--- title: "Microwave Drawer Mechanism Repair | MicrowaveRepair.center" description: "Freeing and repairing the motorized door of a microwave drawer: the drive motor, the gear and toothed rack, the slides and the switches that tell the board…" url: "https://microwaverepair.center/services/microwave-drawer-mechanism-repair/" --- # Microwave Drawer Mechanism Repair Freeing and repairing the motorized door of a microwave drawer: the drive motor, the gear and toothed rack, the slides and the switches that tell the board where the drawer is. ## What the microwave drawer mechanism repair involves. A microwave drawer opens and closes itself, and the parts that do it are what most drawer repairs are about. A small drive motor turns a gear against a toothed rack along the drawer's side; slides carry the cavity in and out; and a set of switches reports to the board when the drawer is fully open, fully closed and sealed, while the interlock switches confirm that seal before any heating begins. When something resists the drawer, the board stops the motor or reverses it, the way a garage door backs up. A lost spoon or dried spill in the track, a rack with stripped teeth, a motor that hums without turning, a slide bent by a knee or a heavy pot set on the open drawer, or a switch that no longer clicks can each leave it refusing to open, stopping halfway, closing and bouncing back, or showing a code. The technician checks for a control lock and clears the track first, then tests the motor, the gear and the rack, the slides and each position switch. Deeper parts are reached by drawing the unit out of its cabinet with the power off and the capacitor discharged. Parts are ordered for the exact model, and the drawer is run through several full cycles before the visit ends. How the visit goes ### What it usually costs Moderate · Drawer drive motor, gear rack, slides or position switches Clearing the track and setting the front square sit low. A drive motor, a gear and rack set or a pair of slides, fitted with the unit drawn out of its base cabinet, lands in the middle of the scale. ### Answers 5 problems Microwave Drawer Won't Open or Close Microwave Door Won't Latch Shut · What a Microwave Error Code Is Telling You · Microwave Touchpad Ignores Key Presses · Microwave Runs With the Door Open ### Comes up most on Microwave drawer ## Microwave drawer mechanism repair, step by step. Run the drawer open and closed several times, heat a cup of water, and show you how the lock and the manual release work. 01 Try the open and close keys, look for a lock or a code on the display, and listen to the drive for hums, clicks or grinding. 02 With the drawer open as far as it goes, clear the track and the toothed rack and look at the slides for bends or spill. 03 Switch off the power, draw the unit forward out of its opening, discharge the capacitor, and test the motor and the position switches. 04 Replace the drive motor, the gear or rack, a slide or a position switch, and set the front square to the cabinet. 05 Run the drawer open and closed several times, heat a cup of water, and show you how the lock and the manual release work. ## The problems it answers. 5 of them, from microwave drawer won't open or close to microwave runs with the door open. [All problems](https://microwaverepair.center/problems/) Most common ### Microwave Drawer Won't Open or Close 6 causes, cheapest first Before you call ### Tell us this when you book 1. Whether the drawer will not open, stops partway, closes and reopens, or will not close fully 2. Any sound from the drive when you press the key: a hum, clicking, grinding or nothing 3. Whether something may have fallen into the track, or the drawer was pulled or leaned on 4. Whether a lock symbol or a code appears on the display It also answers - [**Microwave Door Won't Latch Shut** 6 causes](https://microwaverepair.center/problems/microwave-door-not-closing/) - [**What a Microwave Error Code Is Telling You** 7 causes](https://microwaverepair.center/problems/microwave-error-code/) - [**Microwave Touchpad Ignores Key Presses** 6 causes](https://microwaverepair.center/problems/microwave-touchpad-not-responding/) - [**Microwave Runs With the Door Open** 5 causes · stop using it](https://microwaverepair.center/problems/microwave-runs-with-door-open/) ## Moderate, on the site's scale. Clearing the track and setting the front square sit low. A drive motor, a gear and rack set or a pair of slides, fitted with the unit drawn out of its base cabinet, lands in the middle of the scale. [Read the full cost guide](https://microwaverepair.center/cost/) | Repair | Relative cost | | --- | --- | | [Magnetron and waveguide cover](https://microwaverepair.center/services/microwave-magnetron-repair/) | | | [High-voltage diode, capacitor, transformer or inverter board](https://microwaverepair.center/services/microwave-high-voltage-diode-and-capacitor-repair/) | | | [Door interlock switches, latch or hinge](https://microwaverepair.center/services/microwave-door-switch-and-latch-repair/) | | | [Turntable motor, coupler or roller ring](https://microwaverepair.center/services/microwave-turntable-and-motor-repair/) | | | [Control board, keypad membrane or display](https://microwaverepair.center/services/microwave-control-board-and-touchpad-repair/) | | | [Exhaust fan motor, filters or heat switch](https://microwaverepair.center/services/microwave-vent-fan-and-filter-repair/) | | | [Lamp, socket, line fuse or thermal cutout](https://microwaverepair.center/services/microwave-light-and-fuse-repair/) | | | **Drawer drive motor, gear rack, slides or position switches** | moderate | | [Convection element, hot-air fan, lamps or sensor](https://microwaverepair.center/services/speed-and-convection-microwave-repair/) | | ## Where it comes up most. Most bookings: Microwave drawer. [All microwave types](https://microwaverepair.center/types/) Often the same visit - [**Microwave door switch and latch repair** 2 problems in common · low to moderate](https://microwaverepair.center/services/microwave-door-switch-and-latch-repair/) - [**Microwave control board and touchpad repair** 2 problems in common · moderate to highest](https://microwaverepair.center/services/microwave-control-board-and-touchpad-repair/) - [**Microwave diagnostic visit** 1 problem in common](https://microwaverepair.center/services/diagnostic-visit/) ### Microwave drawer ## The makes we see it on. 18 makes on this site, and the microwave drawer mechanism repair on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 18 brands](https://microwaverepair.center/brands/) ## Microwave drawer mechanism repair, where we come out. The kitchen, the climate and the building all change how the microwave drawer mechanism repair goes. These notes are about that, metro by metro. [All service areas](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/) [Tampa Bay](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/) FL · 31 areas Microwave drawers in Tampa Bay islands open on a motor and a gear rack, and sand and crumbs tracked in from the lanai find their way into that rack until the drawer stalls halfway; the repair clears it and tests the motor. - [Hyde Park](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/hyde-park/) - [Davis Islands](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/davis-islands/) - [Palma Ceia](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/palma-ceia/) - [Westchase](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/westchase/) - [Carrollwood](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/carrollwood/) - [Belleair](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/belleair/) - [St. Pete Beach](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/st-pete-beach/) - [Palm Harbor](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/palm-harbor/) [Orlando](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/orlando/) FL · 30 areas Guests in an Orlando rental push and pull a microwave drawer by hand, not knowing it moves itself, and that strains its gears; a drawer that grinds or stops short is repaired with a new drive gear or motor. - [Winter Park](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/orlando/winter-park/) - [Windermere](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/orlando/windermere/) - [Dr. Phillips](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/orlando/dr-phillips/) - [Bay Hill](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/orlando/bay-hill/) - [Lake Nona](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/orlando/lake-nona/) - [Heathrow](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/orlando/heathrow/) - [Celebration](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/orlando/celebration/) [Miami / South Florida](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/south-florida/) FL · 47 areas In a South Florida condo a microwave drawer set low in the island catches mop water and spills at its base, and a drawer whose motor hesitates or whose touch lid stops answering is checked for moisture at its connectors first. - [Brickell](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/south-florida/brickell/) - [Coconut Grove](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/south-florida/coconut-grove/) - [Coral Gables](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/south-florida/coral-gables/) - [Pinecrest](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/south-florida/pinecrest/) - [Key Biscayne](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/south-florida/key-biscayne/) - [Aventura](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/south-florida/aventura/) - [Sunny Isles Beach](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/south-florida/sunny-isles-beach/) - [Bal Harbour](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/south-florida/bal-harbour/) - [Miami Beach](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/south-florida/miami-beach/) - [Golden Beach](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/south-florida/golden-beach/) - [Weston](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/south-florida/weston/) - [Boca Raton](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/south-florida/boca-raton/) - [Palm Beach](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/south-florida/palm-beach/) [New York Metro](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/new-york/) NY · 75 areas A microwave drawer in a renovated New York kitchen may be the only microwave in the apartment, and one that will not open usually has a failed drive motor or door sensor; the repair is done from the front with the drawer left in place. - [Upper East Side](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/new-york/upper-east-side/) - [Upper West Side](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/new-york/upper-west-side/) - [Tribeca](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/new-york/tribeca/) - [SoHo](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/new-york/soho/) - [Greenwich Village](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/new-york/greenwich-village/) - [Battery Park City](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/new-york/battery-park-city/) - [Brooklyn Heights](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/new-york/brooklyn-heights/) - [Park Slope](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/new-york/park-slope/) - [DUMBO](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/new-york/dumbo/) - [Forest Hills](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/new-york/forest-hills/) - [Great Neck](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/new-york/great-neck/) - [Southampton](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/new-york/southampton/) - [Scarsdale](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/new-york/scarsdale/) [Houston](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/houston/) TX · 36 areas Newer Houston houses put a microwave drawer at the end of the island near the breakfast table, and children opening it for every snack wear its drive rack and rollers; the repair replaces the worn parts and resets the drawer's travel. - [River Oaks](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/houston/river-oaks/) - [Memorial](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/houston/memorial/) - [Tanglewood](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/houston/tanglewood/) - [Greater Heights](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/houston/greater-heights/) - [Kingwood](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/houston/kingwood/) - [Bellaire](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/houston/bellaire/) - [Bunker Hill Village](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/houston/bunker-hill-village/) - [Piney Point Village](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/houston/piney-point-village/) - [Hunters Creek Village](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/houston/hunters-creek-village/) - [Sugar Land](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/houston/sugar-land/) - [Cinco Ranch](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/houston/cinco-ranch/) - [The Woodlands](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/houston/the-woodlands/) - [West University](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/houston/west-university/) [Chicago](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/chicagoland/) IL · 50 areas Chicagoland remodels from the North Shore to the city set microwave drawers under island counters, and a drawer that opens a few inches and stops, or shuts and reopens, usually has a gear or a position sensor worn by use. - [Lincoln Park](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lincoln-park/) - [Near North Side](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/chicagoland/near-north-side/) - [West Loop / Near West Side](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/chicagoland/west-loop-near-west-side/) - [Wilmette](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/chicagoland/wilmette/) - [Winnetka](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/chicagoland/winnetka/) - [Glencoe](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/chicagoland/glencoe/) - [River Forest](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/chicagoland/river-forest/) - [Oak Park](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/chicagoland/oak-park/) - [Hinsdale](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/chicagoland/hinsdale/) - [Lake Forest](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lake-forest/) - [Highland Park](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/chicagoland/highland-park/) - [Gold Coast](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/chicagoland/gold-coast/) - [Lakeview](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lakeview/) [Los Angeles](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/los-angeles/) CA · 95 areas Los Angeles islands carry microwave drawers flush with custom panels, and when a drawer stalls the repair has to reach its motor and slides without marking the finished cabinetry that surrounds it. - [Beverly Hills](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/los-angeles/beverly-hills/) - [Bel Air](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/los-angeles/bel-air/) - [Holmby Hills](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/los-angeles/holmby-hills/) - [Brentwood](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/los-angeles/brentwood/) - [Pacific Palisades](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/los-angeles/pacific-palisades/) - [Santa Monica](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/los-angeles/santa-monica/) - [Hancock Park](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/los-angeles/hancock-park/) - [Studio City](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/los-angeles/studio-city/) - [Calabasas](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/los-angeles/calabasas/) - [Manhattan Beach](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/los-angeles/manhattan-beach/) - [Palos Verdes Estates](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/los-angeles/palos-verdes-estates/) - [Pasadena](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/los-angeles/pasadena/) - [San Marino](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/los-angeles/san-marino/) - [Malibu](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/los-angeles/malibu/) [San Diego](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/san-diego/) CA · 31 areas A San Diego microwave drawer in a beach house collects fine sand in its slides, and a drawer that grinds or opens crooked is cleaned, fitted with new slides if they are worn, and tested at its motor. - [La Jolla](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/san-diego/la-jolla/) - [Carmel Valley](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/san-diego/carmel-valley/) - [Point Loma](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/san-diego/point-loma/) - [Del Mar](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/san-diego/del-mar/) - [Rancho Santa Fe](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/san-diego/rancho-santa-fe/) - [Coronado](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/san-diego/coronado/) - [Encinitas](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/san-diego/encinitas/) - [Solana Beach](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/san-diego/solana-beach/) [San Francisco Bay Area](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/bay-area/) CA · 74 areas Peninsula remodels placed microwave drawers in islands at a child's height, and a Bay Area drawer whose touch control stops answering, or that closes on a spoon and reverses, is tested at its sensor and motor. - [Pacific Heights](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/bay-area/pacific-heights/) - [Presidio Heights](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/bay-area/presidio-heights/) - [Russian Hill](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/bay-area/russian-hill/) - [Noe Valley](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/bay-area/noe-valley/) - [Sea Cliff](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/bay-area/sea-cliff/) - [Hillsborough](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/bay-area/hillsborough/) - [Atherton](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/bay-area/atherton/) - [Woodside](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/bay-area/woodside/) - [Palo Alto](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/bay-area/palo-alto/) - [Los Altos Hills](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/bay-area/los-altos-hills/) - [Tiburon](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/bay-area/tiburon/) - [Piedmont](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/bay-area/piedmont/) - [Marina](https://microwaverepair.center/locations/bay-area/marina/) For the heart of your home. ## Questions about the microwave drawer mechanism repair. ### My microwave drawer stopped halfway. Can I push it closed? A light push is fine on models that close by touch, but do not force it against resistance, because the drive gears strip easily. Switch it off at the breaker, look into the gap with a flashlight for anything in the track, and leave it where it stopped if nothing is there. ### Why does my microwave drawer make a grinding noise? Grinding usually means the gear is slipping on the toothed rack, either because teeth are worn or stripped or because debris has lodged between them. Stop opening it with the key until it is checked, since each attempt wears the gear further. ### Can a microwave drawer be repaired without taking it out of the cabinet? Clearing the track and adjusting the front can usually be done in place. The drive motor, the switches and all heating parts are reached by drawing the unit forward out of its opening, which takes a clear floor in front and the power switched off at the breaker. --- **[Read on the site: Microwave Drawer Mechanism Repair | MicrowaveRepair.center](https://microwaverepair.center/services/microwave-drawer-mechanism-repair/)** **[Book a visit with MicrowaveRepair.center](https://microwaverepair.center/schedule/)**