Are you trying to prepare something nice for the family and the oven door won’t open. Or perhaps you have something in the oven already, and it suddenly won’t open? How do you feel, frustrated and confused, right? If this happens, don’t panic, stay cool and use the directions discussed below to unlock your oven door.

1. Check the Temperature Sensor

Every oven door should open after self-cleaning, but if your oven door has refused to open, then maybe the temperature sensor has started to malfunction.

Fix:

If you are certain that the temperature has dropped, then take the first step by rebooting your oven. Unplug the oven and let it stay for about five minutes before plugging it back in. If this doesn’t work, go through the owner’s manual to confirm that everything is in its correct position.

If that also doesn’t work, press the self-clean button and allow it to start for a few minutes. With that, the locks will be engaged again, and you can stop the self-cleaning process so that the doors will open up again.

If any of these don’t work out, take off the panel behind your oven and check for the wire harness that controls your oven sensor. Get a multimeter and test the temperature sensor to ensure it is at the right resistance; you can find out the right resistance from the manual.

If the temperature sensor is not at the right resistance, get help. Ask an expert to inspect and change the temperature sensor so your oven can work properly again.

Watch this video to learn how to repair your oven temperature sensor.

2. Your Cooling Fan Might Be Broken

If your cooling fan is broken, then it becomes a problem. The cooling fan is located inside your oven, somewhere around the top. While your oven is working, the coil might get damaged unexpectedly, and the fan might stop working.

When this happens, the oven will overheat and stop working because it will automatically navigate to safety mode. When this happens, the oven door will remain locked.

Fix:

First, you have to wait until it is completely cool for the door to unlock. Once it unlocks, try to fix the fan because your oven will not function without it. If you can’t replace it yourself, ask for the help of a professional.

Here’s a video you can watch to fix your oven fan in order to open your oven door.

3. The Programmer is Stuck

The programmer allows you to set up the process of pyrolysis to run for a particular time. However, your programmer can also get stuck and stop working, and as a result, your oven will automatically remain in the auto-clean mode and remain shut.

Fix:

All you need to do is use your selector button to stop the oven from operating, then manually put on the programmer again. Once this is done, wait a while for your oven to cool off before trying to open the door. If the oven door is still locked, run the pyrolytic process again. And if this doesn’t fix the issue persists, get professional help.

4. Control Board Gone Wrong

The control board is an essential component of your oven, so if it stops functioning, your oven will also stop working. And if it gets broken while the oven is in use, your oven door will automatically lock itself and refuse to open.

Fix:

If your control board suddenly breaks and your oven stops working, then you need to unplug the oven to force-stop it and allow it to cool completely. If it is cooled, it will open up, and you can get a professional to help you fix the control board.

Watch this video to learn how to repair your oven control board.

5. Defective Thermostat

A thermostat is a component in your oven that prevents it from overheating. If it accidentally gets tripped, your oven is likely to turn off while the door is still locked. If this happens, you won’t have access to your oven until you fix the problem.

Fix:

To fix the problem with your thermostat, you need to open up the back of your oven and locate the thermostat. You will find a red button in the middle once you find the thermostat. Push in the red button, you will hear a click sound which indicates that your thermostat has been reset and can now function properly.

However, if you don’t find a red button, you might find a hollow. If your finger doesn’t fit the hollow, look for an object to poke inside and reset your thermostat. If this doesn’t work, use a multi-meter to test your thermostat to confirm that it is working fine. Place the multimeter’s two probes on the terminal of your thermostat and make sure it is showing continuity, otherwise, your thermostat is due for replacement.

Furthermore, if your thermostat tripped, it can cause it to overheat, and your oven door will not unlock. To fix, unplug the oven and let it cool completely before unlocking it.

You can also watch this video to learn how to test and repair or replace your oven’s thermostat.

6. Door Lock Malfunction

Sometimes, the oven door will have given you warnings signs in the past that you ignored, or maybe it got locked because you suddenly ended the self-cleaning cycle. You have to try out various ways to fix your lock. But first, you need to identify the type of lock your oven uses.

Solenoid Driven

If your oven door lock is solenoid driven, it will come with a lever that you have to set before locking the door. You will always hear a clicking sound when your oven is locked and opened.

Reboot your oven by unplugging it, wait for a few minutes or hours, and try to unlock it again. If it still refuses to unlock and every other thing is fine, you might want to call a professional to come and help you.

Heat-activated Oven Door Lock

This is one of the most common door locks, and it is similar to the solenoid. However, the difference is that it doesn’t make any sound when locking or opening. This type of lock is powered electrically, and it uses a coiled spring that closes the door slowly as it heats.

If your oven door uses the heat-activated kind of lock, then you might need to replace the lock completely. However, if you still feel the need to check the lock first, you can locate the lock just below the cooktop, which means you have to lift the cooktop.

Also, you will need to remove every enclosure before you can access the lock mechanism. If you still can’t fix the problem, you should call a professional because the whole heat-activated lock might need a replacement.

Motorized Lock System

If your oven uses a motorized lock system, it obviously uses motors to lock and open the door. When the motor is working, you will hear a whining sound to show it is working fine, but if the motor starts malfunctioning, your oven door might not unlock.

If your oven door lock uses the motorized system and it refuses to open, you need to check the motor or the power supply that is leading the motor.

However, if you are not sure, you can use your multimeter to check the motor and ensure it is at the right resistance. Otherwise, it is damaged and needs replacing so your oven can function properly.

Furthermore, if you have the right tools, you can work on your motor control by opening the panel at the back of your oven and then removing the door latching rod and working on your motor shaft. If you are done working on it, replace it, but if the door doesn’t open, then get an expert.

You can also watch this video to learn how to fix your oven door lock.

Here is another video to learn how to fix oven problems that can cause your oven door to remain unlock.

Conclusion

If you have an oven, you know how important it is for your oven to self-clean. It makes things a lot easier for you and saves you the time and energy you would have spent cleaning your oven.

However, just like every other machine and equipment, your oven can wear out, and the oven door will be one of the first signs that it is worn out.

If your oven suddenly stops self-cleaning and the door refuses to open, you need to try your hands on some of the steps above to fix it.