Oven keeps heating when turned off or overheats past setpoint

This is a fire hazard: turn the breaker off first, then diagnose. On electronic controls the usual cause is a relay on the control board whose contacts have welded closed. On dial ovens it is a stuck thermostat or selector contact. Less often a shorted sensor or harness is to blame. On gas ovens, a burner that won't shut off is a gas-valve problem and goes to a licensed gas technician.

Cross-checked ~60 min advancedBrands: All

Before you start

Immediate action: turn the range breaker OFF (gas range: unplug it or turn its breaker off) and keep the door closed until the oven cools; do not use the range until repaired
Gas oven whose burner flame will not shut off, or any gas smell: shut the appliance gas valve if it is safe to reach, ventilate, leave the area and call the gas utility or a licensed gas technician; do not diagnose the gas valve
Never tap relays, jump terminals or run the oven unattended to 'test' a runaway condition
Live voltage checks at the element or board are for trained techs only

Diagnostic steps

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OnCall Tech is a reference tool for trained technicians and can make mistakes. Always disconnect power and confirm with the manufacturer's documentation before you work.

More ranges & ovens guides

Guide · Range / Oven

Electric range trips the breaker or blows a fuse

Use the timing of the trip to split the problem. A trip at power-up, with every control off, points to the supply cord, terminal block, internal wiring or the breaker itself. A trip only when one element or mode is turned on points to that element (usually shorted to its sheath) or its switch and wiring. Rule out a weak or undersized breaker last, after the range itself tests clean.

8 steps ~60 minmoderate

Guide · Range / Oven

Electric range partly works: display on, oven or big elements won't heat

An electric range runs its electronics and lights on 120 V (one hot leg to neutral) but heats with 240 V across both legs. If one leg is lost, the range looks alive but cannot heat properly. Typical causes are half of the double-pole breaker tripped or failed, a burned terminal block or cord connection, or a damaged receptacle. A building on 208 V will heat, just more slowly.

7 steps ~45 minmoderate

Guide · Range / Oven

Gas oven lights then goes out, or keeps re-igniting

First separate normal cycling from a fault: the burner shuts off and relights to hold temperature. On glow-bar (hot-surface) ovens, a weak igniter can glow but pass too little current to hold the safety valve open, so the flame drops out. On direct spark ignition (DSI) ovens the module must sense the flame through the ground path; a poor ground, reversed polarity, a dirty or cracked electrode or a failing DSI module makes it lose the flame and re-spark. The gas valve, pressure and orifices are licensed gas-technician work only.

8 steps ~60 minmoderate