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Contents
One or more sides won’t toast
Break in the nichrome wire
Toasting lever won’t stay down
Power source
Power adjustment
Crumb obstruction
Plug wire is frayed or damaged
Poor Contact Connection
Spring mechanism is blocked or broken
Toaster will not stay on
Outlet issues
Power adjustment
Wire Malfunction
Toast won’t pop up after the toasting is complete
Floppy bread
Bread orientation
Constant burning smell
Crumb Tray
Stuck debris
Browning dial will not operate
Jammed
Dislodged/No communication
Find more information and guides on the toaster device page.
One or more sides won’t toast
Running the toaster without toast, the wires on some sections glow red hot and some of the other wires don’t.
BREAK IN THE NICHROME WIRE
The glowing wire is called nichrome wire (for nickel-chromium), if part of the array does not heat there’s a break in the wire somewhere.
Possible causes of breakage:
1) there was a weak spot or nick in the wire when the wire was manufactured,
2) there was a weak spot or nick made in the wire when the toaster was manufactured (we’ve seen the break at or near a bend in the wire or a rivet point)
3) someone physically broke the wire by sticking something (like a fork) into the toaster.
An example of a nichrome wire break.
To Fix: You have to disassemble the toaster sufficiently to locate the break and then get good access to it. If you’re lucky and there’s enough extra wire, you might simply be able to twist the two broken ends together enough to re-establish contact (you can then at least confirm that’s the problem.)
In the photo, we were able to short across one wrap of the nichrome a re-establish connectivity.
Otherwise, you need a high-temperature crimp and a crimping tool to to crimp the two ends together. Here are two examples of crimps: High-Temperature Crimp-on Butt Splice, Noninsulated, 22-18 Awg, 900 Degree F Temperature Rating, Packs of 100 and High-Temperature Crimp-on Butt Splice, Noninsulated, 16-14 Awg, 900 Degree F Temperature Rating, Packs of 100
Note: The nichrome wire is wrapped around sheets of a brittle ceramic/mica-like material. Depending on where the break is you might find it necessary (or at least tempting) to cut this material. Be very careful, sawing might be better than cutting as it tends to flake.
Toasting lever won’t stay down
When you push down the toasting lever, it pops right back up again, or you have to push it down multiple times, or hold it down for a little while before it will stay down.
POWER SOURCE
Make sure that the toaster is plugged into a working outlet.
POWER ADJUSTMENT
The toaster’s browning dial might be on too low of a setting to activate the heating coil. Try dialing it up, and pushing the lever down again.
CRUMB OBSTRUCTION
Constant use can lead to crumbs clogging the path of the lever. Try opening up the bottom panel, by pulling on the metal tab to release the plate (and crumbs!) over a trash can. Also try flipping the toaster upside down and, very gently, shaking the crumbs out.
PLUG WIRE IS FRAYED OR DAMAGED
To Test: Wiggle the plug wire near the plug to see if that makes a noticeable difference. If you can make any lights or display on the toaster flicker by wiggling the wire that’s a clear sign there’s an intermittent problem in the wire. Use a spare plug wire in lieu of the original one and see if that resolves the issue.
To Fix: Replace the entire plug wire or just the plug.
Background: we’ve seen this a couple of times: people yank the plug wire out of the wall socket by yanking on the cord, causing the stranded wires in the cord to break over time. It usually gets weak right near the base of the molded plug. If the toaster has lights or an LED display they may still light up and make the toaster look like it’s getting electricity: it’s just not getting enough electricity to run the toaster.
Check the plug wire first before going to the effort of opening the toaster to clean the contacts. While t

his is a less common failure mode it’s easier to check and will save you a lot of troubleshooting time.
POOR CONTACT CONNECTION
There’s an electrical contact near the toasting lever that is now carbonized due to too much electrical arcing and it’s not letting any (or enough) electricity flow through. The contacts will look black or dulled on the inside.
To Fix: Clean off the carbon from the contacts and the toaster will work again. We use an emery board and push it back and forth between the contacts until they’re clean again and can conduct electricity.
Filing the lever contacts clean.
Additional Information: The arcing is due to slightly misaligned contacts that made it through poor quality control. The toaster works initially but over time electrical sparking between the contacts due to the misalignment creates carbon build up: that build-up is electrically insulating.
There’s a lot of current going through that contact because of the way a pop-up toaster works. When you push the toasting lever down it also makes contact with a solenoid (an electromagnet) that holds the lever down. The current for that electromagnet flows through the carbonized contact along with all the electricity to run the nichrome wire heating elements: not enough current and the electromagnet doesn’t energize and the lever doesn’t stay down.
This problem is also common with electric hot water kettles where the button or lever or switch won’t stay down.
SPRING MECHANISM IS BLOCKED OR BROKEN
Maintaining the spring attached to the lever will remove debris that is potentially blocking the lever from connecting to the magnet
Toaster will not stay on
Its plugged in, I’m not that technically inept.
OUTLET ISSUES
First make sure that the outlet works by plugging other devices into that same outlet.
POWER ADJUSTMENT
The toaster’s browning dial might be on too low of a setting to activate the heating coil. Try dialing it up, and pushing the lever down again.
WIRE MALFUNCTION
Visually check the wire for any punctures or abrasions. If you find damage on your power cord you should replace it. Follow this power cord replacement guide, or one more specific to your device.
Toast won’t pop up after the toasting is complete
Bread grabbers will not keep the bread vertical or return it properly. Metal forks and electric heating coils don’t mix, so don’t try.
FLOPPY BREAD
If the bread won’t come back up, try using a different bread that is maybe thicker or less pliable.
BREAD ORIENTATION
If the bread is folding within the grabbers, the springs pushing the grabbers together could possibly be malfunctioning. This will require opening the toaster, you can follow this Bread grabber spring guide, or one more specific to your device.
Constant burning smell
Avoid that “is something burning??” question every time you put a piece of bread in the toaster.
CRUMB TRAY
Most toasters will come with a crumb tray to allow the removal of some of the crumbs that may be causing the burning smell. Check on the bottom of the toaster for a metal tab to release the crumb tray plate (and crumbs!) over a trash can. Also try flipping the toaster upside down and, very gently, shaking the crumbs out. If your toaster needs a more in depth cleaning, try this bread tray maintenance guide or one more suited to your specific device.
STUCK DEBRIS
If there are bread crumbs on the coils themselves, ensure that the toaster is off and not connected to any power, then gently pry the crumbs out of the heating element.
Browning dial will not operate
Only a true toaster connoisseur can find that golden spot to make that golden toast, but your toast isn’t turning out even close to what you wanted.
JAMMED
If the browning dial will not move at all, crumbs may be stuck in the socket. Unplug the toaster and try to dislodge the debris by shaking the unit.
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