Should You Repair or Replace Your Broken Wall Oven?

Paul Hope
·9 min read

CR’s interactive tool leverages product costs, depreciation rates, and survey data to help you make the right choice. Plus, expert advice on what to do next once you've decided.

By Paul Hope

Data visualizations by Andy Bergmann

Wall ovens cook pretty much everything that can’t be made on a cooktop. From roasting a chicken to baking cakes or cookies, a wall oven is essential to your kitchen, and if it dies, you’ll want a fast fix.

In this article, we’re talking exclusively about ovens built into cabinetry and paired with a cooktop elsewhere in the kitchen. Unlike with a range, there are fewer parts to break because there’s no attached cooktop, so you don’t run into issues with burners, igniters, or heating elements.

Nevertheless, the repairs tend to be a bit more complicated when a wall oven does break, simply because very few parts are easy to access or replace yourself. Our interactive tool can help you figure out whether it’s worth paying a pro to repair your wall oven or whether you’re better off buying a new one. We’ll also share tips on how to go about finding the help you need for a repair and, if you opt for a new wall oven, how to zero in on one that will stand the test of time.

Factors to Consider

According to Martin Lachter, a senior project leader at CR who helped develop the tool, above, the age of your wall oven, the cost of the repair, and the price you’d pay for a new model are the biggest considerations that impact the repair or replace debate.

The data overwhelmingly points to repairing your oven, and that only becomes more true with pricier models. Our tool (and survey data) are exclusively focused on electric wall ovens. Because they account for about 95 percent of all wall ovens sold, they are the only type we test. Only a handful of manufacturers even make gas wall ovens.

Most wall-oven repairs will require a service call, but not all problems need to be fixed immediately. Issues like excessive fan noise or a self-clean cycle that won’t work are annoying, but you can still bake, roast, and broil if you put off the repair. And, of course, a repair is much better for the environment. In 2018, the most recent data available, the Environmental Protection Agency reported that 57.1 million tons of waste were generated from large appliances, with 37.4 million tons ending up in a landfill.

Obviously, a repair makes sense if your wall oven is under warranty. Contact either the manufacturer or store, depending on where the warranty is from. The typical warranty lasts one year and covers all parts and labor for the time frame. But some may offer additional coverage for broken parts if you pay for the labor, and many pro-style wall ovens offer longer warranties. If your wall oven is no longer under warranty, you might still have a few money-saving options:

  • Check the manufacturer’s website. The problem you’re experiencing may be covered under an existing recall.

  • Check other sites for user comments. Even if a product isn’t recalled, manufacturers might offer free or low-cost out-of-warranty repairs for widespread problems. Sometimes, a critical mass of consumers band together and initiate a class-action lawsuit, such as the 2017 effort to bring a class-action suit against Whirlpool, in which the plaintiffs claimed the company had built roughly 2 million ovens with a defective self-clean cycle, which was prone to overheating. If you search the web with your specific concern and your wall oven’s brand, you’ll probably find Reddit forums or social media groups of users who have experienced similar problems. 

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

Based on our most recent survey data, 90 percent of people who attempted a repair on their broken wall oven hired a pro for the job. After all, most components are sealed inside the appliance, and accessing those parts can be dangerous due to the risk of shock, unless you’re an experienced professional. Typically, the only repairs you might consider attempting yourself are things like replacing a broken oven control knob or a warped oven rack.

You may be able to find a repair person by contacting the manufacturer or the retailer, or by trying an independent repair shop. In our 2021 member survey on wall ovens, 62 percent were fixed on the first attempt. However, your chances for success may vary depending on your specific problem. Among users who went forward with a repair, here are some of the most common reasons for the fix:

  • Control panel didn’t work or was faulty. (33 percent)

  • Oven didn’t heat up effectively. (25 percent)

  • Self-cleaning feature broke or stopped working properly. (11 percent)

Making Greener Choices

Our surveys allow us to calculate the median repair costs for wall ovens. Keep in mind that they reflect only the prices paid by people who went ahead with a repair. (People who got sticker shock from a repair quote and decided to replace their wall oven instead aren’t included.)

• Median out-of-pocket repair cost: $264

If you know the exact problem with your wall oven—like a defective self-clean cycle or a control panel that doesn’t light up—you can search online for average repair costs using sites like Angi or Home Advisor.

If you’re unsure of the problem, some newer wall ovens with WiFi connectivity can self-diagnose when paired with a compatible smartphone app. The wall oven will typically use WiFi to send error codes to your phone. Opening the compatible app will tell you what the problem is and usually provide some basic troubleshooting steps to try before calling for service.

Otherwise, describe what you’re experiencing in a web search; include the brand and model number. This way, you’ll improve the quality of your results, and you’ll be more likely to connect with other wall-oven owners who have experienced your exact problem, and get some sense of what the repair might cost. Problems often occur in clusters within a brand. For example, our most recent member surveys found that 18 percent of Viking wall ovens had problems not heating up properly, compared with a median of only 8 percent for all brands.

For help finding a technician, ask friends, neighbors, and local groups on social media for recommendations. If that doesn’t leave you with any leads, try services like Angi or Thumbtack, which can refer you to a technician in your local area for a diagnosis. Nothing beats a referral from a trusted friend or family member, of course, but at least these services typically vet and background-check the pros on their site, and you can see ratings and reviews from other consumers.

Once you decide on a technician, expect a charge for a visit just to diagnose the problem. This will usually be deducted from the cost of your total bill if you use the service to complete your repair, but that’s not always the case. So always review the costs and terms before hiring.

Below is a big-picture look at the data that fuels our interactive tool. In general, wall ovens should almost always be repaired. That becomes more true on models that are expensive or those that were purchased recently. In other words, because wall ovens are typically pricey—those in our ratings generally range from around $2,000 to around $6,000—a $264 repair almost always pays. You should typically lean toward replacing a wall oven only if it’s older than 10 years, or if you’re otherwise unhappy with your oven’s performance and feel that buying a new model makes more sense.

Finding a Wall Oven That Will Last

If you’ve decided to replace your wall oven, try to recycle it. With Earth 911’s search tool, you can enter the type of appliance you own and your ZIP code to find recycling centers near you.

As you’re deciding on a new wall oven, take steps to make any future repairs easier. For instance, check user reviews with the Better Business Bureau and on retailer sites (not on the manufacturer’s own site, which will tend to favor positive reviews) for any red flags, like a critical mass of people with the same unresolved repair issues. Read the warranty’s fine print to see how comprehensive the coverage is for future repairs. Once you’ve selected the right brand and model for your needs, seek out a retailer you trust by checking out our appliance store ratings. Below, we’ve highlighted three stellar wall ovens from some of the most reliable brands in our surveys.

Top-Rated Wall Ovens From Reliable Brands

The three ovens below aced our exhaustive lab tests—they come from brands that rate highly in predicted reliability, based on data from CR’s member surveys, which include thousands of members who purchased a wall oven between 2011 and 2021. For more insights into how well a wall oven will hold up over time, explore our comprehensive wall oven ratings, which cover more than 60 models. (We factor brand reliability into the Overall Score for every wall oven we test.) You can also reference our article on the most and least reliable brands for wall ovens.

Reliable Single Wall Oven (Budget)

GE JTS5000SNSS

This high-scoring GE outperforms models costing significantly more, with ratings of Very Good for both baking and broiling, and Excellent for oven capacity. It’s also loaded with features, including convection, a built-in temperature probe, and WiFi connectivity. As a brand, GE earns the top mark of Excellent for predicted reliability of its electric wall ovens.

Reliable Single Wall Oven (High-End)

Café Professional Series CTS90FP2NS1

This handsome Café Professional wall oven offers a striking design with French doors that open out. Performance is impressive, with a rating of Very Good for baking and Excellent for broiling. Café also has best-in-class reliability, earning the top rating of Excellent for its low breakage rates in our latest survey.

Reliable Double Wall Oven

Café CTD70DM2NS5

This double-oven combo from Café—similar to another Café model (the CTD70DP2NS1)—earns an Excellent rating for both baking and broiling. In addition to top-notch performance, the ovens are WiFi-connected. There’s a convection setting, a built-in temperature probe, and even air-fry settings. The CTD70DM2NS5 is a bit more expensive than its sister model but has an arguably sleeker platinum-glass finish as opposed to stainless steel.



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