I have the same problem as discussed above. My Hoover Pet Cyclonic upright stops working while using it. The bottom feels hot when this happens. When it first occurred, I emptied the canister and even tried a different plug. It did not turn back on for over an hour. When it did turn back on, it would die again after about 3-5 minutes of use. I don't know what else to try. I have washed the secondary filters, let them air dry and replaced them and this did not help the problem. My friend, who bought one a few months after I did is now also having the same problem. This seems to be a mechanical problem with the vacuum cleaner. When it does work, it does not have much suction at all. The motor runs, but it does not pick up anything. This vacuum used to work wonderfully! I spent too much money on this vacuum cleaner for it to fail so quickly. This started a couple of months ago. The vacuum cleaner is only about a year old.

SOURCE: No Suction ARGH!

on the backside you will see a clear type of hose towards the bottom coming up the back.thats your intake hosethats whats clogged.you will see a connector that its connected to.on the connetor there is a screw,take the screw out and pull the connector away from the cack.take a coat hanger and bend the end so its round and work it down into the intake hose ,you should be able to push the clog out through the bottom.be carefull not to puncture the hose

SOURCE: lost suction

TOSS IT and forget it! I have never used a hand vac that worked that was worth the effort of turning it on .... I suggest they are all junk ... I found very few vacuum cleaners ... actually **** especially anything made by dirt devil ... I do have a bagless Bissell 6579-2 that I purchased 4 years ago at walmart for $49 ... It outperforms any vacuum I've ever used, including my worthless Shop-Vac that I paid a lot more for ... this Bissell vac SUCKS ... It could **** the barnacles from a steamship!

SOURCE: Hi My Hoover wind tunnel

If the motor stopped running, it most likely did because it was not being cooled, becuause something was stopping up the air flow. If you have cleaned the secondary filter out and it still stops while running, then remove the exhaust filter cartridge and try it then. If it does not stop running now, then the problem is the previous models like this had a foam filter as the exhaust filter, not a heppa cartridge filter. You will not hurt the machine by running it without the heppa cartridge. Cut a foam filter to fit to replace it. I do not think Hoover knows this yet.

I have a customer working on this problem today (Sept 2010) I have repaired machines for 30 years. This filter is meant to just catch the tiny particles from getting back into the air. However, it worked fine on the previous machines with the foam filter here instead of this Heppa cartridge.

Dave in Texas

SOURCE: hi, i've had my dirt devil for a couple years now

Detach the hose at both ends. Drop a coin or marble down one end. If it rolls free, the hose is okay. If not, the hose is clogged. To clear it hold the wrong end of the hose to the tank and turn on. The reverse suction should clear the blockage. If not, try pushing it clear with a broom stick.
Check the power head where the hose attaches. Drop a coin down from the top. If it gets stuck, there's a blockage there. Try to clear it by pushing the handle of a wooden spoon or similar dull item down to push it clear.
Depending on the noise the vacuum is making, it's also possible some dust/debris got into the motor, causing problems.