GE Oven F41 Error Code Fix

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What This Error Means

F41 on a GE oven means: oven temperature sensor circuit failure.

In plain terms: the control board isn’t getting a sane reading from the temperature probe, so it kills the heat and flashes F41.

Typical culprits:

  • Bad oven temperature sensor (the skinny metal rod sticking into the oven cavity).
  • Broken, loose, or burnt wiring between the sensor and the control board.
  • Less common: failed electronic control board (the “clock”/ERC).

Official Fix

GE’s playbook is simple: check the sensor, wiring, then the control board. Here’s the clean version.

  • 1. Kill the power. Flip the range breaker OFF. Don’t trust the keypad. You want it stone dead before you touch anything.
  • 2. Try a hard reset. Leave power off 5–10 minutes. Turn the breaker back on. If F41 vanishes and doesn’t return after preheating once or twice, you had a control glitch. If it pops back fast, move on.
  • 3. Inspect the temperature sensor inside the oven. Open the oven. Look at the thin metal probe on the back wall. If it’s snapped, burnt, or hanging loose, it’s bad. It’s held by two screws. Don’t yank it hard; the wires are short.
  • 4. Test the sensor with a meter. With power OFF again, remove the two screws, gently pull the sensor tip forward until you see the connector. Disconnect it. Measure resistance across the two sensor pins. At room temp, you want about 1050–1100 Ω. Way higher, way lower, or open/short = replace the sensor.
  • 5. Check the harness. While the sensor is out, inspect the plug and wires. Look for burnt spots, crispy insulation, or loose pins. Any damage here means repair or replace the wiring/harness before you blame the board.
  • 6. Verify from the control board side. Access the rear of the range or wall oven, remove the back cover, find the main control, and trace where the sensor wires land. With power still OFF, measure the resistance at that connector. You should see the same 1050–1100 Ω. If it’s good at the sensor but bad at the board, the harness is suspect.
  • 7. If sensor and wiring test good, suspect the control board. If the sensor reading is right at the board and wiring is clean, but F41 keeps coming back, the electronic control (ERC) is likely toast and needs replacing.
  • 8. Button it back up and test. Reinstall the sensor, reconnect everything, restore power, and run a 350°F bake test. No code and stable heat = you’re done.

If that feels over your head, this is the point where the manual tells you to call a service tech.

The Technician’s Trick

Here’s how a field tech usually chases F41 faster and cheaper than the book says.

  • Pop the easy panel, not the whole oven. On freestanding ranges, pull it just enough to remove the back cover. On many wall ovens you can pull the control panel trim and reach the sensor connector from the top. Less wrestling, same access.
  • Reseat every connector in the sensor path. With power off, unplug the sensor harness at the probe and at the control board. Look for darkened or green pins. Slightly tighten loose female pins with a small pick, then plug them back in firmly. A lot of “bad boards” are just lazy connections.
  • No meter? Play the cheap-part gamble. The sensor is usually the cheapest part here. If the wiring looks clean and you don’t own a multimeter, many techs just swap the sensor first. If F41 is gone, you’re finished. If not, then you start blaming the board.
  • Heat test the sensor. With the sensor unplugged and your meter still on it, warm the tip with a hair dryer or heat gun held back a bit. Resistance should climb smoothly. Jumping numbers or dead spots = junk sensor, even if it looked fine cold.

These tricks often save you from buying a control board you don’t actually need.

Is It Worth Fixing? (The Financial Verdict)

  • ✅ Fix: Oven under ~10–12 years old, cabinet and glass in good shape, and F41 is the only issue — a sensor and maybe a little wiring is a cheap, smart repair.
  • ⚠️ Debatable: Unit 12–15 years old, needs both sensor and control board, or is a wall oven that’s a pain to pull — price out parts + labor vs. a basic new oven before you commit.
  • ❌ Replace: Rusted or damaged cavity, multiple other failures (burners, keypad, hinges), or the control board is discontinued or costs more than about half of a new comparable oven.

Parts You Might Need

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See also

Fighting error codes on other gear too? These quick guides help as well: