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Quick answer: Janome error codes are model specific, which is why a code you search for often returns nothing useful. An E:00 style code with a colon belongs to the MB commercial series. A bare E1 to E7 belongs to the Memory Craft QCP machines. Plain numbers like 01 or 08 belong to the MC10000 family. Newer Memory Craft models show a written message instead of a code. Find your machine’s family below, then your code.
Janome never settled on one error code scheme. A code that means a zigzag motor fault on one machine is not used at all on another, and the newer touchscreen models dropped codes entirely in favour of sentences. That is the single biggest reason people cannot find an answer: they search the code without the model, and every list they land on is for a different machine.
So start by identifying which family your machine belongs to.
Which Janome family is your machine?
- Codes look like E:00, E:01, E:05 (letter, colon, two digits) you have an MB series commercial machine, such as the MB-4, MB-4S or MB-7.
- Codes look like E1, E2, F1 (no colon) you have a Memory Craft QCP machine, such as the MC7700QCP or MC8900QCP.
- Codes are plain numbers like 01, 02, 08 you have an MC10000 or MC10001.
- No code, just a sentence on screen you have a newer Memory Craft, such as the MC15000, MC12000, MC11000 or MC9900.
MB series commercial machines: E:00 to E:09
These are the four and seven needle commercial Janome machines. The colon in the code is the giveaway.
| Code |
What it means |
What to do |
| E:00 |
Communication error with the RCS remote control station. |
Power down and restart first. If it returns, check the RCS plug and the connector on the machine’s B board, and try a different RCS unit to isolate whether the fault is the unit or the machine. |
| E:01 |
The stepping motor failed to initialise at startup. |
Power down and restart. If it persists, the head needs manually positioning to needle 4 and recalibrating through the service mode initialisation routine, which is a technician job on most machines. |
| E:02 |
The needle bar changeover did not complete. |
Check the needle change step motor and its wiring. Head play and stop position may need adjusting to specification. |
| E:03 |
The needle bar is out of position. |
Move the needle bar back to the switching position. If it drifts out repeatedly, the needle stop position needs adjusting. |
| E:04 |
A DC motor problem. |
Clean the DC motor sensor and check the shield plate is aligned. Lint on that sensor is a common and easily missed cause. |
| E:05 |
Thread breakage detected. |
Check the thread path first. If the thread is fine, the deeper causes are needle bar height, presser bar height or hook timing being out. |
| E:07 |
The thread cutter malfunctioned. |
Check the cutter linkage for binds and check its connections. A worn dynamic thread cutter unit is the usual end point if the linkage is free. |
| E:08 |
The tension lever is engaged when it should not be. |
Confirm the lever is fully disengaged, then check the microswitch position and its connections. |
| E:09 |
Driving motor malfunction, usually an overload stop. |
This one commonly ends in a DC motor replacement. Clear any bind first, then reset using the bobbin winder and forward buttons. |
Memory Craft QCP machines: E1 to E7 and F codes
These codes appear on machines such as the MC7700QCP and MC8900QCP. Note that the same number means different things here than it does in the MB series, which is exactly the trap.
| Code |
What it means |
What to do |
| E1 |
Zigzag motor error. |
Check the connections, then try moving the needle bar by hand to feel for a bind. Clean the sensor before assuming the motor has failed. |
| E2 |
Feed step motor error. |
Push the feed gear by hand to check it moves freely, then clean the sensor and gears of lint. |
| E3 |
Needle plate step motor fault (MC7700QCP). |
Remove the needle plate and run the D1S test. If it still faults, the step motor unit is the likely replacement. |
| E4 |
Thread cutter motor error. |
Check the connections and gears and confirm the microswitch is positioned correctly before replacing anything. |
| E5 |
The machine cannot detect the zigzag phase. |
Adjust the lower shaft shield plate and clean the sensor. A misaligned shield plate causes this far more often than a dead sensor. |
| E6 |
The machine cannot detect the feed phase. |
Clean the lower shaft sensor, check its set screw is tight, and confirm the shield plate alignment. |
| E7 |
Thread cutter used too many times in a row. |
Not a fault. The cutter can only run about three times consecutively, and the machine must sew stitches before it will allow another cut. Sew a short run and it clears. |
| F1 |
Needle plate microswitch fault. |
Remove the needle plate and run the D1S test. The needle plate or the step motor unit is usually the replacement. |
| F2 |
Centre needle position sensor is misaligned. |
With the machine in centre stitch position, confirm the sensor sits exactly through the middle of the slit. |
MC10000 and MC10001: plain numeric codes
| Code |
What it means |
What to do |
| 01 |
Base unit fault. |
Remove the base unit, clean and lubricate the gears, and check the wire connections for pinching. |
| 02 |
Zigzag motor problem. |
Push the needle bar left and right by hand to test for a bind, clean the sensor, and check for thread wound into the gears. |
| 04 |
Feed step motor fault. |
Push the feed gear back and forth to confirm it is free, then clean the sensor. |
| 08 |
Tension unit jam. |
Reset the tension by turning the small flat head screw anticlockwise until it stops, then clockwise 16 clicks. |
| 10 |
Needle threader motor stuck. |
Lower the needle threader only halfway by manually turning the black threader bar. If it keeps sticking the threader unit needs replacing. |
Newer Memory Craft models: written messages
The MC15000, MC12000, MC11000 and MC9900 show sentences rather than codes. These are the ones operators hit most, and most are interlocks rather than faults.
| Message |
What to do |
| Calibration fails at startup |
Turn the machine off. Raise the needle bar to its highest position, raise the presser foot, open the embroidery arm, then slowly and firmly move the carriage all the way back and to the left. Power on again. |
| “Lower the Presser Foot” |
If the foot is already down, the presser foot microswitch is misaligned rather than the foot being up. |
| “Pull down BH Lever” |
Lower the buttonhole lever. If it is already down, check the shield plate alignment and the sensor connection. |
| “Please attach P Foot” |
Confirm the correct P foot is fitted. If it is, the foot sensor needs calibrating. |
| “Rethread and start” |
Either the machine ran out of thread, or the thread check sensor on the tension unit is faulty. Rethread first. |
| Low bobbin thread warning |
Wind a fresh bobbin. If the warning is premature and constant, the bobbin sensor needs recalibrating in test mode. |
| “Stop for Safety” or machine jammed |
Something is binding. Check the take up lever for wound thread and inspect hook clearance. On a genuine jam the bind must be found mechanically, not cleared by resetting. |
| “Needle plate is not attached properly” |
Refit the needle plate fully. If the message stays, the microswitch position needs adjusting. |
🛠️ Parts & Supplies That Fix This
Embroidery Machine Needles (75/11)
A blunt needle causes more skipped stitches, thread breaks and puckering than any other single fault. Needles are consumable, change them often. |
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Sewing Machine Oil
Use proper machine oil only. Household oils gum up and will eventually seize the hook race. |
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Lint Brush & Cleaning Kit
Packed lint under the bobbin case throws off tension and mimics far more expensive faults. |
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Precision Screwdriver Set
Needle plates, hook timing and tension assemblies use small offset screws that a household driver will round off. |
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Cut-Away Stabilizer
A surprising share of “machine faults” are really an under-stabilized hoop. Rule this out before you touch a single setting. |
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Frequently asked questions about Janome error codes
Q: Why can I not find my Janome error code anywhere?
Because Janome uses different code schemes on different machine families, and most lists online do not say which family they cover. An E:05 on an MB-4 and an E5 on an MC7700QCP are unrelated faults. Always search the code together with your exact model number, and check whether your code has a colon in it.
Q: What does E:01 mean on a Janome MB-4?
E:01 means the stepping motor failed to initialise when the machine started up. Power the machine down and restart it first, because a clean restart clears a surprising number of these. If it comes back, the head needs manual repositioning and recalibration through service mode.
Q: What does E7 mean on a Janome MC7700QCP?
E7 is not a fault. The automatic thread cutter can only be used about three times consecutively, and the machine will refuse a fourth until it has sewn some stitches. Sew a short run and the code clears on its own.
Q: My Janome says to lower the presser foot but it is already down. What now?
That points at the presser foot microswitch rather than the foot itself. The switch has drifted out of position or its connection has loosened, so the machine cannot see that the foot is down.
Q: Which Janome errors should I not try to fix myself?
Anything that survives a power cycle and points at a step motor, a control board or machine timing. Cleaning sensors, clearing lint, rethreading and checking for binds are all reasonable to do yourself. Adjusting hook timing, needle bar height or replacing motors is service work, and guessing at it usually costs more than the callout would have.
Still stuck?
If your code is not listed here, note your exact model number from the plate on the back or base of the machine, then check that model’s manual on Janome’s own support site. Codes moved between families across model years, so the model number matters more than the code itself. Tell us the code and the model and we will add it to this page.
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