--- title: "The control panel is not responding" description: "KitchenAid the control panel is not responding — a panel that lights up and does nothing, or one where some buttons work and others never do." url: "https://kitchenaidmiami.support/symptoms/control-panel-not-responding/" date_modified: "2026-08-23" Appliance type: "Cooktops, Dishwashers, Microwaves, Ranges, Refrigerators, Wall ovens" --- # KitchenAid the control panel is not responding ### The fastest diagnosis is the code Look for a lock symbol on the display, and try a press-and-hold on the button your manual names for control lock — it is switched on by accident constantly, and on a machine with children in the house it is the first thing worth ruling out. Then dry the panel and try again, because touch controls and moisture do not get along. ### Rule out the settings first Control lock, Sabbath mode and showroom mode are three features that make a healthy appliance look broken, and all three are switched on by press-and-hold combinations that get triggered by accident. Between them they account for a share of the panels we are called to that need nothing but a manual and two minutes. Checking them costs nothing and it is the first thing we would do too. ### Then it is the panel, or the board Some buttons working and others not points at the panel; nothing working at all with a lit display points at the board. On over-the-range microwaves and on cooktops, panels live in steam, grease and spills, which is why they are among the more common repairs on those two appliances. Either way, the exact cost is confirmed after the on-site diagnostic and agreed before any work begins. Control lock is on A long press somebody did not mean, often shown by a small padlock symbol. Free to clear, and it accounts for a real share of these calls. Sabbath mode or a demo setting A displayed SAB or a showroom mode makes an appliance behave in ways that look broken and are not. Both are settings rather than failures. Water on the panel, or under it A wet touch surface responds unreliably. Water that has been under the glass makes it permanent, and that is the version that needs a visit. The touch panel or membrane Some buttons dead and others fine is the signature. On over-the-range microwaves and cooktops this is a common failure, because of what the panel lives in. The control board Where an appliance goes after a brownout, and where the diagnosis lands once the panel and the settings are proved good. Look for a lock or a mode symbol A padlock, SAB or a letter you do not recognize. Your manual names the press-and-hold for each, and all of them are settings rather than problems. Dry the panel thoroughly Especially on a cooktop or a dishwasher door. A wet touch surface behaves erratically and a dry one often behaves perfectly. Power cycle at the breaker One full minute. The manufacturer names this as the first step for several control codes, and it clears a board that came up confused after a brownout. Then book the visit Tell us which buttons work and which do not, and exactly what the display shows — including any letters, which are usually a mode rather than an error. Lit up and ignoring you What it usually means Some buttons work, others do nothing The display is lit and every press is ignored A lock symbol you did not put there The fastest diagnosis is the code Look for a lock symbol on the display, and try a press-and-hold on the button your manual names for control lock — it is switched on by accident constantly, and on a machine with children in the house it is the first thing worth ruling out. Then dry the panel and try again, because touch controls and moisture do not get along. Rule out the settings first Control lock, Sabbath mode and showroom mode are three features that make a healthy appliance look broken, and all three are switched on by press-and-hold combinations that get triggered by accident. Between them they account for a share of the panels we are called to that need nothing but a manual and two minutes. Checking them costs nothing and it is the first thing we would do too. Then it is the panel, or the board Some buttons working and others not points at the panel; nothing working at all with a lit display points at the board. On over-the-range microwaves and on cooktops, panels live in steam, grease and spills, which is why they are among the more common repairs on those two appliances. Either way, the exact cost is confirmed after the on-site diagnostic and agreed before any work begins. ### What does LOC or a padlock mean? The control lock is on. It is a deliberate feature — it stops a panel being changed by a passing hand or a cleaning cloth — and it is turned on by a press-and-hold that is very easy to trigger by accident. The same press-and-hold turns it off. ### The display says SAB. Is that an error? No. It means Sabbath mode is on, which changes how the appliance behaves deliberately — lights, tones and displays are suppressed. It is a documented feature and it is switched off the same way it was switched on. ### Half the buttons work and half do not. That is the clearest sign of a touch panel or membrane problem rather than a control board one, because the board is plainly alive and doing what it is told by the buttons that still report. It is a contained repair and worth describing precisely when you book. --- **[Read full article: The control panel is not responding](https://kitchenaidmiami.support/symptoms/control-panel-not-responding/)**