Electric Oven Won’t Program: Top 2 Reasons & Fixes (With Video!)

Frustrated by an oven that refuses to follow your commands? You’re not alone, and often the solution is simpler than you think! Discover how you can troubleshoot and fix common oven programming issues with our step-by-step guide, complete with an easy-to-follow video tutorial just below.

Need a replacement part for your electric oven? Search below using your specific oven model number to identify the exact part needed:

Turning your oven on should be as simple as pressing a button. When it isn’t, it may seem like the whole appliance has gone kaput, but that may not be the case! Often, an inability to program your oven’s functions is caused by one of two easy-to-access parts. You’ll save yourself a ton of time and money by testing and replacing the part yourself, and AppliancePartsPros.com is here to show you how to do it.

With this guide, you should have your issue diagnosed in twenty to thirty minutes. Don’t forget to check out the tutorial video below for a look at how everything’s done and a few extra safety tips for the road! Ready to learn? Let’s get started!

Top 2 Reasons Your Oven Won’t Program

This guide and the corresponding tutorial video cover troubleshooting for all major appliance brands, including GE, Frigidaire, Whirlpool, Maytag, LG, Kenmore/Sears, Samsung, KitchenAid, and more. Regardless of the make and model of your electric range, this guide should be able to help you solve your control panel woes!

Before You Begin…

For safety, be sure to disconnect your range from its power source, either by unplugging it from the wall outlet or flipping the circuit breaker. For your safety, you should never work on an appliance while it’s receiving power – especially if you’re performing maintenance on electrical components.

Tools For The Job

The steps we’ve outlined here rely on your range’s diagnostic mode to track down the cause of your oven issues. For this reason, the main tool you’ll need is a paper one – your range’s tech sheet.

If you don’t have a physical copy of your range’s tech sheet, you can find it online either on the manufacturer’s website or one of the many appliance manual repositories online. To track it down, you’ll need your appliance’s model number. This you can find on a sticker somewhere on the appliance. Check the following places:

• Open the oven door and check around the frame.
• Open the broiler or range drawer and check along the sides or on the inside of the door, itself.
• Lift the cooktop and check beneath that.
• Check the exterior of the stove, it could be on the sides or back, behind the main control panel.

Aside from the tech sheet, you may want to also have a putty knife and screwdriver handy to access the touchpad and control board for visual inspections. This isn’t necessary, though. Testing each component shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. Set about a half an hour aside to diagnose which component is causing your issues.

1. The Touch Pad

The touch pad is the range’s user interface, which allows you to program the oven. Each brand has its own set of touchpad designs, but while they can look fairly different, they all work in the same way. On the vast majority of ovens, the touch pad can be found in the center of the console. It receives user input and transmits the information to the control board via ribbon cable. If you’re unable to program your oven, it’s possible that some part of the touchpad has failed. Each of the pad’s buttons has a contact that can wear out, rendering that option inoperable. To test out the touch pad, you’ll need to enter your oven’s diagnostic mode. For specific instructions on how to test your range’s touchpad, refer to the tech sheet – you can find a copy online if you don’t have the physical copy on hand.The tech sheet will walk you through how to enter diagnostic mode, and should have a table listing out error codes, what they mean, and which corrective action to take to fix the issue.

2. The Oven Control Board

Your oven and all of its functions are managed by the control board, a computer board typically found behind the range’s center console. It collects data from sensors and switches, and uses this information to control the range’s functions. If the control board shorts out, which can happen after a power surge or, in rare cases, if the oven exceeds a certain temperature, you will likely notice that multiple functions have failed – including the ability to program the oven. You can do a visual inspection of the control board by removing the range’s rear access panel and checking the board for signs of a short – burn or scorch marks. It may be easier, though, to just enter the range’s diagnostic mode. Grab that tech sheet and check out how to test the control board. The steps and solutions will be different depending on the brand and age of your appliance.

Finding The Right Replacement Part

Once you’ve run your diagnostic tests, you should have a good idea of what was causing your problem. If the fixes suggested in the tech sheet didn’t do the trick, then you may be in the market for a new oven touchpad or control board – but which one do you buy? AppliancePartsPros.com recommends a genuine, OEM replacement part to fix your appliance. To track one down, you’ll need your appliance’s model number. We explained how to find that above, in the Tools For The Job section of this article.

Once you have that number, search on AppliancePartsPros.com. You’ll be presented with a list of genuine OEM replacement parts compatible with your appliance, and you can have the one you need shipped to you in just a few days!

Wrapping Up

Now that you know what might be stopping your oven from responding to your inputs, the only thing left to do is fix it! Don’t worry – we’re still with you. If you need help replacing a part, check out our blog and our YouTube channel for a variety of repair tutorials for major appliance brands, and visit our site for tips and advice from other do-it-yourselfers just like you. With AppliancePartsPros.com on your side, you’ll have your oven back in working order in no time at all!

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Since 1999, AppliancePartsPros.com has helped millions of people repair their broken appliances by providing high-quality original parts at well below retail prices, free support and troubleshooting, and award-winning customer service from an expert, friendly, US-based customer support team!