No heat at all on broil
The display accepts the broil command, but the top burner or upper element never gets hot.
Start here: Start with the broil setting, door position, and a visual check for ignition or element glow.
Oven broil troubleshooting
Thermador Oven Broiler Not Working
Direct answer: When a Thermador oven broiler stops working, the usual causes are the wrong broil mode, a door-position issue, a weak oven igniter on gas models, or a failed oven broil element on electric models. Start with the controls and visible heat behavior before you open anything up.
Most likely: Most often, the broiler either is not being commanded into true broil mode or the heating part for broil is not actually coming on.
First separate gas from electric behavior and watch what the oven does in the first minute of a broil call. A glowing but lazy igniter, a broil element that stays dark, or a door that changes the cycle behavior will tell you a lot fast. Reality check: broil problems are usually pretty visible once you watch the oven start. Common wrong move: replacing parts because the oven still bakes, even though broil uses a different heat source or circuit.
Don’t start with: Do not start by ordering a control board. On ovens, the control is usually lower on the list than settings, door position, igniter strength, or the broil element itself.
If it is a gas oven,watch for ignition and flame at the top burner instead of guessing from the control panel.
If it is an electric oven,look for the upper broil element heating evenly across its length.
Last reviewed: 2026-04-17
What the broiler is doing tells you where to start
Gas broiler clicks or glows but will not light
You may hear clicking or see an igniter glow, but there is no strong flame across the broiler burner.
Start here: Focus on a weak oven igniter first before blaming the control.
Electric broil element stays dark or only heats in one spot
The upper element does not glow, or one section gets hot while the rest stays cold.
Start here: Inspect the oven broil element for splits, blisters, or a burned-through section.
Broiler heats, but very weakly
Food takes much longer than normal to brown, or the broiler cycles off before real searing heat builds.
Start here: Check for a weak gas ignition pattern, a tired electric element, or a sensor issue if temperature control seems off.
Most likely causes
1. Wrong broil mode or door-position behavior
Some ovens have high and low broil options, and some change operation depending on whether the door is fully closed or cracked to the normal broil position.
Quick check: Cancel the cycle, set Broil again, wait a full minute, and test with the door in the position your oven normally uses for broiling.
2. Weak oven igniter on a gas broiler
A gas broiler can have an igniter that glows but still is too weak to open the gas valve reliably. That is a classic bake-works-broil-does-not complaint.
Quick check: Start broil and watch the top burner area. If the igniter glows for a while with little or no flame, the oven igniter is the leading suspect.
3. Failed oven broil element on an electric oven
Broil and bake use different heating elements. It is common for bake to still work while the upper broil element has opened up.
Quick check: With power off and the oven cool, look for a split, blister, or burned spot on the upper oven broil element.
4. Oven temperature sensing or control issue
If the broiler starts but cycles oddly, overheats, or never reaches normal broiling intensity even though the heat source comes on, the oven may be getting bad temperature feedback.
Quick check: If the broil source does energize but performance is erratic rather than dead, keep the oven sensor in play before assuming a control failure.
Step-by-step fix
Step 1: Confirm you are actually calling for broil
A surprising number of broiler complaints come down to the wrong mode, a timer setting, or door behavior that changes how the oven runs.
- Cancel any current cycle and let the control return to idle.
- Set the oven to Broil, not Bake or Convection Bake.
- If there are high and low broil choices, select high for testing.
- Give it a full 60 seconds while watching and listening at the oven window.
- Try the door in the normal broil position your oven uses rather than forcing it one way or the other.
Next move: If the broiler comes on normally after resetting the mode or changing door position, you likely had a control-setting or door-position issue, not a failed part. If the display accepts broil but you still get no real heat, move on to identifying whether this is a gas ignition problem or an electric element problem.
What to conclude: You want to separate a simple operating issue from a true heating failure before opening the oven or buying parts.
Stop if:
- The oven shows an error code and will not accept commands.
- You smell gas without ignition.
- The door will not close properly or the hinges feel loose or damaged.
Step 2: Watch the first minute and separate gas from electric behavior
The first startup tells you which heat source is failing. Gas and electric broilers fail in different ways and should not be diagnosed the same way.
- Look at the top of the oven cavity while broil is calling for heat.
- On a gas oven, watch for an igniter glow and then a steady flame along the broiler burner.
- On an electric oven, watch for the upper oven broil element to heat across its length.
- Listen for repeated clicking, delayed ignition, or a relay click with no heat.
- If the oven bakes normally but broil does nothing, note that because it strongly points to a broil-specific part.
Next move: If you clearly see a strong flame on gas or an evenly heating upper element on electric, the broil heat source is at least coming on and you can focus on weak performance or sensing. If a gas igniter glows without proper flame, suspect the oven igniter. If an electric broil element stays cold or is only hot in one area, suspect the oven broil element.
What to conclude: This is the fork in the road. A weak gas ignition pattern and a dead electric element are the two most common real failures here.
Step 3: Inspect the broil heat source with power off
A close visual inspection often confirms the failure without guesswork, especially on electric broil elements and obviously weak gas ignition setups.
- Turn off power to the oven at the breaker before touching internal parts.
- Let the oven cool fully.
- For an electric oven, inspect the upper oven broil element for blisters, cracks, burn-through, or a section that has sagged or separated.
- For a gas oven, inspect the broiler area for heavy grease buildup, warped burner metal, or an igniter that looks damaged or chalky.
- Check that wire connections you can safely see are not burned or loose at the broil element area.
Next move: If you find a visibly damaged oven broil element, that is enough to justify replacing it. If the gas igniter has been glowing weakly and the burner is not lighting, the oven igniter is the likely fix. If nothing looks damaged, keep going. Many igniters fail weak without obvious visual damage, and sensors can drift without looking bad.
Step 4: Match the symptom to the most likely failed part
By now you should have enough evidence to avoid random parts swapping and choose the part that fits the actual behavior.
- Choose the oven broil element if the oven is electric and the upper element stays cold, heats unevenly, or shows physical damage.
- Choose the oven igniter if the oven is gas and the igniter glows but the broiler burner does not light promptly with a strong flame.
- Keep the oven sensor in play if the broiler does come on but cycles strangely, runs weakly without a clear element failure, or seems to shut off too early.
- Do not jump to the oven control unless the broil command never sends power to a known-good heat source and simpler causes have been ruled out.
Next move: If one part clearly matches the symptom pattern, you have a solid repair path and can move ahead with that replacement. If the symptoms are mixed or you cannot tell whether power is reaching the part, it is time for a service diagnosis rather than guessing at expensive electronics.
Step 5: Replace the confirmed part or book service for the control-side fault
The goal is to finish with a concrete next move, not sit in diagnosis limbo.
- If you confirmed a failed oven broil element on an electric oven, replace the oven broil element with the correct fit for your oven.
- If you confirmed a weak oven igniter on a gas oven, replace the oven igniter and recheck broil ignition speed and flame strength.
- If the broiler heats but acts erratically and the evidence points to bad temperature feedback, replace the oven sensor if your model uses a serviceable one.
- If none of those fit and the broil circuit still will not energize, schedule appliance service for control or wiring diagnosis rather than ordering parts blindly.
A good result: If the broiler now lights or heats quickly and browns food normally, the repair path was correct.
If not: If the new confirmed part does not restore broil, stop and have the oven professionally diagnosed for wiring or control failure.
What to conclude: A clean repair restores fast top heat. If it does not, the remaining suspects are usually wiring, connection damage, or the oven control.
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FAQ
Why does my oven bake but the broiler does not work?
That usually means the broil-specific heat source has failed. On an electric oven, that is often the oven broil element. On a gas oven, it is often a weak oven igniter that will not light the broiler burner even though bake still works.
Can an oven igniter glow and still be bad?
Yes. That is very common on gas ovens. An igniter can glow orange and still be too weak to draw enough current to open the gas valve properly, so the broiler never lights or lights poorly.
How do I know if the oven broil element is bad?
Look for a split, blister, burned-through section, or an element that only heats in one spot. If the upper element stays cold during broil and the oven is electric, the oven broil element is a strong suspect.
Is a bad oven sensor a common cause of broil problems?
Not as common as an igniter or broil element, but it does happen. Keep the oven sensor in play when the broiler does come on but cycles strangely, runs weakly, or shuts off too early without obvious element failure.
Should I replace the oven control board if broil does not work?
Usually no, not first. Controls are expensive and are not the most common cause here. Rule out the broil setting, door behavior, oven igniter, oven broil element, and obvious wiring damage before going after the control.