My Shark Robot Vacuum Keeps Returning to Dock [Full Fix]

Published by Ahmad Jamal on May 21, 2023

Most shark robot vacuum errors come out of nowhere. You’re just wandering around the house and you happen to notice an error with your robot vacuum, which is supposed to be working properly cleaning around the house.

This case happens on a regular basis with every robot vacuum, which means this isn’t exclusive for a brand and not another.

However, when your shark robot vacuum keeps returning to dock, then there’s surely something problematic that requires a full fix.

In this CleanersAdvisor guide, we’ll discuss the Shark Robot Vacuum Keeps Returning to Dock error, how it occurs, and the most suitable fixes for the problem.

By fixes, we mean the best practices that worked with other customers and robot vacuum owners, in addition to our expertise in dealing with shark vacuums’ errors.

---

Why Does Your Shark Robot Vacuum Keeps Returning to Dock

Mechanical errors, software issues, failed shark mobile app updates, and more can lead to your My Shark Robot Vacuum Keeps Returning to Dock.

However, the only cause -in shark’s books- is that your shark robot vacuum’s battery is low, which in many cases we inspected, not the case at all.

In fact, there are more than a handful of instances where the aforementioned error occurs due to more than a simply nearly depleted battery.

The main issue occurs as follows: You’ve ordered or put a pre-set timing on your robot vacuum to clean a specific area, but after it starts roaming for a couple of minutes, it returns to dock without a single warning.

Nothing shows on the mobile app, no shows of errors or anything. Just a simple robot vacuum doing what it is supposed to do for a couple of minutes, then returning to the dock out of nowhere.

---

How to Fix A Shark Robot Vacuum Keeps Returning to Dock

This error is mostly irritating as you have no errors shown to fix them according to the user manual, but worry not, our expertise will help you fix it with 4 simple fixes that may not cross your mind, but we tested and they worked heavenly to get rid of the error:

1. You’re using a pre-set timer that orders the vacuum to clean its dust cup every x minutes.

This can be set to default, but it can also be set by mistake to a lower duration, as in 5-10 minutes, thus the unexpected return to the dock.

The best fix would be to put that timer up to more than an hour, or put it according to your room needs.

2. Simply turn off the “recharge and resume” option on your vacuum.

A handful of users had this fix get their vacuum back to normal, as in older versions of shark robot vacuum, this option has created the error in which KW.

Turn it off, and check if the problem has been solved yet.

3. Pause the clean before it gets back to the deck. This will work as a stopping to the order created by the error to return to the dock.

Doing this fix once or twice has helped various customers already, you should test it.

If the issue still occurs, then check the final fix.

4. Update your sharkclean app to the newest version.

During the last couple of months, an issue with the older versions of the SharkClean app led to creating this error.

Shark even added an automated message to their customer care phone line regarding this issue.

They asked customers with such problem to update their apps, and we read through their responses, and it solved the issue for most of them.

---

What Should I Do When the Robot Cleaner Cannot Find its Dock?

A similar problem we noticed is when the shark robot vacuum can’t find the dock, or finds difficulties locating its location.

Ordering the vacuum to start the cleaning from a different location, or after hitting an obstacle, or moving it manually during a cleaning chore, can easily create this error.

To fix this issue, try one of these fixes:

1. Move the dock to a new location, and test if it’s fixed.

Moving the dock to a new location can be the potential fix, as the robot will restart its attempts to locate it once again. The dock should be placed against a wall, and have 1.5 meters of area clearance in the front, and another 0.5 meters on either side.

2. Clean the front signal transmission area of the dock & the robot’s front sensor. There may be a problem with sending or receiving signals between the dock and the robot vacuum.

Cleaning them properly according to the user manual can be helpful in restoring the signal between both the vacuum and the dock.

We already explained the method in this guide, make sure you read it, as you’ll know how to clean the contacts on either side of the dock and the robot vacuum.

3. Reset the robot vacuum to solve the issue. Resetting the robot vacuum using the recovery reset option on your smartphone can be the final fix to this issue.

It’ll allow the robot vacuum to detect and locate the dock easily, and navigate itself home once again.

You can watch this video that helped solving multiple problems with shark vacuums:

---

To Wrap Up

Whether your problem was Shark Robot Vacuum Keeps Returning to Dock, or it’s not finding the dock, this CleanersAdvisor guide helped you know more about the issues, and how to fix them.

Not only that, but you have multiple fixes for each issue, as not all vacuums operate the same, and having multiple weapons to deal with the issue can help you get rid of it for good.