Why Does The Red Light Flash On My Electric Stove?

As you use your electric stove, you can encounter a variety of service problems. Stoves generally have lights for the oven and the burners, as well as control panel lights that also can flash red. If your stove's red light(s) is blinking at you, you might be able to troubleshoot the problem on your own.

If you encounter flashing red lights from the control panel area, it is likely that the power flow to the stove was briefly interrupted. This can happen because of a power surge or the electricity shutting off. Typically, this just causes the stove to reset. Pressing the "Clear" button should resolve the flashing light issue.

If you recently were running a self-cleaning cycle on the stove, the red door lock light may be blinking. If this is the case, you either have a problem with the cycle or with the locking mechanism. Troubleshoot to determine which. Start a self-cleaning cycle and let it go for at least 30 seconds, then cancel the cycle. The oven should not have heated up too much, so the door should unlock and the light should stop blinking. If the red light does not stop blinking, disconnect power to the unit for one full minute. Then, restore the power and set the clock. If the red light continues to blink, check the unit to determine if you have accidentally enabled the child lock feature. Not all models have this feature. If you do not have the child lock feature enabled and it still is blinking, you likely have a failure in the locking mechanism. A technician can run a diagnostic on the unit for you to confirm this. Meanwhile, you should be able to use the burners but not the oven.

If the flashing red light is from the clock area of the stove, especially if it is flashing a red error code, you might have a faulty touchpad or clock. Generally the error code you will see flashing for this is "F1." You can try disconnecting power to the unit and reconnecting to see if that clears the flashing light. If not, disconnect the power and unplug the ribbon connector from the electronic range control behind the clock. Reconnect power to the stove and wait. If you get the flashing red light error code with a beep, you have a faulty electronic range control. If the flashing does not reappear but you get the beep, then you have a faulty touchpad. A qualified technician can assist you in replacing the parts.

Your stove might just have a short to the light or the light itself might be faulty. A qualified appliance technician can run a diagnostic test on the stove to determine if this is the problem. You can consult with a local technician in your area. If you are comfortable making the repair on your own, the lights are relatively inexpensive and your user guide might have replacement instructions. However, if your stove design requires the entire cooktop or control panel to be replaced when the light goes bad, the cost can be considerably more expensive, depending on your stove model.

It is possible that one of the burner switches on the stove has a stuck pilot light contact. If you have a stove with individual lights for each burner, then it should be easy to determine which burner switch is faulty. If there is only one light, seek a qualified technician to diagnose which burner switch is faulty. The technician can look at the stove and assist you in getting the faulty burner switch replaced.