red light on the Shark vacuum?

Red light flashing means, that the vacuum is either overheated or the brush roll is clogged. Longer cleaning sessions can cause this to happen, especially in the summertime. In order to fix this issue, you need to turn the vacuum off and allow it to cool. You should also check the brush roll for any stuck hair or other debris.

A clogged brush roll will also often prevent you from vacuuming, so diagnosing this problem shouldn’t be too hard. We also highly recommend taking basic measures by cleaning the brush roll regularly. A pair of scissors would be handy, as well as a brush. Any stacked-up dirt could prevent the brush roll from spinning.

After cooling the vacuum for a longer time (approximately 30-45 minutes), it would be a wise idea to continue vacuuming with breaks, especially on hot days. This would allow the vacuum to cool during the whole-house cleaning. In our household, we usually take 10-minute breaks between different floors or rooms.

How to fix green light flashing on Shark vacuum?

The vacuum flashing green light can mean, that either the brush roll is once again clogged, or the garage door lid isn’t properly closed. In order to fix this issue, you will have to turn off the vacuum and unplug it from the outlet.

Then proceed to thoroughly clean the brush roll of any stuck debris or hair. A pair of scissors would be handy, as well as a brush. After this, you need to check whether the garage door lid is properly closed – This is a lid of the brush roll.

If the lid turns out to be somehow damaged, you may want to consider getting a new one from Amazon, or any other store. Those can be found for around $18.

How to fix headlights flashing on Shark vacuum?

Blinking or flashing headlights are a common problem in Shark’s vacuums. Unfortunately, most of the time it can be related to a faulty unit, as many people experience this problem. It usually arises after a year or two of usage and it’s, probably, related to the connecting pins.

They may get dirty, causing the electric current, that turns on the headlights and brush roll to cease. One way to try and fix it is to disconnect the wand, handle, and other important elements, in order to access the connecting pins. Then you clean them with alcohol and a cotton swab which should hopefully fix the issue.

However, if this doesn’t work you can try contacting customer service. If your vacuum is still under warranty, you should have no problem replacing it or fixing the faulty element.

Additional steps

You could also take some additional steps, in order to ensure, that everything is cleaned and will work properly. There are more spots, that could stack up the unwanted debris – What’s more, they are easy to overlook.

• Filters – Check the filters, clean them, and air-dry for 24 hours.
• Dust cup – Empty the dust cup and clean if needed
• Floor nozzle – Check floor nozzle for blockage, and clean if necessary
• The connection between hand vac and wand – Check the connection and look for any blockage, clean them if required

We also highly recommend taking a look at our other article, related to this problem called “Shark vacuum brush roll indicator light not turning on”.

Conclusion

Shark vacuums have many indicator lights, that let you know whether there is a problem with the unit. They light up in different colors, blink or flash, allowing you to distinguish between different issues. Most of the time, the flashing lights are related to a blockage or overheating, although, there could be related to something else.

Basic troubleshooting should be enough to diagnose the problem and fix it by following a few basic steps. We hope, that after reading this article you will take care of any issues.