TW, I'm still dazed by your brilliance on that toaster question a few years back and I have a problem with my microwave oven that's bugging me.

The door is stuck and I've read the manual and I think it might be a safety function that's malfunctioning.
It's one we picked up at a garage sale but the people took impeccable care of it and had the manual, sales receipt etc with it.

We have recently moved to a place that has pretty lousy current in the house, but we're careful.
But this seems like a safety thing.

I really hate to get rid of it for a silly reason. I hate microwaves anyway, but shhhh, I did not tell it in its presence.
It's really convenient for my son to fix his own leftovers though.

I programmed it for child lock then took off said child lock...and nothing doing.

Anything you could think of or anyone else?

Although I have mended a toaster or two in my time, I haven't had the covers off a microwave oven. So, only guesses can be made:

There is always the possibility that the door catch(es) are just plain mechanically stuck, in which case a specialist repairman would need to take the covers off and find out why.

Maybe door isn't being released because the processor that looks after that aspect thinks the oven is in mid program. Processors can hiccup sometimes. Can you put the oven into a short (say 10 second) program, enough to make it give the 'finished' ding or beep? If you can do that, I see no reason why the door wouldn't be released. Although you have looked into the 'child lock' reason, perhaps it could still be related to that.

Is there any chance you could talk to the person you bought the oven from? Being familiar with its use, they might know what could stop the door from opening.

With the pencilled in purchase date, and the receipts in an envelope with the manual, I'm guessing it could only be an older couple who got a new one from their kids or something.
It works fine and I'd hate to see it go for a silly problem.

I'm going to try and see if it doesn't think it's in mid program, you may be right.

I'm in a much smaller kitchen so if it doesn't obey very soon, it will be banished.

By the way, you know you're my hero...so go ahead and blush.

Just one more suggestion. Perhaps putting into a search engine the oven's model number followed by 'door stuck' or 'door will not (or won't) open' might bring something up.

You're right!
I've been finding all sorts of things on the net like that.
Cleaning shower doors, programming my DVD player differently the works.

I also was successful in reprogramming the hot tub we inherited in this house that was tepid and very unpleasant for about a week. I figured out there was a child lock on it, and, if you took off the panel, the reset button was accessible to the consumer and that did the trick. I was parading around triumphant for that one.

Never seen a microwave with an electronically-controlled door latch, they have always been mechanical latches with an interlock that shuts off the magnetron when the door is opened. The child locks I've seen disable the control panel & not the door. The reason I'm adding to this thread is to ask you to be very careful should you take this thing apart, microwaves are nasty little beasties, the seals that keep them in the proper places are both elaborate and delicate, and in all likelihood you do not have the proper equipment to check for leakage once you reassemble the thing.

I just tossed a nice Panasonic with a cold solder joint that periodically sent the microcontroller into wacky land. Hated to toss it as when it worked, it worked well, but 1) didn't have the right bit for the security screws & 2) no way to check for leakage after reassembly.

I'm not touching it as they say it's the most dangerous thing in the house to work on.

This is the absolute first one I've ever had and I hate them...we found it at a garage sale and the older couple had taken excellent care of it but had a new one from their grandchildren.

I hate them because I translated for Amana once or twice many years ago...all those warnings.

Mrs TW will only have a microwave oven with the simplest of controls. It has a knob to turn around for: 'high - medium - low - defrost' and one to turn for the timer. The door doesn't have an 'open' button, just pull it open when the bell goes 'ding'. It works well and there's maybe not so much to go wrong. We've had it years anyway. So handy for when a cup of tea or coffee has gone cold

As Darms so wisely says, if there is any possibilty the seals have been damaged, possibly during your recent move, then you ought to have the door professionally repaired and tested. This is especially so if the microwave is at eye level, either child's or adult's.
The fact that it looks clean may not indicate the 'excellent care' you mention in regard to door seals, and special instruments are necessary to measure radiation leakage. Without these you cannot possibly assess any leakage, except of course by subsequent eye damage!
I can usually repair many appliances, or at least find what's wrong with them, but I'd never consider interfering with a microwave oven except to do basic cleaning.
Get it checked professionally, or buy a new one - they're pretty cheap anyway, and constantly being improved.

Nope, the electronics know themselves to be secondary, it's us humies wot get to open the door thereby disabling the magnetron, seen lots of microwave ovens but never one with a microcomputer-controlled door latch, not saying one does not not exist, just saying in 34 I have not not seen this. And the very first uwave I ever saw was at ktstew's parents. ...

Ah right, we live and learn. I haven't experience of owning too many microwave ovens, or repairing any. I therefore can only surmise how things might work in light of the knowledge/experience I have gained over the years (see my first post).

I'm glad yourself and aramis chose to add to this thread. This forum needs input from those who know a bit about such things. I would hope nobody hangs back to see what 'yours truly' has to say before diving in. I may be a fairly handy when it comes to computers, electrics and electronics but I'm by no means a font of all knowledge in these matters. I do like to try and come up with an answer if nobody else does though. All help and contributions are gratefully received.