Why is my oven door locked?
Those smart appliances are getting proactive to keep the kids from getting the cookies
out too soon or save energy because you keep opening the door to check if they are done.
The oven is not that smart, and I do not want it to be, or else it will argue with my menu
choices. The oven door is locked.
It normally locks when the oven is in self cleaning mode.
I do not think it is in self-cleaning mode.
It could be locked because the oven thinks it is in self-cleaning mode.
That’s a totally separate operation from baking and roasting.
Remember that the oven stays locked until the oven is cool enough to touch. So it should
stay locked for up to an hour or two after the cleaning cycle before unlocking.
It has been that long.
Self cleaning mode usually gets the oven really hot, sometimes hot enough to fry the control
board. The oven could be locked now because the control board died while the door was
locked.
How do I fix that?
You can try power cycling the oven control board to reset it.
It does not have an obvious reset button like my gaming console.
So turn the oven off at the breaker and back on and see if that unscrambles the control
board.
Or it might not be the control board.
The mechanical lock that is engaged during self cleaning mode could be stuck.
That requires an appliance repair person.
Another possible cause of the problem is a faulty temperature sensor, where the oven
only thinks it is still that hot.
That’s at least cheaper to replace than the control board.
The problem is that you cannot replace it without getting the door open in most oven
models. Well, maybe remove the wires to the temperature sensor from the back.
Then I try resetting the oven to see if that works.
It is easier than trying to pull the oven back from the wall.
How can I tell if it is the sensor?
Check the resistance of the temperature sensor with a multimeter.
I’d rather just hire someone else to check it, as well as move the oven.
You may need the repair person to replace the lock and motor assembly that holds the
door locked.
Unfortunately, it does not have a key.
Some ovens let you manually unlock it by lifting up the top of the oven and unscrewing the
assembly.
And I have to be careful not to damage the oven top or the door or I really will need
that repair man.