Are you struggling with the NordicTrack treadmill belt not moving issue?
Sometimes you will notice that the treadmill is turned on, even the console is displaying, but it just won’t start the workout.
Or the treadmill belt will move for few seconds and stop suddenly.
There can be multiple reasons for this error, and I will list down the most common causes and solutions to this problem.
Read:
- Check Which Year is Your NordicTrack Treadmill Manufactured
- What to do if the console is not working
- Treadmill Belt Temperature is High After Use, Why?
NordicTrack Treadmill Belt Not Moving
Before that, I will show you a video on how the treadmill motor moves the running belt.
1) Safety Key not inserted properly
As you know, the safety key on the NordicTrack treadmill is one of the safety features to help you cut down the electricity of the treadmill when it is uncontrollable.
Also, when it is not inserted properly, the electric motor won’t be able to start as it gives a signal that the machine is not ready to run.
Sometimes the treadmill will also beep continuously when this happens, and you can’t even make the fan work.
Hence, make sure the safety key is inserted properly, without loose, or the safety key might not working as it should be.
Read: Lost the Key? Learn How To DIY a Treadmill Key
2) You accidentally pressed the STOP button
The RED stop button helps you to decrease the speed of the belt and eventually stop the treadmill.
If this button is pressed, the belt won’t start unless you disengage it.
Besides, your sweat during the previous workout session might have penetrated through the STOP button, and damaged the internal circuit.
This is one of the possible reasons that the technician I hired told me.
To prevent this issue, he suggested to wrap the important buttons with a layer of plastic cover or transparent sticker.
3) The voltage stabilizer is damaged or not turned on
In some countries, the NordicTrack treadmill comes with a voltage stabilizer.
This helps to stabilize the voltage and avoid voltage fluctuation during the workout session.
In my country, the supplied voltage is 220 – 230V, it would show on the front panel when the power is turned on.
As you can see from the image above, there is a RED “On Off” switch on the voltage stabilizer.
Besides turning on your main power supply, remember to turn on the voltage stabilizer too.
If your voltage stabilizer is damaged, it may not be able to output the desired voltage to the machine.
Hence, the treadmill not able to start normally.
4) Power supply
Just in case you did not check this, make sure the power cord is connected properly.
Sometimes you may use a power cord extension like I do, make sure the power extension is in good condition too.
The treadmill consumes a high power during a workout session, the power extension fuse might not be able to carry the load and burned.
The next thing you can check is the power supply connectors.
Open the front motor cover and you will see that the main power supply is connected to connectors directly as image below:
Make sure all components are connected securely, the main power supply connector and the Power button connector.
For safety reason, you must turn off the power supply before doing this.
5) Check the red LED status on the electrical panel
Remove your front motor cover, and you will see an electrical board.
This board helps to connect the motor to the console.
There is a RED LED, when functions normally, it will light up and blink.
Try to press any random buttons on the console, if the buttons will trigger the LED.
If the LED stays dimmed, it might be your electrical board is damaged or burned.
6) Motor, brushes and drive belt problem
The treadmill motor is the most important part to drive the front roller, and moving the treadmill belt.
There is also drive belt that connects the motor to the front roller.
Before that, you would need to remove the treadmill’s motor hood as shown in the video below before you can proceed to inspect the components.
Please check the motor and the drive belt, if any of these is damaged or loosened, it won’t be able to move the treadmill belt.
Loosen drive belt normally comes with a “dry run“, means the motor is running, but the drive belt does not have enough friction to drive the front roller.
Besides, loosen drive belt will also cause slipping issue and treadmill running belt to slow down when someone step on it.
If you were experiencing some weird noise from the motor before this issue, there is also a chance that the motor brushes are degraded.
Faulty or worn out motor brushes won’t be able to supply enough power to move the treadmill belt.
7) Treadmill belt tension is too high
The tension of the treadmill must be adjusted properly.
Too tight can hinder the movement, and the motor needs to work harder to move the belt.
In this case, you can adjust the tension of the treadmill as image below.
Use a HEX key to adjust for the right side, and also the left side.
There is a small hole at the bottom of the treadmill.
In my experience, I would also use a plier, in additional with a HEX key, to adjust the tension.
8) Something trapped under the belt
In this case, just fold your treadmill or incline it to check if any strange object is laying under your treadmill.
Read:
- Troubleshoot NordicTrack treadmill not incline
- Troubleshoot NordicTrack Treadmill Won’t Unfold
- Why NordicTrack Makes Noise When Incline and Decline
Some long-lost toys might appear under your treadmill belts.
Making sure the treadmill has an even deck surface can also prevent the belt from being curling up on sides.
9) Misaligned belt
If the belt is misaligned or sliding to one side, it can hinder the movement.
There is an alignment mark on the left side and right side, make sure the belt is aligned at the centre of the running deck.
If it is misaligned, you might need to realign it by adjusting the tension of the belt.
The belt will slide to the side with lower belt tension.
You may use this tip to adjust the position of the belt.
10) Folded belt
In some cases, the treadmill belt might be folded accidentally.
It would be easier to notice this issue at the front running belt.
This normally happens when the tension of the running belt is too low.
The belt has room to fold if the tension is too low.
Sometimes the belt is folded at the bottom, which would be much much difficult for us to notice.
The uneven folded belt will hinder the movement.
Make sure to fold the treadmill and check if the bottom part has this issue.
To fix this issue, first you would need to loosen the belt.
Let the machine run at low speed, at the same time unfold the treadmill belt.
After that, increase the tension of the belt back to higher level, remember to adjust both left and right side so that the belt can be aligned properly.
11) Weight limit
Each model of the NordicTrack treadmill has its own weight limit.
Please check the user manual to identify the weight limit allowed.
I have also listed down the weight limit of most treadmill models from NordicTrack, check it here.
12) Speed sensor and transformer
The treadmill comes with a speed sensor to monitor the speed while you are running.
A faulty sensor might send a wrong signal to the motor that won’t allow the motor to start.
Also, it won’t respond if you change the speed on the console.
Besides, there is a transformer to feed a desired voltage level to the motor.
If the transformer is disconnected or damaged, the motor won’t be able to function normally.
13) Motor overheat
If this happens after a long time of running, the motor might be overheated, hopefully the internal components of the motor are not burned, YET.
Read: NordicTack Treadmill motor problems troubleshoot
You can inspect the exterior cover of the motor to find any sign of dark or burned spots.
Let the treadmill take a break to cool down the motor.
Just like human, machine needs to take a break too.
Try again to check if the belt is now rolling normally.
Conclusion
I hope you find this troubleshooting guide useful, if you did not manage to fix this by yourself, please consider hiring a qualified technician to check and fix the problem.
Hi Hadwin,
This is the most complete list I could find of troubleshooting for the NordicTrack. Thank you for that!
Do you know what a solid red light means on the electrical panel? Our treadmill belt suddenly stopped moving a few months ago, and we finally bit the bullet and bought a new motor. We installed it this morning, and it worked perfectly with a solid green light and a flashing red light. While adjusting the belt, the motor stopped again, and now the light is a solid red. We reset it, and it worked again momentarily, but now it won’t do anything again.
Thanks,
Katy
Hi Katy,
Probably it could be due to the following reasons
1. The speed sensor issue – try to temporarily bypass or remove the speed sensor to see if the Solid Red LED issue makes any difference. The speed sensor should be located near the front roller.
2. Control board issue – This could be a bigger issue, might need a technician to troubleshoot it.