Washing machine jumping around

Question

I have a frontloader washing machine Whirlpool AWO 6445, about four years old, that runs about twice a week. It is sandwiched into a kitchen with not a single millimeter to spare left and right, but a few centimeters between the lid of the washing machine and the worktop. The floor is uneven, made from old wood, the center of the room being three centimeters or so lower than the corners; but I think the machine is more or less leveled out against the floor.

A month ago, the machine made really loud noises for a few seconds, and jumped around thirty centimeters forward (some five jumps, towards the middle of the room). I stopped the program, pushed the machine back into place and restarted the program - ready to switch it off should it happen again. It didn't.

Today, it did happen again: for the second time the machine jumped. So, what could be the issue? Could this be dangerous or can I safely ignore it?

I asked two friends, one told me this would be a shock absorber issue, I should order a new pair and change it, another one told me I should check the shock sensor. To me as a layman, both answers seem like good guesses, but are there other possible reasons?

(Since I have constricted space in my kitchen, I am just now collecting possible causes, without opening the machine - hoping to be able to order the right parts before I open the machine, and possibly get it repaired on a single weekend afternoon.)

Answer 1

Any machine, including a washing machine, will walk if it has a spinning load which is unbalanced. This effect will be greatly enhanced if the machine is not level. In most cases a washing machine can be prevented from walking by leveling the machine perfectly and making sure that laundry is evenly distributed in the basket.

If the machine walks upstairs to the kitchen, gets a knife and then walks to the second floor into your bedroom, then simply leveling the machine will not solve the problem because it is probably possessed.