What F04 Means
This is the open-circuit half of the fill-ring NTC pair — Miele prints it as F4, alongside F3 for the short circuit. The fill-ring sensor sits in the airflow at the front of the drum, and with its circuit broken the dryer drops back to cold air only, flashing the hand-iron indicator, stopping the program, running a cooldown and sounding the buzzer intermittently for two minutes.
Common Causes of F04
- Fill-ring NTC failed open
- Break in the fill-ring NTC wiring harness
- Connector unseated at the control/power electronics
- Lint packed around the sensor position
🔧 One Safe Check You Can Try
Clean and dry the door lint filter before anything else, and on condenser models clean the fill-ring lint filter and the heat exchanger too. A sensor buried in packed lint cannot read airflow properly, and these are the same steps Miele lists for the related airflow problem.
⚠ Why You Shouldn't Go Further Than That
- Miele’s remedy is to check the fill-ring NTC wiring harness for an open circuit against a defined characteristic curve, which needs a meter rather than an inspection.
- The fill-ring assembly is behind the front of the dryer, and dismantling it without the right sequence leaves the airflow seal compromised.
- A dryer running cold air only will keep tumbling without drying, so it is not an error that announces itself as a breakdown until you notice the laundry is still wet.
Opening a panel to inspect or repair something yourself doesn't automatically cancel your manufacturer's warranty — but it can risk accidental damage, and some manufacturers do have specific service conditions. Check your product's warranty terms, or ask us, before deciding.
Technical Reference
- Code
- F04
- Appliance
- Miele dryer
- Maker documentation
- Miele owner manuals and use & care guides
- Checked
- September 2026
Code meanings can change between control generations. Before acting on a code, match the full model number on your appliance's rating label against the manual for that model. We are an independent repair service, not affiliated with Miele & Cie. KG.