Gas or electric changes the whole diagnosis
A gas oven lights its bake burner with a hot-surface igniter. The igniter does two jobs: it glows hot enough to light the gas, and the current it draws also opens the safety valve. As igniters age they still glow but draw less current, the valve stays shut, and the oven never lights. That is why igniters are such a common repair on gas ovens.
An electric oven heats with a bake element at the bottom and a broil element at the top, and a temperature sensor on the back wall tells the control when to switch them. Elements burn through, often with a visible blister or break. Sensors drift, which shows up as an oven that runs hot or cold rather than one that does not heat at all. On both types, the control board and the relays on it decide when anything turns on.
Stove repair, range repair and cooktop repair
Americans say stove, range and oven for overlapping things, so it helps to be exact on the phone. A range is the freestanding or slide-in unit with burners on top and an oven below; stove repair and range repair usually mean the same job. Gas stove repair covers burners, spark ignition, valves and the oven's igniter; electric stove repair covers coil or glass-top elements, burner switches and the bake and broil elements. Cooktop repair is the built-in burner surface set into a counter, and a wall oven is repaired separately from it.
Symptoms and what they usually mean
| Symptom | Usual cause | National range |
|---|---|---|
| Oven not heating or slow to heat | igniter, bake element, sensor, control | $100–$600 |
| Bake element broken | element burned through | $100–$300 |
| Gas burner won't light | wet or dirty burner, electrode, spark module | $100–$400 |
| Clicking that won't stop | wet burner, stuck spark switch | $75–$300 |
| Electric burner not working | element, receptacle, burner switch | varies by cooktop type |
| Door locked after self-clean | lock motor or switch, control | $100–$600 |
Fixr national oven guide (updated August 29, 2025) and gas stove guide (updated January 31, 2025), parts and labor.
Part prices
| Part replaced | Parts and labor |
|---|---|
| Door switch | $100–$200 |
| Gas valve | $100–$200 |
| Temperature sensor | $100–$250 |
| Door gasket | $100–$250 |
| Thermostat (older dial ovens) | $110–$340 |
| Heating element | $150–$400 |
| Igniter | $200–$350 |
| Control board | $200–$600 |
Fixr oven guide, updated August 29, 2025. Labor runs $50 to $200 an hour there, and some companies charge by the mile outside their area.
Check for a recall before paying for a repair
Three large recalls in recent years involved ranges and cooktops, and each came with a remedy from the manufacturer:
- Samsung, August 2024: about 1.12 million slide-in electric ranges whose front-mounted knobs could be switched on by accidental contact from people or pets. The Consumer Product Safety Commission counted about 250 fires. The remedy is knob locks or covers from Samsung.
- LG, February 2025: about 500,000 electric ranges with front-mounted knobs, same hazard. LG's remedy is a warning label and instructions for its control lock.
- Whirlpool, August 2019: about 26,300 Whirlpool, KitchenAid and JennAir glass cooktops with touch controls that could turn on by themselves; the remedy was a replacement cooktop.
The model number is on a label inside the oven door frame or in the storage drawer. The Samsung appliance repair page lists more detail on its recall.
Is the anti-tip bracket in place?
A freestanding range can tip forward when weight goes on an open oven door, such as a child standing on it. The Consumer Product Safety Commission counted 38 deaths from range tip-overs between 1980 and 2008, 20 of them children aged 1 to 5, and notes that anti-tip brackets have been required on ranges by the UL 858 standard since 1991. In December 2021 GE Appliances recalled about 132,000 ranges to inspect and secure brackets. If the range was ever pulled out for a repair or a floor job, ask the technician to confirm the bracket is engaged before pushing it back.
Repair or replace?
Fixr compares $150 to $400 for a repair with $600 to $1,600 for a new oven, and uses the usual half-the-price rule. Ranges tend to be worth fixing longer than laundry machines because the mechanical parts are simple and widely stocked. Glass cooktop replacement and control boards on high-end ranges are the costly exceptions.
Before you call
If you smell gas, don't touch light switches, strike a match or use a phone in the house. Leave, and call 911 or the gas company's emergency number from a neighbor's house or well away from yours. Do not wait for an appliance appointment.
Otherwise, note whether the range is gas, electric or dual fuel, freestanding, slide-in or built in, the model number, and exactly what happens: no glow, glow but no flame, heats but runs hot, or a code on the display. Urgent cooking deadline? A same day appliance repair visit may be possible depending on your ZIP code.
Questions people ask next
Is it worth fixing a range that is more than ten years old?
Often it is. Ranges outlast most appliances: the National Association of Home Builders put gas ranges at 15 years and electric ranges at 13 in its 2007 study. Igniters, elements, sensors and knobs are routine parts. A control board or a cracked glass cooktop on an old range is where replacement starts to compete.
Can I use the cooktop if the oven is broken?
Usually, as long as nothing smells of gas or scorching and the fault is limited to the oven. On many ranges the burners and the oven have separate controls. If a breaker keeps tripping or you smell gas, stop using the whole range.
Who fixes a wall oven or a cooktop that is built into the counter?
The same appliance repair companies. Say it is built in when you call: the technician may need to pull the oven out of the cabinet or lift the cooktop, which takes a second person or extra time.
Sources
- How much does it cost to repair an oven?, Fixr, updated August 29, 2025.
- How much does it cost to repair a gas stove?, Fixr, updated January 31, 2025.
- Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components (PDF, third-party copy), National Association of Home Builders and Bank of America Home Equity, February 2007.
- Samsung Recalls Slide-In Electric Ranges Due to Fire Hazard, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, August 8, 2024.
- LG Recalls Electric Ranges Due to Fire Hazard, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, February 6, 2025.
- Whirlpool Recalls Glass Cooktops with Touch Controls Due to Burn and Fire Hazards, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, August 28, 2019.
- Range tip-over hazard and anti-tip brackets (voluntary standards page on freestanding kitchen ranges), U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, May 3, 2011.
- GE Appliances, a Haier Company, recall of freestanding and slide-in ranges due to tip-over hazard, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, December 8, 2021.
- Emergency response: what to do if you suspect a gas leak, U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, read September 29, 2026.
Reviewed October 1, 2026. Spotted an error? Write to admin@compareappliancerepair.com.