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

Most GE ovens and ranges have an oven light inside that works automatically or is operated manually, depending on the model. This light lets you monitor the food during the cooking cycle. If the oven light doesn’t turn on, it can be difficult to see how the food is cooking inside the oven without pulling the cookware out.

Here are 3 reasons your GE oven light might not turn on:

• The oven light bulb is loose.
• The oven light bulb is burnt.
• The light pad on the control board is defective.

Below, I put together everything you need to know about these 3 causes of a GE oven light not working. I also added practical guidelines on how to resolve the issues. 

The Oven Light Bulb Is Loose

When you constantly open and close doors or pull out racks and cookware, the light bulb in your oven can shake and become loose. If the bulb’s electrical foot contact or screw thread contact loses connection with the socket, the bulb won’t have current flow and will not light.

How To Fix a Loose Oven Light Bulb

To check and fix a loose oven light bulb, follow these steps:

1. Disconnect the oven from the power supply.
2. Take out the oven racks.
3. Lift the oven door to remove it (if that makes it easier to reach the oven light).
4. Place your hand under the oven light bulb and push the wire holding the bulb’s glass cover. 
5. Lift the cover out. You don’t need to remove any screws. In some models, you’ll need to make an anticlockwise quarter-turn until the tabs of the glass cover are released from the socket, then pull the cover out. 
6. Check the oven light bulb to see if it’s loose. If so, tighten it back into the socket.
7. Replace the oven light bulb cover by placing it into the groove of the bulb receptacle.
8. Pull the holding wire forward until the cover snaps in place. If your model has the glass cover tabs fitting into a socket, place the tabs into the grooves of the socket and make a clockwise quarter-turn to fasten the cover.
9. Turn on the oven and test if the oven light now works.

The Oven Light Bulb Is Burnt

Similar to an ordinary light bulb, the filament on your oven light bulb will eventually feel the strain of consistent use and burn. If this happens, your oven light won’t turn on when you open the oven door or turn on a manual oven light switch. A burnt oven light bulb has to be replaced.

How To Replace a Burnt Oven Light Bulb

To remove a burnt oven light bulb, follow steps 1 – 5 in the above section “fixing a loose oven light bulb” to remove the bulb cover. Then, proceed with the following steps:

1. With the oven light bulb cover removed, turn the bulb anticlockwise to remove it.
2. Check if the bulb is burnt. A burnt bulb will have a broken filament, a dark shade inside the bulb, or make a broken piece sound when you shake it.
3. Replace a burnt bulb with a new one by inserting it into the holding socket and turning clockwise until it’s held tightly. Ensure you use the same type of bulb. Oven light bulb types on GE ovens can be: 

• An appliance bulb. This should be 40 watts
• Halogen bulb (2 straight pins). Use a 120/130V bulb and do not exceed 50 watts
• Halogen bulb (2 looped terminals). Use a 120/130V bulb and do not exceed 50 watts

4. Replace the oven light bulb cover, following the steps you used to remove it in reverse.
5. Turn on the oven and check if the bulb lights.

You can watch the steps for replacing a GE oven light bulb in this GE Appliances video on YouTube:

Note: GE Oven owner’s manuals may have different ways to replace an oven light depending on the light bulb and cover your model has. Check the “Light Bulb” section of your owner’s manual to find the specific instructions for changing your oven light bulb.

The Light Pad on the Control Board Is Defective

If you’ve checked the bulb to see whether it’s loose or burned and everything seems to be in place, the next possible problem would be a defective light pad. GE Appliances recommends that you call service to assess and repair/replace a defective oven control pad.