Maytag Microwave Not Heating (5 Issues Solved!)

A Maytag microwave not heating is a huge concern as it prevents you from warming up leftovers and cooking light foods. But before you can quickly call Maytag or the local microwave technician, you may want to try and troubleshoot the appliance and it starts with identifying the fault.

A Maytag microwave may fail to heat due to failed power supply, wrong control setting, an error code, an improperly latched door, or a faulty internal component. The faulty internal component could be the magnetron, diode, transformer, thermal protector, capacitor, waveguide, or main control board. 

Overall, you’ve to start checking the most noticeable faults, such as the power supply, control setting, error code, and an unlatched door, in the same order before considering the internal components.

To help you, I’ll walk you through the steps indicating what to check and how to fix it if something is amiss. The troubleshooting guide should help you get your Maytag microwave back heating your food like before. 

Let’s get into it!  

In a hurry? Below is a quick Maytag microwave troubleshooting guide for a non-heating microwave. 

Quick Troubleshooting Guide for A Maytag Microwave Not Heating

Why Is My Maytag Microwave Not Heating?

Your Maytag microwave won’t get hot and warm your food because of one of the five issues discussed below:

1. The Microwave Might Be Lacking Power

Your Maytag microwave won’t heat up without power, and we’re not just talking about a power loss. Assuming no outage, you must ensure the microwave is powered on.

Here are the issues that could cut the microwave’s electric power supply.

• Unplugged, wrong or faulty power cable – For the microwave to power on, the power cable should be firmly plugged into the electric outlet. You also have to ensure it’s the right type (120v and 3-prong unless stated otherwise). 
• Non-working electric outlet – Everything may be okay with the power cord, but if the outlet you are plugging into is not working, the microwave won’t power on. You can test it with another working appliance to determine if it’s working.
• Flipped breaker – During a power surge, the breaker flips/trips to protect the microwave from overheating. Once that’s the case, the microwave won’t power on. 
• Blown-up fuse – A power surge doesn’t just flip the breaker but can also blow up the fuse. And like a flipped breaker, a blown-up fuse prevents the microwave from turning on. You can tell if the microwave fuse is blown up if it lacks continuity.

Fix 

Check the power cable to certify that it is firmly plugged into the wall outlet. If it’s not, fix it accordingly and if it’s faulty (fails to show electrical continuity on a multimeter) or the wrong type, replace it. Ensure the power cord or its replacement is 120v and 3-prong unless stated otherwise.

Also, replace the wall socket or fuse if faulty (it doesn’t show electrical continuity on a multimeter). And if the breaker is flipped off, reset it.

After that, try powering the microwave on to see if it turns on. If it doesn’t, call a pro. 

2. The Microwaves Controls Might Be Set Wrongly 

Now, if the issue with your microwave is not a lack of power, it could be the wrong control settings. The microwave won’t get hot if you choose an unusually low Power Level.

The same goes for not selecting the right Cook Time. So, you’ve to check the two as you might have unintentionally changed them. 

Fix 

You should adjust the microwave’s Power Level and select the right Cook Time for your food. Here’s how to change the Maytag microwave Power Level and pick the Cook Time:

• Put your food on the turntable and latch the door 
• Touch the ‘Cook Time’ button and pick the length of time you want the food to warm up or cook 
• Touch the ‘Power Level’ switch to adjust the appliance’s Power Level 
• PL10 will appear as the default Power Level, but you can always enter your preferred Power Level 
• Tap on the ‘start’ button to run the microwave 
• Wait for the End Cycle beep when the selected time ends and open the door to take out your food. 

3. An Error Code Could Be Preventing the Microwave from Heating 

Sometimes, an error code prevents the Maytag microwave from heating. Two of the most typical error codes that can do that are:

• Demo Mode
• Control Lock 

Ideally, the above settings on your microwave may display as error codes. When they do, they stop the microwave from warming your food. 

Fix 

Disable Demo Mode and Control Lock if any pop up on the microwave display. 

4. The Microwave Door Could Be Improperly Latched

A Maytag microwave will only run when the door closes. So, this is something you’ve to check. Sometimes, shipping spacers or residual packing materials prevent the door from latching correctly, and you might not even notice it unless you examine the door closely. 

And if the reason the door won’t close has nothing to do with an obstruction, it could be the faulty door switch. You can tell if that’s the case if the switch fails to show continuity when testing it with a multimeter. 

Fix 

Remove anything obstructing the microwave door from properly closing. That includes shipping spacers and residual packing material. If the door still doesn’t close, test the door switch continuity. Replace it if it has no continuity. 

5. Maytag Microwave Not Heating Up Due to A Faulty Internal Component 

Now, if none of the above four reasons prevents your Maytag microwave from heating, the reason is likely a failed internal component. It could be any of these: 

• Magnetron – The magnetron converts the high-current DC into microwave frequency which cools or warms up the food. The microwave won’t heat up if it’s burnt (which you can tell when it fails the multimeter continuity test). 
• Diode – The diode, whose job is to convert AC power to DC and double the voltage, may burn out and prevent the microwave from heating. A faulty diode won’t show continuity on a multimeter. 
• High-voltage transformer – The Maytag microwave needs about 3,000 – 4,000 volts to heat the food, which is pretty high. So, they need the transformer to alter the power, but the microwave cannot heat up once it fails. 
• Thermo protector – The Thermo protector, as the name suggests, protects the microwave from overheating. So, it trips when the microwave overheats, cutting off the microwave from power and preventing it from heating.
• High-voltage capacitor – The capacitor helps the diode to convert output power to DC voltage. Once it burns out, the microwave won’t heat up. 
• Waveguide – The waveguide guides the microwaves to the cooking cavity to enable the food to warm up. If it’s faulty, the microwave is unable to get hot. 
• Main control board – Though rare, the microwave main control board sometimes fails; when it does, all microwave functions, including heating, fail.

Fix 

You need to have the above components checked by a qualified microwave technician, as the microwave stores high-voltage electricity in its capacitor. So, you could still suffer an electric shock even if the microwave is unplugged.

Maytag Microwave Making Loud Noise and Not Heating

Sometimes the Maytag microwave would make some noise but won’t warm or cook your food. That’s likely to happen due to a defective magnetron or high-voltage capacitor. 

If any of the two burns out, the microwave will make a loud buzzing or humming noise. If it’s neither the magnetron nor the capacitor that’s faulty, it’s most likely the diode that has burned out and needs a replacement.

Other than the microwave not heating and making a buzzing or humming sound, you can identify a bad microwave diode if the microwave sparks.

Maytag Microwave Running but Not Heating

Just because the microwave is running or powered on doesn’t mean it will heat up. At times the microwave runs but will not heat your food, and it could be due to any of these issues:

• Faulty door switch 
• Blown up fuse
• Burnt diode 
• Defective magnetron 
• Bad capacitor 

Revert to a table shared earlier to know how to go about it in each of the above cases. You’ll need to replace any of the above microwave components once you confirm it’s faulty. A microwave technician, however, can help you check and replace them. 

People Also Ask

1. How Do I Fix a Maytag Microwave Not Heating?

You can fix a Maytag microwave that’s not heating by:

• Ensuring the microwave has power
• Closing the microwave door properly and replacing the door switch if it’s faulty 
• Disabling the Demo Mode or Control Lock 
• Adjusting the Cook Time and Power Level appropriately
• Replacing any defective inner component such as the magnetron, diode, capacitor, or transformer. 

2. Why Is My Microwave Turning On but Not Heating Up?

Your microwave is turning on but failing to heat up because the door switch is faulty and preventing the microwave from running. It could also be that the diode, magnetron, or high-voltage capacitor is defective.

3. How Do You Reset a Maytag Microwave? 

Consider powering off the microwave from the circuit breaker by switching off the breaker for at least 1 minute to reset it. Alternatively, plug out your microwave for about one minute and then plug it back to reboot it. 

Closing Thought On the Maytag Microwave Not Heating: 

The above five issues are why Maytag microwaves fail to heat or warm up your food. So, consider them before calling a microwave technician unless it’s a failed inner component such as the diode, magnetron, high-voltage capacitor, or high-voltage transformer. 

Also Read:

• Troubleshooting the Maytag Microwave Open/Close Door Error