Roomba Making Grinding or Clicking Noise — Fix Guide

What Does This Error Mean?

A grinding or clicking noise from your Roomba almost always means hair or debris is tangled in the main brush roll, a side brush, or the extractors. Cleaning the brushes takes 5 minutes and usually fixes the noise completely.

Affected Models

Roomba 600 Series
Roomba 800 Series
Roomba 900 Series
Roomba i3
Roomba i7

Common Causes

Hair tightly wrapped around the main brush roll or rubber extractors
Hard debris (grit, pebble) caught in the brush housing making a clicking noise
Side brush has tangled hair and is grinding against the floor
Brush roll bearings are worn or seized
A foreign object (rubber band, twist tie) is caught in the brush mechanism

How to Fix It

Flip the Roomba over. Remove the main brush roll (or rubber extractors on 800/900 series) — they lift straight out without tools.

On 600/700 series: there is one bristle brush and one beater brush. On 800/900/i-series: there are two rubber extractor rolls. Remove all of them.
Remove all hair and debris wrapped around the brushes. Use scissors to cut through matted hair, then pull out in sections.

Hair on the brush rolls is the number-one cause of Roomba grinding noises. Even a small amount of tightly-wound hair creates a grinding sound as the brush strains against it.
Clean the brush end caps (the yellow or grey end caps on the brush roll). Remove them and pull out any hair packed around the bearings.

End cap bearings are a hair trap. If hair reaches the bearings and is not removed, it will eventually seize the bearing entirely.
Inspect and clean the side brush (the small spinning brush on the front-left underside). Remove hair from around its axle.

The side brush spins at high speed and can make a loud clicking noise if hair is wrapped around its post.
Clean the brush housing (the channel the brushes sit in) with a dry cloth or old toothbrush, removing any packed grit or debris.

Fine grit and sand in the brush housing creates a continuous grinding sound as the brushes spin. A thorough wipe of the housing often eliminates this entirely.

When to Call a Professional

If the noise persists after cleaning all brushes and extractors and there is no visible debris, the brush motor bearings may be failing. Contact iRobot support.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I clean the Roomba brushes?

iRobot recommends cleaning the main brushes every week under normal use, and every 2–3 days if you have pets. In practice, clean them whenever you notice a noise change, reduced suction, or visible tangling. The whole process takes under 5 minutes.

My Roomba only makes the grinding noise on carpet but not on hard floors — why?

On carpet, the brushes dig into the fibres more deeply and any debris or hair tangles more aggressively. A partial brush blockage that is quiet on hard floors will be loud on carpet because the motor works harder. Cleaning the brushes thoroughly will eliminate the noise on both surfaces.