Microwave Door Won't Latch

• Broken door hooks — The plastic hooks on the door catch in slots on the frame and press the switches, and a cracked or worn hook no longer catches.
• Weak or broken latch spring — A small spring inside the door pulls the hooks into place, and once it stretches or snaps the hooks hang loose.
• Failed interlock switch — Behind the slots sit the switches that tell the microwave the door is shut, and a failed one keeps it from starting even with the door closed.
• Broken release button or lever — On push-button models the button pushes a lever in the latch assembly behind the control panel that lifts the door hooks, and on pull-handle doors a lever inside the door does the same job. A cracked lever or button can leave the hooks stuck up or down.
• Sagging door or worn hinges — A door that has dropped on its hinges lines the hooks up below the slots, so they hit the frame instead of entering.
• Food or grease in the latch slots — Debris packed into the slots blocks the hooks from going in all the way. With the microwave unplugged or its breaker off, wipe the slot openings with a damp cloth, and never push a tool or anything else into them.

• The door bounces back open — A broken hook or latch spring, or debris in the slots.
• The door shuts but the microwave won't start — An interlock switch, or a hook that isn't reaching it.
• The microwave stops when the door is bumped — A loose hook, a worn switch or a sagging door.
• The release button or handle feels loose or does nothing — A broken button, or a cracked release lever behind the control panel on push-button models or inside the door on pull-handle ones.
• A gap along one edge of the closed door — Worn hinges or a bent door, so stop using the microwave until it is checked.
• The microwave went dead after the door was slammed or forced — A latch or switch fault that can blow the internal fuse, which sits behind the cabinet panels and needs a technician.

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