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A countertop stainless microwave on a kitchen counter with its side-hinged door with a mesh window standing half open, the microwave cavity lit and a plain glass mug on the glass turntable, a visible crack running across the door window glass.

Microwave
Runs With the Door Open

A microwave that runs with the door open keeps its heating hum or its turntable going after the door swings wide, or starts before the door is fully shut, and a door that is bent, cracked or no longer sits flat belongs on this page too.

(844) 393-5858

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • Stop using it
  • 5 questions that narrow it
  • 5 causes, cheapest first

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Door shut, stop pressed, power off at the breaker

Do not use the microwave until it is repaired. A unit that heats with the door open, or with a damaged door, can let energy out toward the person standing in front of it. Leave it unplugged or off at the breaker, do not bend the door back or swap switches yourself, and never open the outer case: the capacitor inside holds a charge.

What it
usually means.

A microwave may make energy only while its door is closed, and three switches behind the latch see to it. Two of them cut the power when the latch hooks pull out; the third, the monitor switch, shorts the circuit and blows the fuse if the first two fail to open. The door is part of the shield as well: the mesh behind the window, the metal frame and the choke channel around its edge keep the energy inside. A microwave that keeps heating with the door open has lost that chain, usually through a stuck or welded switch, a broken latch hook that no longer moves its switch, or a relay on the board that has stuck on. A door with a bent frame, a cracked window, a broken hinge or a gap along its edge may seal poorly even when the switches work. None of this can be judged by eye from outside, and meters sold for home use are not a dependable test, so a microwave in this state is simply not used until it is repaired. The cavity light coming on and a hood combination's vent fan running with the door open are normal and not part of this problem.

A close view of the open side-hinged door of a stainless built-in microwave in a US kitchen, the microwave door's mesh window and its two white latch hooks sharp in the foreground, a technician's hand holding a small meter probe near the latch slot in the microwave's frame. The 5 causes, cheapest first

Answer these first

01

When you open the door mid-cycle, does the heating hum and the turntable stop, or keep going?
02

Does it begin heating before the door has clicked shut?
03

Is the door bent, sagging at one corner, cracked in the window or loose on its hinges?
04

Are the latch hooks on the door straight and whole, and does the door close with a firm click?
05

Has the door been leaned on, used to hold a towel or a heavy dish, or struck by something?

Check these
before you book.

Microwave runs with the door open: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything.

01

Stop using the microwave now: press stop, unplug a countertop unit, or switch a built-in, drawer or hood combination off at the breaker.

02

Do not tape, prop or wedge the door or the latch to make it work; the switches are a safety system, not a convenience.

03

Look at the door from the side for a bend, a gap along the edge or a crack in the window, without forcing it.

Also worth checking

  • Check the latch hooks on the door for a crack or a missing tip, and photograph them.
  • Tell us what keeps running when the door opens, how the door was damaged if you know, and the model number from the label inside the door frame.

The causes,
cheapest first.

5 things microwave runs with the door open turns out to be, from door switches stuck or welded to a relay on the control board stuck on.

The cost guide
  1. 01 low to moderate

    Door switches stuck or welded

    The contacts in an old switch can weld together after thousands of cycles, and a switch body can crack. The whole set is tested and replaced together, never one alone, and the fuse is checked with them.

    Fixed by microwave door switch and latch repair
  2. 02 low to moderate

    A cracked or bent latch hook

    The plastic hooks on the door press the switches as it closes. A cracked hook may still catch the frame but press its switch too early, or hold it pressed after the door opens.

    Fixed by microwave door switch and latch repair
  3. 03 moderate

    A bent door or a broken hinge

    A hood combination's door sits at head height and gets used as a hand rest; a countertop door gets slammed. A frame pulled out of true, or a hinge that cracked, leaves a gap along the seal even when the latch works.

    Fixed by microwave door switch and latch repair On a microwave hood combination
  4. 04 moderate

    A cracked window or damaged mesh

    The perforated metal behind the door glass is part of the shield. A crack that reaches it, or a mesh that has been dented or cut, means the door is replaced rather than patched.

    Fixed by microwave door switch and latch repair
  5. 05 moderate to highest

    A relay on the control board stuck on

    If the turntable and the cooling fan carry on after the door opens while the switches test good, a relay on the board has welded shut. The same board decides when the magnetron runs, so it is replaced before the unit goes back into service.

    Fixed by microwave control board and touchpad repair
  6. What it costs

    Every repair on the site's cost scale, side by side

    Open the cost guide

The makes
it happens on.

18 makes on this site; microwave runs with the door open can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page.

All 18 brands

Microwave Runs With the Door Open,
where we come out.

9 metros, each with its own page.

All service areas

Tampa BayFL · 31 areas

OrlandoFL · 30 areas

Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas

New York MetroNY · 75 areas

HoustonTX · 36 areas

ChicagoIL · 50 areas

Los AngelesCA · 95 areas

San DiegoCA · 31 areas

San Francisco Bay AreaCA · 74 areas

A family warming plates of food at a built-in microwave in a bright kitchen
For the heart of your home.

Questions about
microwave runs with the door open.

The light stays on when I open the door. Is that this problem?
No. The cavity light is meant to come on when the door opens, and a hood combination's vent fan can keep running on its own. The concern is the heating hum or the turntable carrying on after the door opens.
Can a store-bought leak meter tell me whether my door is safe?
Not reliably. Inexpensive meters vary widely and react to phones and wireless routers. A door that is bent, cracked or lets the unit heat while open is taken out of use whatever a meter shows.
My door got a dent but still closes. Can I keep using it?
A dent in the outer skin alone may be cosmetic, but one that reaches the frame, the edge or the window can open a gap. Get it looked at before you trust it again.
Is a door repair worth it, or should the microwave be replaced?
Switches and latch parts are modest repairs on any model. A whole door is worth replacing on a built-in, a drawer or a hood combination; on a small countertop unit it can approach the cost of a new one.

Back to your everyday

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