GE Oven Touchpad Buttons Not Working [Solved] – Let’s Fix It

GE ovens are known to be one of the best ranges on the market today. They cook food faster, use less energy and are offered at very appealing prices. However, this brand of kitchen appliances is not without some common faults and problems. One of the most common problems that you could encounter with your GE oven is non-working touchpad or touchpad buttons.

Some of the most nagging issues people encounter with a GE oven have to do with the buttons not responding. Start by checking if your oven has power, then check if any child lock features are activated that could be inhibiting you from pressing the buttons. If this is not the case, your ribbon cable or control board are likely damaged, and will require replacements.

GE Oven Touchpad Buttons Not Working – Troubleshoot And Diagnosis

If you are frustrated, you are not alone — many other customers have gone through the same thing. Here’s how to resolve this issue quickly and effectively:

1. Check Incoming Power

When your GE oven is unresponsive to buttons pushes, check the power connection. The power cord should be plugged in securely into the wall and there should be no exposed wires.

It’s easy to find and test this, which is why it’s the first thing you should do!

Whether your appliance is in a garage, attic, or basement, it’s important to know how to connect it to the proper outlets. In addition to making sure that you’re plugging it into the right outlet, there are several types of outlets available — each with its own power requirements and capabilities.

It could be that the outlet isn’t getting any power, which is why your device is not responding when you push buttons.

First, the outlet you are using may not have power. Plug another appliance into the same outlet to determine if the problem lies with an electrical issue or in the appliance itself.

Second, the circuit breaker could have tripped in your home’s electrical system. Check to see if other appliances in your home are still working and reset the circuit breaker.

To work properly, the oven needs a power supply. The fuse is the safety system to protect the power supply. If you have too many appliances on the same circuit, it can overload the fuse and cause it to trip.

One of the most common issues with a GE oven is its ability to connect to power. Although each GE oven comes with an instruction manual that guides you through the set up, there are some errors you may encounter along the way that can leave your device unable to operate.

You can fix the GE oven’s power issue by checking the following:

• Make sure the cord is plugged into a wall socket.
• Make sure that the circuit breaker in your household’s main electrical box is in the ON position.
• If this outlet doesn’t work, please try another one nearby. If it still doesn’t work, you may have blown a fuse. Check that the fuse hasn’t blown out – if so, replace it and voila! Your oven should work again.

If these steps don’t fix the problem, call customer support — they can walk you through additional troubleshooting steps to try.

2. Disable The Child Lock

GE ovens come with a Child Lock feature for added safety. The feature disables most buttons on the control panel, but that’s more than okay. The function is primarily used to prevent kids from accidentally turning on the device and getting burned by hot temperatures.

Child Lock is a safety feature that prevents children from operating the oven when it’s active. This prevents accidents and lowers the risk of injuries.

When customers are new to appliances, they can sometimes have problems with their oven turning on, but not responding to their button pushes. This situation is often due to a common feature — Child Lock — which is designed to protect kids from accidentally hurting themselves in the kitchen. However, it’s only effective when it’s turned off.

Simply disable the feature in order to get your buttons working again.

3. Ribbon Cable is Damaged or Loose

GE’s oven control panel consists of several components, including boxes and wires. The wires play a vital role in the control panel’s operation by sending electrical signals to various oven components when you press buttons on the control panel. You can check out the connection between the wires and the  ribbon cable yourself. But It can be dangerous and we recommend taking help of an electrican.

The GE oven control panel, with its buttons and dials, is easy to use. The buttons send electrical signals to different parts of the oven so that you can start it or change the time or temperature. Inside the control panel, the signals travel through several other wires, including a ribbon cable.

As the name suggests, the cables are flat, just like ribbons, and can stretch out or retract to fit different parts of the oven.

GE ovens have been the gold standard for home cooking since the early 1900s — however, like most things built by human hands, they can exhibit a number of challenges.

If your range starts acting up and you can’t seem to turn it off, the issue could be with the ribbon cable inside.

Firstly, it might be loose. Although the cable has connectors for locking in place, they can still come unclipped after years of use.
This will cause electrical signals to fail, which means that your range won’t respond when you push buttons on the control panel.

The ovens often suffer from a loose ribbon cable inside, which prevents the signals from traveling through and ultimately makes the oven buttons unresponsive.

Besides that, a short circuit is also possible in GE ovens. A short-circuit can cause overheating and damage to the ribbon cable — making the buttons stop working.

First, unplug your oven from its power source and cut its current. Next, open the oven’s control panel and check the ribbon cable.

Is the cable loose? Push it firmly back into place. If this doesn’t work, take a look at the underside of your control panel and check that the ribbon cable is properly seated in its socket and all the pins are making contact. Sometimes the socket can become worn or damaged over time, which can cause the cable to become loose when plugged in.

You may need to remove the circuit board and inspect each wire to ensure they are in good condition and connect properly.

If you find that your ribbon cable is damaged or broken, you should replace it with a new one.

4. Faulty Touchpad

To test the touchpad, press each button in the top row of the control panel to see whether they work. This includes the two small buttons above the temperature dial and the Start/Cancel button at the bottom left corner of the control panel. If three or more buttons don’t work, try unplugging your range and then plugging it back in. If your oven still doesn’t start, call a GE service technician.

To determine if a touchpad is defective, first try pressing each button on the panel to make sure the one that responds correctly isn’t malfunctioning. If the control panel is responding correctly and all of the buttons are functioning, then it’s not an issue with the touchpad — it’s something else.

5. Faulty Main Control Board

The main control board is the component of the appliance that is responsible for making sure your oven heats up and cools down appropriately. Without any issues with the control board, your oven will heat food to the exact temperature you set it at.

The main control board is usually about the size of a piece of printer paper, and comprises a number of different electronic components, including semiconductors, capacitors, rheostats, and stepper motors.

Whenever you have technical difficulties with your oven, it’s best to get a new main control board. This board is a genuine part, so you don’t have to worry about getting anything but the highest quality.

Your GE oven’s control board communicates with the heating elements, fan, and sensors to monitor cooking temperatures. It also controls the display screen so you can easily monitor your cooking progress.

If your oven control board fails, you might not be able to control the temperature. And if the panel’s buttons no longer work the way they should, an error message might pop up on your oven’s display screen. If either of these things happen, you’ll need to replace the main control board.

Ovens fluctuate in temperature throughout the day and sometimes even during use. If there’s a short circuit or power surge, some or all of the components on your oven’s control panel could become damaged.

The main control board is the heart of your oven, and should be replaced only when absolutely necessary. The main board is one of the most costly parts to replace because it contains a variety of components and sensors.

Final Thoughts

If your GE Oven Touchpad Buttons Not Working, you need to get it repaired as soon as possible. You can take your oven to a GE service center for an in-person inspection. While it’s there, the technicians can check if it’s just the touchpad buttons that have malfunctioned, or if there’s a larger issue with your appliance.