Why Can't You Repair Your Shark Vacuum?

Are you having a tough time repairing your Shark vacuum cleaner? Well, we have good news and bad news. The good news is you're not crazy and you're not alone! The bad news: Shark deliberately makes their vacuum cleaners very hard to repair. In this video, Josh explains why this is and some of the things Shark does to make repair near impossible. We also discuss some of the economic and ecological impacts that this has.

If you want to learn more about Shark vacuum repair, check out our article here:

And finally we now have a security bit set that fits every type of shark security bit including the T20 which is not in the set from Harbor freight that people keep talking about in the comments.

Vacuums R Us & Sewing Too – Arvada Store
5215 W. 80th Ave.
Arvada, CO 80003
[phone]

Vacuums R Us & Sewing Too – Boulder Store
3005 28th St.
Boulder, CO 80301
[phone]

Vacuums R Us & Sewing Too – Fort Collins Store
501 Riverside Ave
Fort Collins, CO 80524
[phone]

[Mega_Casual]

This is great info. This whole business model of eliminating right-to-repair is growing exponentially in the U.S. I hope Shark Sales are reading these comments. Because of their eliminating right-to-repair, I for one, will never buy another shark vacuum, ever. Josh, thanks again for your valuable information.

[sutrasandwich]

After 40 years in the vacuum repair business, I agree with you on the waste these companies are creating. Thank you for this video.

[anthonym.pacelli]

So, the brush stopped spinning, after discovering the security screws and using much profanity I went to TSC and they had the right bit set in the discount bin. Took the unit apart, the brush opposite the drive belt has a roller bearing set in cheap plastic which naturally had disintegrated and stopped up the roller. That's when I realized Satan himself held a round table to design this navigator vacuum.

[michaelg.]

I work as a service plumber and have all the tools required for these repairs, but even then the repairs to my Shark have been far from easy. So far I've come out victorious but my collection of leftover screws grows with each repair.

[texinn]

Absolutely spot on. We have been using a $300 Shark for the past couple of years which just bit the dust, and I have been trying to source the part that's broken. It's near impossible. Shark does not sell that part any more which is strange since its been just a couple of years. The thing about the screws is true as well. I have a fair range of driver bits including the security bits which I used to loosen the screws, but could not pry the panels off. After watching the video, I now get why I could not. I am so glad I watched this video. I had been otherwise satisfied with the product, but I refuse to support a company that plans to screw its own customers.

[xalen]

our shark navigator lower duct hose cracked within a year, so I replaced it last january. not only were there security bit screws, but the hose was glued in place. I had to dissolve the glue in nail polish remover. the replacement hose I ordered was much more rigid and has been fine ever since. I also totally agree with sharks becoming more difficult to repair. They weren't always easy but the older models for sure used to have regular philips screws. Such sad times we live in where we get screwed over in virtually every industry.

[the_rocs_roost]

Thanks so much for making this video. I accepted long ago the old maxim of, "You get what you pay for". I use an Electrolux Discovery II that my parents bought new in the 1980s. It works just as well as it did when new. The brush roll has been replaced twice in 40 years, but other than bags and occasional belts, that's it. I was driving through a neighborhood once a couple of years ago and I saw another Electrolux Discovery II on the curb for the garbage man to pick up. I stopped immediately and went up to the house, knocked on the door, and asked the lady if she was sure she wanted to get rid of her vacuum. She said yes, and I immediately asked if I could have it. She said yes again. I took it home and all it needed was a belt and to be cleaned up a little bit. I hope this little story can be useful to folks reading the comments. Thanks again for the video!

[K.Kelly]

Planned Obsolescence.
We own one Shark. It's a small, rechargeable battery hand model. It was the best out of the 3 others I wasted my $$ on. It's about a year old now. It's only used to vacuum my Husband's Semi truck. It does better than most, but not as good as the 12 volt plug-in Dirt Devil we had in the early 1990s. That Dirt Devil was awesome! It had a "beater-bar-brush" and a reusable cloth bag. It vacuumed both the interior of the Semi truck AND THE DOG!!!! (SHE LOVED THAT THING!!!)

I paid $389 for my Kenmore vacuum in 1998. Biggest problem I had with it was I ran over an unknown piece of ripped carpet, which is a LONG piece of very tough yarn. The power head has a safety shut-off. I had to take the head apart, remove the brush-roller and use a razor blade to cut the yarn off. Getting it back together with the brackets and belt needing to be assembled at the same time was so hard it took both of us to do it right.
Oh and there's only ONE place that carries the bags for it anymore....
Otherwise, that Kenmore vacuum has been trouble free. It still sucks very well, the hoses are in great shape, and all the attachments are stored INSIDE it, so they never got lost.

[nigelwilliams]

I'm on my second shark, and it will be my last, I will also make sure my friends don't buy one and circulate on social media, just what shark is all about.
Great video, thanks for putting it out there, from every disgruntled shark buyer across the pond in the uk

[mrfester]

In addition to warning people about wasting their money you're also doing a great service regarding the negative ecological impact that Sharks is doing to the environment through such greedy business practices.
My hat's off to you and Thank You for the video.

[andreapost]

Thank you, Josh! I’m on my first Shark, and I’ve liked it, but thanks to your insights and videos, when it finally dies, I’ll be looking into other brands that make repairs easier.
Your videos have helped extend the life of my Shark by equipping me to perform some repairs at home, too, which has saved money and helps the environment.
I appreciate you sharing your expertise!

[phoebelara]

This video just explained every problem I've ever had trying to repair the multiple shark vacuums I've had over the course of 5 years. Self-employed house cleaner, I've had to order the "tamper free" screws, buy whole sets of bits for them, cracked the snap together casing after spending hrs carefully unscrewing what felt like 1000 good to know I'm not crazy.
Also made with screws that strip like no other.
Thanks for the video!

[two_owls]

Hope y'all are advocating for more robust right to repair legislation at the federal level! Compared to places like the EU, even Canada, the US has pretty shoddy consumer protection laws. Hence our one-year warranties, intentionally hard to repair designs, and lack of replacement parts. Companies need to be forced to do the right thing. They're not gonna do it out of charity, and we can't rely on 'the market' because eventually one company will gobble up most of the competition (hello Apple) and we're back to unrepairable square one!

[pauls.garrett]

We have a Shark UV540 26. It is about 5 years old. I thought we had a broken belt, turned out to be something totally different but took off the skid plate anyway. There are 11 screws and yes two different sizes, #8&10. These were security head screws with the little nub in the center. I used my standard Torx tools and removed 10 of the 11 screws with no problem but did go to Harbor Freight and purchased a set of security bits for one of the small #8 screw heads. There were no tabs holding the head unit together. It was a very simple project and Amazon had the replacement roller bar and belt had I needed it. Thanks for your video but there is still hope.

[mybestlastyears]

I wish I saw this one month ago. Thank you for validating my frustration.

[JTHootman]

I appreciate you pointing out this to the American Consumer. I am a recycler of electronic materials and am floored at the number of sharks I pick up. I'm also shocked at how cheaply made they are.

[MrMattDat]

I am a lifelong DIY'er and Shark's security screws were no problem for me. Disassembly and diagnosis? No problem. Reassembly? Problem. I noticed tabs at the front of the "chassis" broke off quite easily removing the side covers. Put it all back together and the slide locks for the top cover now bind up. I've already figured out a solution, but your video really shed light on their designed obsolescence.

[DOLRED]

Glad to watch your video. About 2005, my wife bought 3 purple hand held Sharks SV780N (Battery operated). They were excellent and we still use one of those. After deep internet researching, these Sharks suffer from a "Disease" wherein the thumb operated off-on switch goes bad. The off-on switch is mounted onto a tiny circuit board which itself is mounted into the handle. Repairing this cannot be done as no new parts were available, so I trashed 2 of the 3 Purples for this fault alone. We are still using a Montgomery Ward floor canister vac which dates to at least 1970 (It has a metal case, imagine that!!). The foot operated switch is well worn but keeps on clicking!!

[PresetsDiscovery]

Thank you for the education. I don't own a shark...I guess I'll keep it that way. Bad business practices.

[bobo-tvcv]

Thank you for exposing this company. We had the exact problem you mentioned, a chewed cord by our new puppy. The frustration was overwhelming to do what we thought would be an easy fix. I personally will not buy another Shark so I hope their sneaky tactics continue to serve them well but I won't be part of their charade.