Washer Making Loud Noise

If your washer is making loud noise, the most common causes are worn drum bearings, an unbalanced load, or a foreign object caught in the drum or pump. Start by running an empty cycle — if the noise disappears, something loose in the drum was the source.

A washing machine that starts making unusual sounds is usually reacting to something mechanical beginning to wear or something out of place. Catching the problem early matters: a noise that's ignored often leads to a more expensive repair. The type of sound — banging, grinding, squealing, or rattling — points directly to where the problem is.

Why Your Washer Is Making Loud Noise

Most washer noises come from one of two things: something mechanical wearing out, or something physical that's loose, unbalanced, or caught somewhere it shouldn't be. Washers have more moving parts and more water contact than most home appliances, which means components like bearings, drum supports, and seals face regular stress and wear over time.

Most Common Causes

1. Worn Drum Bearings

Drum bearings allow the inner drum to spin smoothly inside the outer tub. As they wear down, they produce a loud rumbling, grinding, or roaring sound — especially during the spin cycle at higher speeds.

Signs:

• Loud metallic rumbling during spin that worsens over time
• Drum feels rough or loose when pushed by hand with the machine off
• Clothes occasionally come out with faint grease marks

Bearing wear is gradual, but once the sound becomes loud, the bearings are usually close to full failure. This is a repair best done before the drum support structure is also damaged.

2. Unbalanced Load

An uneven load causes the drum to wobble during spin, which creates a loud banging or thumping sound — sometimes violent enough to move the machine across the floor.

Signs:

• Loud banging only during spin
• Washer vibrates heavily or shifts position
• Noise stops if you redistribute the clothes and retry

This is the most common cause of banging noise and requires no repair — just rebalance the load and restart the spin cycle.

3. Foreign Object in the Drum or Pump

Coins, buttons, underwire, or small items can escape a pocket and get past the drum baffles into the pump housing or drain path. Once trapped, they create a clanking, rattling, or grinding sound during agitation or drain.

Signs:

• Intermittent clanking or rattling at specific points in the cycle
• Noise often louder during the drain phase
• May stop if the drum is paused mid-cycle

Check pockets before washing and inspect the pump filter if your washer has one (usually a small door at the bottom front on front-loaders).

4. Worn Drum Pads or Suspension Rods (Top Loaders)

Top-load washers use plastic drum pads that cushion the drum as it moves. When these wear down or break, the drum can bang against the cabinet walls during agitation.

Signs:

• Banging or clanking during the wash or agitation phase — not just spin
• Noise changes as load shifts
• More noticeable with larger loads

Suspension rods on top-loaders can also weaken over time, allowing excessive drum movement in all directions.

5. Worn Shock Absorbers (Front Loaders)

Front-load washers use shock absorbers to dampen drum movement during spin. When these wear out, the drum moves too freely at high speed, causing a loud banging or vibrating against the cabinet.

Signs:

• Heavy banging during the spin cycle only
• Machine vibrates excessively even with balanced loads
• Sound may worsen at maximum spin speed

Unlike a simple load imbalance, worn shocks produce loud banging even with small or evenly distributed loads.

6. Loose or Damaged Blower Components or Cabinet Parts

A loose panel, a rattling hose clamp, or a component that has worked itself loose can create rattling, buzzing, or vibrating sounds throughout the cycle.

Signs:

• Rattling that doesn't change with load size
• Sound seems to come from the side or back of the machine
• Noise present even on gentle cycles

Troubleshooting Steps

1. Run a short empty cycle and listen — if the noise disappears, a loose item inside the drum was the cause
2. If the noise is banging during spin, stop the cycle, redistribute the clothes evenly, and restart
3. Check pockets and remove any coins, keys, or small hardware before the next wash
4. Check the pump filter if accessible — a trapped object often causes rattling during drain
5. Listen for when in the cycle the noise appears: banging during agitation points to drum pads or suspension; grinding during spin points to bearings; rattling during drain points to a foreign object in the pump
6. Try a small balanced load — if banging continues with a properly distributed load, the shock absorbers or drum supports are the likely cause
7. If you hear a loud rumbling or grinding during spin and the drum feels rough when turned by hand, the bearings are failing — continued use accelerates the damage and can affect the outer tub. If the drum also stops rotating properly, see our washer not spinning guide for additional diagnosis steps.
8. Any internal component access — bearings, pump, drum supports, shock absorbers — requires disassembly and should be handled by a technician

When the Issue Becomes Serious

A light rattling or occasional thump is not an emergency. But a grinding, roaring spin sound that grows louder over several weeks usually means the drum bearings are failing. Left untreated, bearing failure can damage the outer tub or spider arm — components that make a simple bearing job a much larger repair. If the noise is violent enough to move the washer across the floor and it doesn't stop with a balanced load, stop using the machine and have it assessed.