Direct answer: When a GE Profile oven broiler stops working, the usual causes are the wrong broil mode, a weak gas oven igniter, a failed electric oven broil element, or less often an oven sensor or control problem.
Most likely: Start with the simple split: electric ovens usually fail at the oven broil element, while gas ovens more often point to a weak oven igniter that glows but never gets the burner fully lit.
First figure out what the broiler is actually doing: completely dead, glowing but not heating well, or heating only partway. That pattern tells you a lot. Reality check: a broiler can look alive and still be too weak to cook. Common wrong move: replacing parts before confirming whether you have an electric broil element or a gas broil burner with an igniter.
Don’t start with: Do not start by ordering an oven control board. Controls are possible, but they are not the first thing that fails on a broiler-only complaint.
The display accepts the setting, but the top element stays dark or the gas broil burner never lights.
Start here: Check the broil setting, door position, and whether the oven is electric or gas before looking for a failed heating part.
You get some heat, but it is slow, uneven, or much weaker than normal.
Start here: On gas ovens, suspect a weak oven igniter first. On electric ovens, look for a damaged oven broil element or poor connection.
It may start heating, then shut off early, or work one day and not the next.
Start here: Look for a failing igniter, a cracked broil element, or a loose connection before blaming the control.
The lower heat still cooks, but the top heat never comes on properly.
Start here: That usually narrows the problem to the broil element, broil igniter path, or a broil-specific control output rather than a full oven failure.
Some ovens have high and low broil options, delayed settings, or door behavior that changes how the broiler runs. A simple setup issue can look like a failed part.
Quick check: Cancel the cycle, let the oven sit for a minute, then set a plain broil cycle again and watch through the window for the first few minutes.
If you have an electric oven and the top element stays cold, shows a blister, crack, or burned spot, the element is the leading suspect.
Quick check: With power off and the oven cool, inspect the full length of the oven broil element for splits, bubbles, or a section that looks burned open.
On a gas oven, the igniter can glow and still be too weak to open the gas valve properly. That is a very common broiler complaint.
Quick check: Start broil and watch the top burner area. If the igniter glows for a while but the burner does not light or lights late and weakly, the oven igniter is likely failing.
If the heating parts look intact and the broiler still will not run correctly, the oven may be getting bad temperature feedback or not sending power to the broil circuit.
Quick check: If both bake and broil act erratic, temperatures are way off, or the broiler never gets power despite good visible parts, move this higher on the list.
A surprising number of broiler complaints come down to settings, a canceled cycle, or expecting instant full heat before the broiler has actually started.
Next move: If the broiler starts heating normally on a clean restart, the problem was likely a setting issue or an interrupted cycle. If there is still no top heat, move on and separate the electric and gas clues.
What to conclude: You want the exact failure pattern before touching parts. No heat, weak heat, and delayed ignition point to different fixes.
The top heat system fails differently on electric and gas ovens. Getting this split right keeps you from chasing the wrong part.
Next move: If you find a clearly broken electric oven broil element or a gas oven igniter that glows without lighting the burner properly, you have a strong repair direction. If the heating parts look normal and the behavior is still unclear, keep going before buying anything.
What to conclude: A visibly damaged oven broil element is usually enough to justify replacement. A glowing but weak gas oven igniter is also a common confirmed failure.
Loose or heat-damaged connections and bad temperature feedback can mimic a dead broiler, but you can still gather useful clues safely from the front and cavity area.
Next move: If you find a damaged sensor or obvious heat damage near the broil circuit, the problem is no longer a simple settings issue. If nothing looks wrong, the failure is still most likely the broil element on electric models or the oven igniter on gas models.
By this point, the common part failures should stand out enough to make a smart call without guess-buying.
Next move: If one of those patterns matches cleanly, replace that part or schedule the repair around that part. If none of the patterns fit, stop before ordering a control-related part and have the oven electrically tested by a qualified tech.
A clean symptom pattern saves time whether you do the repair yourself or hand it off.
A good result: If the broiler now heats quickly and evenly, run a short cooking test and you are done.
If not: If the new heating part does not restore broil, stop and move to professional diagnosis for wiring or control testing.
What to conclude: The goal is not just to swap a part. It is to restore strong top heat without chasing expensive electronics first.
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That usually points to a broil-specific failure instead of a full oven failure. On electric ovens, the oven broil element is the first suspect. On gas ovens, a weak oven igniter is more common.
Yes. That is one of the most common gas oven failures. The igniter can glow orange but still be too weak to open the gas valve properly, so the broiler burner never lights right or lights very slowly.
A bad electric oven broil element often shows a split, blister, burned-through spot, or a section that never heats. If bake still works and the top element stays cold, that is a strong clue.
Not usually. Controls can fail, but they are not the first thing to blame on a broiler-only complaint. Most of the time the problem is the oven broil element, oven igniter, or sometimes the oven temperature sensor.
You can sometimes still use bake if the oven is otherwise operating normally, but stop if you smell gas, see arcing, notice burned wiring, or get erratic temperatures. Those signs need repair before regular use.