GE Oven F16 Error Code Fix Guide

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What This Error Means

F16 on a GE oven means a keypad or touch panel fault.

The control board thinks a button is stuck, shorted, or not talking correctly to the main board, so it locks out normal operation and flashes F16.

On most models that code lives in the control panel area: touchpad, ribbon cable, or the electronic control board. A few oddball models use F16 for a low-voltage communication fault, but it still comes back to the same parts.

Official Fix

Here's the straight-from-the-manual path GE expects:

  • Kill power at the breaker. Flip the oven's breaker off for at least 1 minute. This is the hard reset, not just turning the oven off at the front.
  • Turn power back on and test. If F16 is gone and the oven runs normally, you just had a glitch. If it comes right back, keep going.
  • Disconnect power again and pull the control panel. Remove the trim and screws, gently pull the touch panel forward so you can reach the wiring.
  • Check the keypad ribbon cable. Look for kinks, burns, corrosion, or a loose connection where the flat ribbon plugs into the control board. Reseat it firmly.
  • Restore power and test again. If F16 is still there, GE's manual calls for part replacement.
  • Replace the touch panel/keypad assembly. This is usually the first part GE says to swap for F16.
  • If a new keypad doesn't fix it, replace the main control board (EOC). At that point GE assumes the board's key-scan circuit has failed.
  • If you're not comfortable opening the control area, stop and call a pro. There's live 240V in there if the breaker isn't off.

The Technician's Trick

Here's how a field tech squeezes more info out of F16 before throwing parts at it:

  • Hard reset done right. Kill the breaker, wait a full 5 minutes, then flip it back on. A long power-off can clear a locked-up board that a quick flip won't touch.
  • Moisture check. If F16 showed up right after oven cleaning or a big boil-over, pop the control panel loose (power off), aim a fan or cool air at the back of the touch panel for an hour, then reassemble and test. A damp keypad will act like stuck buttons.
  • Keypad isolation test. With power off, unplug the keypad ribbon from the control board. Turn power back on:
    • If F16 changes or disappears and the oven at least powers without beeping constantly, the keypad is usually bad.
    • If F16 pops up even with the keypad unplugged, the main control board is almost certainly the problem.
  • Connector cleanup. With power off, remove the ribbon cable, wipe the contacts with a clean pencil eraser, hit the board-side connector with a tiny shot of electronics contact cleaner, then reseat. Oxidation on those contacts can mimic a bad keypad.
  • Heat-stressed boards. If the code only shows when the oven is hot, the control board is likely cooking itself. That's a strong hint to skip the keypad and go straight to a new board.

If any of this sounds sketchy, stop at the breaker reset and call someone who does this for a living. 240V is not a learning experience.

Is It Worth Fixing? (The Financial Verdict)

  • ✅ Fix: Oven under ~10–12 years old, cabinet and door in good shape, and you only need a keypad or control board (usually under $300 in parts).
  • ⚠️ Debatable: Oven 12–15 years old, repair quote creeping over $350, or you already replaced another major part recently.
  • ❌ Replace: Oven older than ~15 years, multiple errors or heating issues, or parts plus labor are pushing half the cost of a new unit.

Parts You Might Need

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See also

Other appliances screaming error codes? These guides break them down the same way: