My GE Dual Wave Door Is Stuck On the Oven

The Simple Approach

• The hinges on the door have a tendency to wear over time. If you’ve been pulling on the oven’s door handle and it seems to unlatch but remain stuck, the hinges may be to blame. Although it doesn’t fix the situation for good, if food is trapped in the oven that needs to be removed, engage the push-release on the oven while simultaneously pulling upward on the bottom right corner of the door. This relieves stress on the hinges and detaches the release inside the unit and allows you to open the door.

Open It Up

• If you’re a do-it-yourselfer and you don’t want to live with having to lift the door every time you want to use the microwave, unplug the unit from its power source and grab a Phillips-head screwdriver. There is a series of eight screws that anchors the cover to the microwave -- four on the left and four on the right. Unscrew and remove them and then pull off the cover to access the electrical panel. Ignore the panel; just pull it back enough so that you can see down behind to where the push-release mechanism is latching.

Some Fidgeting

• A long, flat-head screwdriver should be able to reach down far enough to depress the lock-tooth, the actual piece to which the door attaches when the button is pressed for the door to open. This works pretty much like a door latch -- press down on it with the screwdriver or whatever similar type tool you’re using to pop the door. Try closing the door and using this method to open it a few times -- you may be able to work out any kinks the door has received over the years from use. If the door still sticks, grab a long wood file.

A Solution

• While pressing down on the lock-tooth with the screwdriver in one hand, jam the wood file down underneath where the tooth locks and file a little bit of the plastic away. What little bit of plastic dust that results will stick to the file or fall harmlessly to the bottom compartment. File in small increments, maybe four to five passes with the file to remove some plastic, and relock the door. It should open with relative ease. If this doesn’t remedy the situation, you should take the oven in for repair from a competent repairperson.