The 4 Most Common Greenworks Lawn Mowers Problems

There are a lot of GreenWorks lawn mowers sold on Amazon or any other Online Retailer. That means that sometimes there will be GreenWorks lawn mowers problems since this is such a popular mower. The popularity also means that more than one person has likely faced the mower issue that you are up against. That is very helpful, like a tribe helping each other in their own ways. The internet may have a dark side, but the benefits are numerous thanks to the collective “brain” that can solve some issues, whether they are lawn mower related or not.

GreenWorks lawn mowers have some of the best reviews on Amazon when it comes to electric mowers. These machines have pleased everyone from accountants mowing their own lawns to teenagers trying to make some extra cash for the movies. Simple machines are easier to work on and that is a staple of this company’s design process.

Greenworks Lawn Mowers Are Different!

GreenWorks lawn mower problems are a bit different from the gas machines we talk about frequently. There’s no spark plug to worry about. No gas to get old and gum up the system. Electric mowers have different issues. These issues can be troublesome since electric mowers are fairly new on the scene when it comes to mainstream use. Let’s have a look at some mechanical problems that are specific to GreenWorks lawn mowers.

Nº 1 of the Most Common Greenworks Lawn Mowers Problems

One very common problem on some of these models has to do with the cable that controls an automatic shut off. It runs from the handle to the engine. Many users report this cable being too loose and as they use the mower a few times the cable gets even looser. This issue prevents the mower from starting up as it should. There is a fix for this problem if you are up to the task. Check the cable to see if it is too loose. Slack in the cable prevents it from doing it’s job, namely protecting the user. Well, it does protect the user since you can’t get hurt with a mower that won’t start! You need to take the slack out of the cable. You can do this with a pair of pliers. Just make a bend in the cable carefully to remove any slack. This will make the cable do it’s job. Cables have always been a headache on mowers. You can adjust them, but it seems like there should be a better system that does not involve adjusting metal wires.

Nº 2 The Auto Throtting

Another small issue with GreenWorks lawn mowers is the auto throttling. This feature sounds like a good idea….until you lose power in thick grass which bogs down the machine. When mowing normal or thinner grass, the mower will idle down a bit. This saves power, but once it hits the thicker grass it has to ramp up for a few feet to get going full throttle to handle the tougher areas of your lawn. If your lawn grows at exactly the same pace then this is not an issue, but that is the exception and not the rule when it comes to turf.

Issue Nº 3: Unsharp Blades

Most of the blades that come with GreenWorks mowers are not super sharp. By the way, this is the case for many manufacturers. I don’t see why they can’t trust us with sharp blades on a brand new machine. I have had to sharpen blades on a brand new mower before ever using it once! I’m not sure if these manufacturers are just playing a prank on us or it is a safety thing. Whatever it is, I just don’t get it.

Issue Nº 4: Battery Power

You may find your mower battery lasts as it should, but there seems to be many owners that report batteries that don’t last long enough. If you have this issue, it’s best to contact the manufacturer as soon as possible. A weak battery right from the start will not get better on its own!

Last popular issue: Start/Stop issue

Many people in the comments asking for one single issue – Why Greenworks mower starts and then stops? Below is a short video example of how this can be on your Greenworks mower.

The most popular answer to this is:

You need to open up the motor portion (remove batteries and safety key first) and find two black very dirty mesh filters covering the inside of the air intake vents. Wash those and it should work fine. Also switch to a side chute instead of mulching for thicker grass.

Last Comment

I hope you don´t get me wrong here: I think Greenworks lawn mowers are very good mowers, but like any branch, these machines too have some little issues. I wanted to state out the most common ones that normally nobody talks about, but this doesn´t mean that Greenworks make bad machines. In fact many of their models are high rated in my overall TOP 5 Best Walk Behind Lawn Mowers Comparison Test as in general they are awesome mowers.

Nevertheless, once in a while your lawn mower might suffer from one of these issues. What do you think of the mentioned Greenworks lawn mowers problems? Have you had good luck with your mower or has yours been a pain in the grass?

As Always, happy Mowing!

20 Comments
  1. We are looking for motor brush for the Greenworks 13 amps 21″ lawnmower, where to get some or even a part number would be great. Everything else works great but after researching the motor problem, I found the brush are done…

  2. I have a greenworks mower, batteries are starting to die. I looked online and found I should NEVER! let the $125 battery go completely dead or I will kill it. It takes about 6 Amp hours to mow my lawn, depending on how long it is. How do I know when the battery is down to 0.5 Ah?
    Is there any way to resuscitate to battery?

  3. My lawn mower tries to start. When I release the button, it start to rev up but shuts off. The batteries show full power.
    What is my next try ?
    How do I test the batteries for amount of charge in each?

    • I have same problem. Mowed my yard last night. put the battery in the charger. Next day had a small patch of grass to cut. It started then 5 sec. is died. Tried to get it to run several times without success. Then it ran enough to cut the small plot. But died just as I was finishing. Now it either won’t start at all or starts then dies in 5 secs. What can be done to fix this. I’ve only had since the fall of 2021.

    • I have the same problem. Mower starts up, battery fully charged, but then the motor cuts out after about 5m seconds.

      • Same issue here. My mower was lightly used for 20 minutes. Now I cant get it to run more than 5 seconds. Even with the mower not engaged to the ground. No solid solution found yet on with tech support now.

  4. How can I shorten the handle on my mower. Model No. 2620102 21″ Battery Operated Self Propelled Mower.. I don’t see any where in the instructions how to do this. Please answer.

  5. my lawn mower starts up and then turns off battery is fully charged

  6. My brand new 40 vault self propelling mower its. At its lowest but dos not reach low enough to cut grass it needs to come down at least an inch or more how Cani lower it past the handle range

  7. My mower starts as soon as the battery is put in. It was fine last year. I left it covered all winter and today was the first time I used it in 2022. The cable moves fine. There is some slack, but that would keep it from starting. Any ideas? So much for the double protection of the cable and button. Place battery in and go…

  8. My almost new greenworks pro blade is not cutting. Only used a few times last fall and first outing today, it is not cutting any grass.

  9. My brand new 80v won’t switch from one battery to the other as it should.

  10. How do you know what cable to tighten up for problem #1 our greeworks pro does not start and the battery is fully charged. I live in Grand Rapids Mi and have not found any one who works on battery operated lawn mowers. We only used it for 1/2 year and it sat all winter.

  11. Has anyone gotten a response to this battery fully charge and mower doesn’t want to start issue?

  12. Don’t do anything to the cable It will void your warranty. I was just told tis by Greenworks tech support!

  13. I’ve started using my father-in-law’s 40v 20″ Twin-Force lawn mower, and I’m perplexed by the battery leds. After mowing a while, one of the leds goes on. Am I correct to think that the led is illuminated for the battery that needs to be recharged?

  14. My level 4 height adjustment falls to level 3 randomly while cutting. Can anything be done to correct this.

  15. Batteries fully charged when put in lawnmower press power button at same time lift handles only get a beep. Purchased August 26th 2023.

  16. I have the corded version with the metal base. Love it until I’m mowing and it will slow down and then stop. Recently I’ve had to jiggle the brand new cord and manipulate the plug itself and then it will reengage mowing normally. I’ve opened the unit and cleaned and checked connections. Looks good. During one mowing it stopped working altogether. I put it away and the following week it started up. No problem. My
    Yard is not large so I know it’s not overheating. I’ll continue to work with it.

  17. I buy a brannew greenworks mower MO48L520 , and cut grass in my back yard. It just cut grass successfully one time, then it did not cut grass any longer, although the blade still circulates.Please help me to solve the problem

    Leave a reply