GE Oven Light Won’t Turn Off? Here’s Why (+ How to Fix)

GE ovens have a light that illuminates the interior of your oven when you open the door so you can check your cooking with ease. The oven light goes off once you close the oven door, turn off the light switch for manual options, or press the “Oven Light” for models with an electric control panel. If your GE oven light doesn’t turn off, you may wonder why the light stays on.

Here’s why your GE oven light won’t turn off:

• The oven light switch is in the “ON” position.
• The oven light switch is defective.
• The control panel is bad.

I put together this short post to help you determine which of the 3 issues is causing your GE oven light to stay on. You’ll also find a step-by-step guide to resolving each problem. 

The Oven Light Switch Is in the “On” Position

This cause of a GE oven light not turning off is the easiest to resolve. If you have a wall oven or range whose oven light is controlled by a manual switch or control pad, you may have simply forgotten to turn off the switch or pad the last time you turned it on to check your cooking.

To resolve the issue, toggle the oven light switch to the OFF position or press the “Oven Light” button, depending on your model.

The Oven Light Switch Is Defective

Your oven light switch signals the light circuit to turn on when the oven door opens. Depending on your model, the oven light switch can be at the back of the oven and operated by an attached metal rod or at the front (which is the case for most models). 

If your oven light switch is defective, it can continuously signal that the door is open, keeping the oven light on even with the door closed.

It’s wise to confirm that the oven light switch is defective before replacing it. The testing and replacement process can be done following these steps:

1. Completely disconnect power to the oven.
2. Pull the unit away from the wall so that you can work with ease.
3. Lift the cooktop. The way to do this could vary with the model. In most cases, the cooktop lifts like a car’s hood.
4. Hold the cooktop in place with the inbuilt support rods.
5. Remove the screws holding the plate that covers the top insulation and pull it open. You’ll see the light switch on the top left.
6. Disconnect the wires to the oven light switch. Make sure you note where each wire goes.
7. Use a pair of pliers to press the tabs on each side of the switch. Doing this will release the switch.
8. Remove the switch by pushing it towards you.
9. Use a multimeter to test the light switch for continuity. Depending on the type of switch, you may have one with 2, 3, or 4 terminals.

• For a 2-terminal switch, place each probe on each of the terminals.
• For a 3-terminal switch, test the ‘NO’ and the ‘CO’ terminals first and then the ‘CO’ and ‘NC’ terminals.
• For a 4-terminal switch, test the ‘NC’ terminals first, then the ‘NO’ terminals.

In all three cases, replace the light switch if it doesn’t record any continuity.

10. To change the switch, push the new oven light switch through the same opening where you pulled out the old one.
11. Reconnect the wires. 
12. Screw the top plate in place.
13. Lift the cooktop from the support rods and lower it to its position.
14. Reconnect the oven power supply and test to see if the oven light now works as it should.

You can follow these steps on this AMRE video on YouTube: 

If your model has the oven light switch at the back of the oven, follow the steps for changing a defective oven light switch on this AppliancePartsPro.com video instead: 

The Control Panel Is Bad

If you have a GE oven model manufactured after 2016, the oven light doesn’t rely on the oven door opening and closing but can be turned on and off using an “Oven Light” button or pad on the control panel. You can find info on how to determine your GE wall oven or range manufacturing date here.

If the control panel is shorted, it could work as though some keys were continuously pressed. If the “Oven Light” key is affected, the oven light will stay on continuously. 

To fix a bad control panel, GE Appliances advises you to call a trained oven technician to assess and perform a repair or replacement.