Roomba 551 Troubleshooting

The Roomba is beeping or saying "error."

Your Roomba is stuck in some way. Make sure that the wheels are firmly on the ground, and try turning on the Roomba in a different location.

The main brushes cannot rotate. Remove the brushes and clean them.

See 'Side Wheel Is Stuck'.

If this occurs, then either your Roomba's cliff sensors need cleaning or it is stuck hanging over a cliff. Wipe the sensors with a dry cloth and restart the Roomba in a different location.

See 'Side Wheel Is Stuck'.

See 'Front Wheel Is Stuck'.

Your Roomba's bumper is either dirty or compressed. Tap the bumper lightly around 20 times to dislodge debris that may be stuck.

If it is circling in place, see 'Roomba is Spinning in Circles'. Otherwise, your Roomba may be in too large of a room. You should use a Virtual Wall to limit the cleaning area.

Your Roomba's bumper is not registering obstacles. You should tap the bumper to make sure it is still functioning. If the Roomba is circling, clean the wheels. If the Roomba is in a large room, use a Virtual Wall.

If the problems persist, then you may need to replace the bumper sensor.

A cliff sensor needs to be cleaned or replaced. Make sure to check and clean your Roomba's cliff sensors.

The Roomba's lights are blinking, displaying an error, or saying "charging error".

The battery is not connected. Make sure that you removed the battery pull-tab. If the pull-tab was already removed, take off the bottom cover of your Roomba to reinstall the Roomba's battery.

Your Roomba needs to cool down. Let it sit for about an hour and then try charging again.

You need to reset the Roomba's software. To do this, hold the two buttons above and below CLEAN simultaneously for 10 seconds. Then try charging your Roomba again.

See 'Blinks Three Times'.

The battery of your Roomba is too warm. Let your Roomba cool down for about an hour and then try charging it again.

The battery of your Roomba is not cooling. Let your Roomba cool down for about an hour and then try charging it again.

The Roomba stopped moving in the middle of vacuuming.

If the Roomba’s front wheel is having trouble turning, the wheel may have debris lodged in its axle. Remove the wheel from the Roomba and clean the wheel cavity. Also remove the wheel from its housing and clean the axle. If the wheel still does not work, it may be broken and need to be replaced.

Place the Roomba on a flat surface and restart the clean cycle. If the error also occurs on a flat surface, check the wheel to see if it is clogged with debris. Turn the wheel by hand and push the wheels up and down to dislodge any debris obstructing the wheel. If the wheel still does not work, it may be broken and need to be replaced.

If the front wheel is broken, remove the front wheel housing and replace it with a new wheel.

If a side wheel is broken, remove the side wheel housing and replace it with a new wheel.

The Roomba is spinning uncontrollably or is unable to sense drop offs.

Pick up your Roomba, set it down in the middle of the room, and restart the clean cycle. If problems continue, the wheels may be obstructed and should be checked for debris.

• Lift the Roomba and inspect the wheels for debris.
• Manually turn and push down both side wheels in order to clear any hidden debris in the wheel wells.
• Push / tap the bumper to ensure correct spring compression and to jostle any lodged debris.
• If problems persist, compressed air may be used to clear any remaining debris.

The Roomba isn't vacuuming as efficiently as it used to.

If your Roomba is not cleaning as well as it used to, it is likely that its brushes and/or filter need to be cleaned.

Remove the brushes in order to clean them.

In order to clean the filter:

• Remove the dirt bin.
• Press the yellow tab and open the side door of the Dirt Bin.
• Grasp the yellow tabs on either side of the filter and pull upwards.
• Clean the filter using compressed air.
• Replace the filter, close the door, and reinsert the Dirt Bin.