The short answer
F6 means the control has read a cavity temperature above the ceiling it allows and has shut the heat down. Treat it as a stop-now code rather than an inconvenience: either the oven really did overheat, in which case something is holding a heating circuit on, or the sensor is lying, in which case the control cannot protect the cavity. Switch the oven off at the breaker and leave it off until the cause is named.
GE oven code as the manufacturer publishes it
Reference| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| F6 | High cavity temperature detected |
What you observe alongside the code
- The oven shuts the heat off and holds the code — The protection acting, whichever of the two causes it is.
- The cavity is far hotter than the set temperature — Points at a heating circuit stuck on.
- The cavity is cold but the code still sets — Points at the sensor or its wiring instead.
- The door lock stays engaged after a clean cycle — Normal while hot; a sign to wait rather than force.
What triggers it, most likely first
- A welded or stuck relay on the control board — First: a contact that has fused keeps an element live with no way for the control to stop it, and that is exactly what this code protects against.
- A shorted or out-of-range cavity sensor — Second: the sensor reads as hot when it is not, so the control trips on a false reading.
- A chafed sensor harness shorting to the cavity — Third: the loom runs along the rear of the cavity where heat and vibration work on it.
- A failed control board — Last: possible, and usually diagnosed after the relay and sensor have been proved.
Check in this order, and why
- Switch the oven off at the breaker before anything else — It is the only way to be sure an element is not still energised.
- Let it cool, then feel whether the cavity was genuinely hot — A cold cavity with the code set moves the suspicion to sensing.
- Restore power and see whether the code sets with no cooking demand — A code on standby points at the sensor circuit.
- Leave relay and sensor testing to a technician — Both need a meter on live terminals or on a part in the cavity wall.
Clearing the code, then the owner-safe checks
- Switch the oven off at its breaker — The one step that removes the hazard.
About 5 min
- Let the cavity cool fully with the door closed — The lock releases on temperature, not on time, and forcing it breaks the mechanism.
About 30 min
- Restore power once and note whether the code returns immediately — One controlled attempt is diagnostic; repeated attempts are not.
About 10 min
- STOP HERE — do not cook on an oven that has set this code — Everything remaining is behind live panels with a possible stuck relay.
Before you open anything
Safety
Switch the oven off at its breaker before any panel comes off — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off, and the terminal block behind the rear panel stays live at the supply. Let the cavity cool before reaching inside. Do not defeat the door lock or the thermal cut-out to keep cooking: they are the last line between a runaway element and the cabinetry around it.
When this code is a service call
Call for this code rather than working through it: both the likely causes sit behind the control panel, and one of them can keep an element live with the display off. Call urgently, and leave the breaker off in the meantime, if the cavity was much hotter than it was set to, if you smelled scorching, or if the code appeared during a self-clean cycle.
Neighbouring GE oven codes
Which model lines this reading applies to
This reading of F6 applies to GE electric wall ovens and ranges with the digital control that publishes lettered fault codes, which is where the manufacturer documents it. A gas range sets different codes for its own ignition and safety faults, and a Monogram or Cafe-badged cavity can pair the same characters with a different sensor. Wall ovens and slide-in ranges place the cavity sensor differently, so the same code can mean a different access route on your model.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
