Vizio TV Turns on Then Off? Cause and How to Fix It

Are you having issues with your Vizio TV? Does it turn off immediately after you turn it on? If your answer is yes, look no further because I got some solutions right here for you. 

Vizio TVs turning off by themselves as soon as they are turned on is a common problem that many TV users face. This problem is often caused by faulty power cables, signal interference, and damaged hardware components. To fix the problem, you’ll have to troubleshoot the problem and identify its exact cause. Normally you can fix the issue by replacing the damaged hardware or cable and resetting your TV.

If you own a Vizio TV and have been wondering how come your TV keeps turning on and off randomly, keep reading this guide for more details on your issue and how to fix it. 

Why Does My Vizio TV Turn On and Then Turn Off? 

Normally, you’ll expect that your Vizio TV only turns on when you turn it on by yourself and also turns off only when you decide to turn it off. However, during your use of the TV, your Vizio TV may develop a fault that will cause it to behave contrary to your expectation. 

Sometimes, your Vizio TV may turn on by itself at a time you do not wish to even use it. At other times, the TV might just go off unexpectedly when you are in the middle of your TV show. This is really frustrating as it disrupts your TV viewing experience.

Your Vizio TV turns on and off due to the following reasons:

  • Faulty or insecure power cable connection
  • Faulty TV remote
  • Corrupted TV memory
  • Overheating
  • Damaged external device. 
  • Damaged TV board
  • Active CEC setting 
  • Active auto-sleep timer 

Some of the causes can actually turn on your TV unexpectedly while others just turn off your TV as soon as you turn it on. 

Now that you know some of these causes, let me explain in detail how they affect your TV.

Why Does Vizio TV Turn On By Itself in the Middle of the Night?

Besides your Vizio TV turning off randomly, you may come across instances where the Vizio TV actually turns on by itself at times you do not need it to be turned on. 

When your Vizio TV turns on unexpectedly, especially in the middle of the night, it could be that your TV’s remote is faulty or the power button is stuck in the remote, causing it to randomly press the Power on button on the remote. 

Another reason could be interference from other devices if you have CEC enabled on your TV. Vizio TVs are sensitive to CEC signals and therefore can be turned on or off by other devices such as game consoles or cable boxes when the CEC setting on your TV is on. 

Vizio TVs also have the SmartCast feature which allows screens of other devices to be cast on them. Signals from other devices such as smartphones or computers may turn your Vizio TV on if the Eco power mode is turned off. 

Also Read:

Vizio Smartcast setup procedure on your TV

Where to find Vizio PIN code

Other external devices that are connected to the Vizio may also turn the TV on randomly. 

Why Does My TV Turn Off a Few Seconds After I Turn It On?

Most of the problems with Vizio TVs have to do with the TV turning off as soon as it’s turned on. In such situations, you’ll have to troubleshoot the problem to find out exactly what the cause is before you apply any technique to fix it.

A major reason why your Vizio TV turns off suddenly is because of a faulty power supply/cable or connection. If your TV’s power cable is faulty, you should expect your TV to turn off by itself at certain times. Loose power cable connections can also contribute to the random shutting downs of your TV. 

Another cause of the problem is overheating of the TV’s components. Leaving the TV on for long periods often causes your TV to overheat. When your Vizio TV is extremely hot, the TV may shut down to prevent its components from being damaged. 

If components such as the mainboard of the TV are damaged as a result of overheating, your TV will malfunction and behave abnormally, like shutting down randomly for example. 

Issues with your TV’s internal memory may also be another reason why your TV suddenly turns off. Normally, outdated TV software has bugs and technical errors that affect the performance of your TV. This corrupts the memory and slows down the operation of the TV, causing it to turn off randomly. 

Vizio TVs have a sleep timer that automatically turns the TV off when the set time is due. If the period for the timer is very short, say a few seconds, the TV will only stay on for that few seconds and then turns off afterward. 

External devices such as Firestick or a Roku stick may be the reason why your TV turns off unexpectedly. When the external device or the HDMI input on your TV develops a fault, it is likely for it to interfere with the running of your Vizio TV software. Consequently, it may cause your TV to shut down suddenly. 

How Do You Fix a Vizio TV that Won’t Stay On?

If your Vizio keeps turning off randomly and won’t stay on, use any of the tips below to get it fixed:

  • Check for loose power cables and tighten them or change the power supply
  • Power cycle your TV
  • Update the TV’s software
  • Check the TV’s remote for faults
  • Check external devices
  • Control heating of TV
  • Disable sleep timer
  • Reset your TV to factory settings 
  • Seek assistance from Vizio’s customer support

Check for Loose Power Cables

When your Vizio TV turns off suddenly, check around your TV for any loose power cable. If the power cable or cord is fixed in an electrical socket, tighten its plug in the socket or power source and turn your TV back on. 

In case the cord is defective, replace it with the help of a technician as soon as possible. 

Another option will be to change the power source. Use a different electrical socket in case the socket you used first was faulty.  

Power Cycle Your TV

Power cycling your TV is one good way to restart your TV. It clears off most technical errors that might have been developed during the operation of your TV. To power cycle your TV, follow the steps below: 

  • Turn off your TV and unplug the power cord for its power supply.
  • With the TV unplugged, press and hold the power button on the TV for 30 seconds. 
  • Wait for another 30 seconds and then plug the TV back into the electrical socket. 
  • Turn the TV back on.

This process, hopefully, should be able to fix the problem. 

Update TV Software

Software updates help your TV deal with bugs and technical errors that affect its smooth operation. Vizio normally releases software updates to this effect. You should therefore look out for updated software and install them on your TV. 

You can update your Vizio TV’s software by: 

  1. Pressing the Menu button on your TV’s remote.
  2. Navigate to System and choose Check For Updates
  3. Click Install when you see an update available. 

Check TV Remote For Faults

If your Vizio TV suddenly turns off, you should check your TV remote if you accidentally pressed the power button. 

Sometimes, the power may be stuck in the remote and you can notice this by mere observation of the remote. Gently pull the button up with your finger or a pointed object and you can reuse the remote without further issues. 

If you have multiple Vizio remotes around you, you should try as much as possible to keep them away from you or the TV since you may accidentally press the power button on any of them. 

However, if you prefer to have those remotes around you, you should remove the batteries in the remotes’ compartments and your TV will be safe from accidental shutdowns.

Check External Connected Devices

Defective external devices can cause your TV shut down suddenly. Faulty HDMI cables or cords of the external can also disrupt your TV’s operation. 

If you suspect any of your external devices to be faulty but don’t know which one exactly, disconnect all the devices and cables from your Vizio TV and then begin to fix them back in turn. 

If your TV stays on for hours without turning off, the fault is not with any of the cables or devices. Keep on adding the external devices until you find out which actually turns the TV off. 

Fix that particular device or replace the cord as soon as you identify the faulty device. 

Control Heating Of TV

Ideally, you should allow your TV to cool down after watching it for longer periods. If you detect that your TV is overheated, you should change the environment to a cooler room if necessary. 

You can also reduce some settings such as the brightness and color of the screen in order to reduce the load on the TV processors. This will help cool down the TV. 

When the TV is turned off, you can clean the vents of the TV with any soft material or a brush to brush off the dust that may have accumulated at the vents. This will create space for proper ventilation in the TV, thus preventing heat from damaging the hardware components. 

Disable Sleep Timer

The sleep timer automatically turns off your TV. To keep your TV on without any disruptions, you need to extend the duration of the timer or disable it completely. 

You can disable the timer by following these steps: 

  1. Press the Menu button on your remote. 
  2. Navigate to Timers and select Auto Timer Off
  3. Select Off to turn the timing feature off. 

This will disable the sleep timer on your TV and your TV will stay on as required if the timer feature is indeed the cause of the problem. 

Reset Your TV to Factory Settings 

Resetting your TV to factory should be your last resort since you will potentially wipe all the data and customized settings on your TV. When you factory reset your TV, you are sending it back to its default state when you purchased it afresh. 

Sometimes, this will be the only way to get rid of all the glitches on your TV that are causing it to shut down unexpectedly. 

Follow the steps below if you want to reset your Vizio TV to factory settings.

  1. Press the Menu button on your remote
  2. Go to the System or Help depending on your TV’s model and select Reset and Admin.
  3. Select Reset to Factory Settings. Your TV will ask you for a password before initiating the reset. Input 0000 as your default password and wait for the system to complete its reset. 

You should try your TV out when the rest is done. Hopefully, the problem should be fixed after the reset. 

Contact Vizio Customer Support

In case the problem persists after trying out all the above-mentioned tips, you should contact Vizio customer service for assistance. Hardware probably may have been damaged and Vizio technicians may fix it for you if your TV is under warranty. 

How Do You Fix a Vizio TV that Turns on By Itself? 

If your Vizio TV turns on by itself, you can fix it using any of the methods below:

  • Turn off external devices
  • Turn on Eco mode.
  • Turn off CEC settings 
  • Check for the stuck power button on the remote

Turn Off External Devices

External devices such as game consoles, cable boxes, and DVD players can interfere with your Vizio TV and even turn it on so if suspect that such devices are the cause of the issue, do not hesitate to turn them off. 

Turn Off CEC Settings 

Turning off the CEC setting on your TV will prevent your Vizio TV from responding to unwanted signals from external devices. 

Here’s how to turn on the CEC:

  1. Press the Menu button on your Vizio TV remote. 
  2. Navigate to Systems or Help.
  3. Select CEC Setting and turn it OFF.

Turn On Eco Mode

With the Eco Mode turned on your Vizio, your TV will not respond to any unnecessary signal from other devices which wants to cast to it. 

If you want to turn on the Eco Mode, here’s how to do it:

  1. Press the Menu button on your Vizio TV remote. 
  2. Navigate to Systems or Help.
  3. Select Power Mode and change it to Eco mode.
  4. Alternatively, you can turn on Quickstart mode under the Power Mode for the same purpose. 

How Do I Reboot My Vizio TV?

If you want to reboot your Vizio TV, you should soft reset it. This only restarts the TV with fresh memory and does not erase any data permanently from your TV. To reboot your Vizio TV, use these steps: 

  1. Turn off your TV and unplug the power cord from the supply source. 
  2. Press and hold the power button on the TV for about five seconds. 
  3. Replug the TV to its power supply and turn it on. 

How Long Should a Vizio TV Last?

Vizio TVs, ideally, should last anywhere between five to eight years if you turn them on for a few hours within the day. However, you should be expecting it to last for about three to six years if you keep your TV on throughout the whole day. 

Vizio TV Won’t Turn On

If your Vizio TV refuses to turn, change the power supply or plug your TV’s power cord into a different socket. 

Consider power cycling the TV using the method I described earlier. If the TV turns on but encounters the same problem after a day or two, you should reset it to its factory settings.

Vizio TV Won’t Turn Off

If your Vizio TV refuses to turn off, change the input on your TV and set the CEC setting to OFF. 

You should also free up the TV’s memory by pressing and holding the power button for about 30 seconds after unplugging it from the power source. 

Conclusion 

If your Vizio TV begins to turn on or off by itself, you should be worried since this is a common problem that many users have encountered over the years. Normally, your power supply may be faulty or the power cable may just be loose in the electrical socket. This should be the first thing to look out for if you want to fix it. 

If that is not the cause, apply any of the methods I have described in this guide until the problem is fixed. 

You should reset your TV factory settings if none of the methods works. Finally, contact Vizio customer support for assistance in case a hardware component is described on your TV. 

Josephine

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