How to Unlock LG Oven Door (After Self-Cleaning)

Self-cleaning ovens are such a great invention—they take all the hard work out of one of the dirtiest, most difficult chores! But what if your LG oven door won’t open after the self-cleaning cycle ends? Our guide walks you through what to do if this happens, and how to prevent it from happening in the future. 

We cover all major models of LG Oven in this article, including:

LCG3091ST

LDG3016ST

LRE3023ST

LRE30451SB

LRE30451ST

LRE30451SW

LRE30453ST

LRE30453ST/01

LRE30755SB

LRE30755ST

LRE30755SW

LRE30955ST

LRG30355SB

LRG30355ST

LRG30355SW

LRG30357ST

LRG3081ST

LRG30855ST

LRG3093ST

LRG3095ST

LRG3097ST

What’s happening during the self-cleaning cycle?

First of all, how does a self-cleaning cycle actually work? Using a process called “pyrolytic cleaning,” high temperatures break down food particles, grease, and other residues inside your oven. These temperatures are far hotter than normal cooking temperatures—usually between 800 and 1000°F.

When subjected to these temperatures over a period of two to four hours, any dirt in the oven is turned into a fine ash. After the cycle is finished, the ash can then be wiped away. 

As you can imagine, these high temperatures can be extremely dangerous. The air inside is superheated, and opening an oven during a self-cleaning cycle could lead to singed eyelashes and even burns! To prevent injury, LG ovens use an automatic locking mechanism during the self-cleaning cycle. 

Your LG oven is still in the cooling-down period

If you’ve used the self-cleaning function on your oven and it isn’t opening, it could still be in the cool-down period. This keeps the oven lock engaged until the oven cools down to a safe enough temperature. As ovens are very good at holding onto heat, it can take a while for your LG oven to cool down enough to be safe—sometimes up to 90 minutes!

The fix

Before you panic, ensure you’ve left your LG oven to cool down for at least 90 minutes. In most cases, your door will unlock without you having to take any further action. 

There’s an issue with the temperature sensor

Your LG oven uses a temperature sensor to sense when it has cooled down enough to safely unlock the door. However, if there’s an issue with the sensor, it can cause your oven to stay locked, even when it’s at a safe temperature or completely cooled down. 

The fix

• Try an oven reset—this can reset the sensor, allowing your oven to unlock. 
• First, switch off the power to your oven, and leave it off for at least 5 minutes. 
• Turn it back on and see if the oven unlocks.
• If it still isn’t unlocking, try beginning a new cleaning cycle, then immediately press cancel.
• If it still isn’t working, try our next step. There may be a hardware issue. 

There’s a fault with the door lock

It’s possible that there’s a fault in your oven’s locking mechanism, and in this case, you’ll need to release your oven door manually. Here’s how to do it!

• First, ensure your oven is completely turned off. You can either unplug it or flip the circuit breaker that corresponds to your oven power outlet. 
• Using a furniture dolly, move the oven away from the wall to gain access to the back access panel. 
• Unscrew the rear access panel.
• Locate the two wires that connect to the door lock motor assembly and disconnect them. Remove the screws holding them in place. You may want to take a picture of the assembly before you take it apart so you can ensure it all gets put back together correctly.
• Remove the motor assembly from the door lock, and unhook and press on the actuator rod to manually unlock the door. 
• Check to see if the oven door now opens. It should no longer be locked.
• Put everything back together using the picture you took as a reference. 
• Turn the oven back on. You should be able to use it as normal.

Although this method is great for getting your oven usable again, it doesn’t solve the issue of what caused the lock in the first place. It’s possible it was just a random, one-time event, but if your lock gets stuck every time you use the self-cleaning cycle, you may need to replace the entire lock mechanism. 

There’s an issue with the control board

The control board is like the computer of your oven—it’s in charge of all the different functions. If there’s an issue with the control board, it will need to be replaced. This is a job for an experienced DIYer, so please only attempt if you have electrical experience! 

The fix

• Order a replacement control board that is compatible with your LG oven online. There are a number of different online suppliers—make sure you go with someone well-reviewed to ensure you’re getting a quality part. 
• Unplug your oven or flip the circuit breaker.
• Remove the rear access panel.
• Disconnect the ribbon connector from the control board.
• Unscrew the control board and put it aside, making sure you keep the screws safe.
• Take the new control board and fit it carefully into place, making sure it’s properly aligned in the housing. 
• Screw it into place using the screws you set aside earlier.
• Reconnect the ribbon connector.
• Put the rear panel back in place and screw down firmly.
• Plug the oven in again or switch on its circuit breaker. When it turns on, your LG oven should no longer be stuck on “lock” mode.