There is a difference between a dryer that will not heat and one that heats but takes two goes. The second version usually means the heat is arriving and the moisture is not leaving, or the machine is misreading how wet the load still is.
Rule Out the Simple Causes
- Load size. A drum stuffed to the top cannot tumble, and clothes that do not move do not dry. Two smaller loads finish sooner than one heroic one.
- Spin speed before drying. If the washer left the load soaking rather than damp, the dryer inherits work that belongs to the spin cycle.
- Mixed fabrics. One heavy towel among shirts leaves the machine either stopping early or running long, depending on how it senses.
- Filter film. Run water over the lint screen. If it beads and sits, wash the screen properly.
Then Look at the Vent
Restricted venting is the single most common cause of creeping dry times. With the machine unplugged or its breaker off, disconnect the hose and check it and the wall duct. A hose crushed flat behind the machine is enough on its own. So is a long run with several bends, or an exterior flap that no longer opens fully.
Sensor Dry and Why It Ends Early
Automatic cycles judge dryness with moisture strips inside the drum. Fabric softener leaves a film on those strips over time, and a film reads as dry fabric, so the cycle ends with damp clothes still inside. Wiping the strips with a cloth and a little rubbing alcohol, with the machine switched off, is a reasonable owner-level step. If automatic cycles end early but a timed cycle dries the same load normally, that is a strong hint in this direction.
When it is none of the above, the candidates are a weak blower, a partly failed heating element on an electric model, or thermostats cycling early. Book a Maytag dryer repair and say whether timed dry behaves differently from automatic, because that one detail saves a lot of diagnosis time.