![Why does Vizio TV keep turning off [ 8 Proven Fixes]](https://www.techjive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Why-does-Vizio-TV-keep-turning-off-8-Proven-Fixes.png)
Our movie experience at home has become so immersive nowadays that you might want to scream when your Vizio TV turns off on its own when watching the climax of a blockbuster thriller flick. Call it the most unfortunate event for everyone on the couch.
When a Vizio TV keeps turning off, it could be due to a system error that causes booting problems. Certain features like HDMI-CEC and Auto Power Off will also cause your Vizio TV to turn off due to how they usually work.
But never fear! In this guide, we’ll detail eight of the most effective troubleshooting tips and tricks to address your Vizio TV’s booting issue. To top it all off, we’ve also included four other things to consider if the fixes don’t work. Read on!
How to Fix A Vizio TV That Keeps Turning Off
Below are the most effective ways to address the issue with a Vizio TV that keeps turning off. These solutions should work on all Vizio smart TVs, although some menu options may look different depending on your device’s model.
Fix 1. Conduct a Vizio TV power cycle
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 4 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 1 minute and 10 seconds |
| Things Needed | A Vizio smart TV A working power cable A working wall outlet |
When your Vizio TV keeps turning off, the best thing to do is conduct a power cycle and discharge its residual electrical energy. After all, it’s a common cause of various system-related malfunctions and errors on Vizio TVs.
The power cycle is a simple procedure that anyone can execute without issues, making it an ideal troubleshooting method to try first. With this action, your Vizio TV can reset and refresh its system memory, allowing it to straighten errors out.
Once you’ve discharged your Vizio TV’s residual electrical energy, plug it back into the power outlet to reintroduce electricity to its components. You should be able to prevent your Vizio TV from turning off automatically, improving overall performance.
Step 1: Turn off the Vizio TV and unplug it from the wall outlet. Note: You can unplug the power cable without turning the Vizio TV off to force it to reboot. |
Step 2: Hold its physical power button for 60 seconds to discharge all residual electrical energy from the Vizio TV. Note: The power button location varies between Vizio TV models. Some Vizio TVs have it at the back panel, while others have it underneath the front bezel. |
Step 3: Plug in the power cable to power your Vizio TV. Note: Press its power button if the Vizio TV doesn’t boot up automatically. |
| Step 4: Allow the Vizio TV to reboot and check whether or not it will keep turning off again. |
Fix 2. Turn off your Vizio TV’s HDMI-CEC
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 4 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 20 seconds |
| Things Needed | A Vizio smart TV A Vizio TV remote control |
The HDMI-CEC feature on your Vizio TV is also a common cause of booting issues. It’s due to external HDMI devices connected to your Vizio TV having partial control over it because of the CEC technology.
With HDMI-CEC, you can control multiple devices connected via HDMI cable using one remote control. You can use your Vizio TV remote to operate a connected streaming device, gaming console, projector, or Blu-ray disc player and vice versa.
Although incredibly convenient, this feature may cause you to accidentally turn off your Vizio TV when shutting down a connected external HDMI device. Therefore, it’s best to deactivate the HDMI-CEC feature when your Vizio TV keeps turning off.
Step 1: Press the Vizio remote control’s Menu key to open your TV’s settings menu. |
Step 2: Go to System. |
Step 3: Open the CEC menu. |
| Step 4: Click the CEC option and enable your Vizio TV’s HDMI-CEC feature. |
Fix 3. Inspect the connected devices
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 3 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 10 seconds |
| Things Needed | A Vizio smart TV A Vizio TV remote control Working input and power cables |
Faulty external devices are another possible reason your Vizio TV keeps turning off during use. In most cases, turning off the HDMI-CEC feature should be enough to deal with issues caused by all external devices connected to your Vizio TV.
Unfortunately, it’s also likely for external devices to make your Vizio TV appear turned off if the input source is faulty. It can happen if the cables connected to your Vizio TV are loose or the connected external device has software/hardware issues.
As such, we recommend inspecting the connections between your Vizio TV and all its external input devices. In particular, you should check the cables and connectors for damage and ensure their connections are tight and secure.
Step 1: Use the Vizio remote control’s Power key to turn off your TV. Note: You can also use the physical power button on your Vizio TV. |
Step 2: Unplug any HDMI cable, RCA connectors, or AUX cable connecting your Vizio TV to an external device. Note: You must look into the external devices to ensure they aren’t causing your Vizio TV to turn off. You must also replace damaged cables and connectors immediately. |
| Step 3: Plug the cables of your external devices into the Vizio TV. Secure all the cables to prevent loose connection issues. |
Fix 4. Deactivate its Auto Power Off feature
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 4 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 40 seconds |
| Things Needed | A Vizio smart TV A Vizio TV remote control |
Auto Power Off is another feature often associated with issues regarding a Vizio TV that keeps turning off. As its name suggests, Auto Power Off automatically shuts down your Vizio TV after a preselected time limit.
For example, setting your Vizio TV’s Auto Power Off feature at 30 minutes will cause it to shut down automatically after being used for that long. As such, it’s a handy feature that can work as a parental control if you want to limit a child’s watch time.
However, Auto Power Off can be annoying when binge-watching a TV series since the constant shutdowns will break your immersion. It’s advisable to keep this feature turned off to help yourself fully enjoy the watching experience on your Vizio TV.
| Step 1: Press the Vizio remote control’s Menu key to open your TV’s settings menu. |
Step 2: Go to Timers. |
Step 3: Click Auto Power Off. |
| Step 4: Set it to Off to prevent the Vizio TV from shutting down automatically. |
Fix 5. Cool it down to combat overheating
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 1 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 10 seconds |
| Things Needed | A Vizio smart TV A Vizio TV remote control An electric fan |
Overheating is dangerous for all electronic devices, and your Vizio TV isn’t an exception to this rule. Allowing your Vizio TV to overheat frequently can cause its components to burn and suffer irreparable damage.
When your Vizio TV keeps turning off, it may be a defensive mechanism triggered by an overheating issue. When this happens, it’s best to let your Vizio smart TV cool down before turning it back on.
You can also speed up the cooling-off process by placing your Vizio TV in front of an electric fan or a room with good ventilation to improve heat dissipation. You must only turn your Vizio TV on once it has completely cooled down.
Fix 6. Plug the Vizio TV directly into your wall outlet
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 1 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 10 seconds |
| Things Needed | A Vizio smart TV A working power cable A working wall outlet |
More often than necessary, power-related issues can also cause your Vizio TV to keep turning off. After all, a good power supply is essential for a Vizio TV to turn on, run its apps and programs, and perform various tasks and functions.
Without a reliable power supply, your Vizio TV can’t maintain its functions, causing it to turn off automatically. Sometimes, this problem may occur if the Vizio TV is connected to a power strip instead of a wall outlet.
This power-related issue usually happens when you plug multiple devices into a power strip, which can overload the system and cause power spikes. Once power spikes, your Vizio TV might turn off from overheating or fail due to short-circuiting.
If you must plug in multiple devices simultaneously, ensure they’re all low-energy devices to prevent overloading your power strip. Since it’s better to be safe than sorry, not plugging multiple devices into one power strip is the best thing you can do.
Fix 7. Update its firmware
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 4 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 10 minutes |
| Things Needed | A Vizio smart TV A Vizio TV remote control A working internet connection |
Your Vizio TV may also keep turning off power-related issues and connections due to software problems. In most cases, it results from using outdated system firmware, making it prone to bugs and errors that cause booting issues.
Every once in a while, your Vizio TV should receive a firmware update to ensure it’s working in peak condition, strengthening its system against bugs, errors, compatibility, and security issues.
As such, you must always check for updates under the system settings menu so you can download and install the latest version.
Step 1: Press the Vizio remote control’s Menu key to open your TV’s settings menu. |
Step 2: Go to System. |
Step 3: Click the option to Check for Updates under the system settings menu. Note: Ensure your Vizio TV is connected to a WiFi network so it can search the internet for any available firmware update. |
| Step 4: Click Yes if a confirmation prompt appears to start downloading and installing the latest Vizio TV firmware version. Note: If your Vizio TV is running low on memory, uninstall apps or delete files beforehand to avoid installation problems. |
Fix 8. Reset Vizio TV to factory settings
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 5 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 3 minutes |
| Things Needed | A Vizio TV A Vizio TV remote control |
If your Vizio TV keeps turning off even after the firmware update, it may be because of a system error due to a malware or virus infection. Thus, your only remaining option is to perform a factory reset to restore your Vizio TV’s default settings.
| WARNING: Remember to retain a copy of essential files before doing a factory reset. If not, you may lose them all to the process. |
Unfortunately, you must part with your essential files and installed apps since the factory reset will delete them all. While that might be a huge downside to some, it’s a small price to ensure your Vizio TV has no nasty malware or viruses left.
Consequently, after the factory reset, you must go through your Vizio TV’s setup process. This part should be simple to perform, thanks to the easy-to-follow instructions on your Vizio TV screen.
Step 1: Press the Vizio remote control’s Menu key to open your TV’s settings menu. |
Step 2: Go to System. |
Step 3: Click the Reset & Admin option under the system settings menu. |
Step 4: Click “Reset to Factory Settings.” |
| Step 5: Click Reset if a confirmation prompt appears to reset your Vizio TV to its default factory settings. Note: After the reset, set up your Vizio TV using the on-screen instructions once it reboots. |
What causes a Vizio TV to turn on and off by itself?
Various factors can cause a Vizio TV to turn on and off by itself, so check the list below to determine the reason behind your device’s booting problem. The apt solution for a Vizio TV that keeps turning off will depend on the issue’s root cause.
- The Vizio TV suffers from system bugs and errors due to its stored residual electrical energy.
- The Vizio TV’s Auto Power Off, Sleep Timer, and HDMI-CEC features are enabled.
- The Vizio TV’s firmware version is outdated and prone to bugs and errors.
- The Vizio TV is connected to a faulty external device or using a damaged or loose cable.
- The Vizio TV is overheating.
What to Do When the Vizio TV Turns On and Off Randomly
Below are extra troubleshooting methods on whether your Vizio TV still keeps turning off even after you’ve done the abovementioned solutions.
FIX 1. Remove the batteries on the Vizio remote
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 3 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 15 seconds |
| Things Needed | A Vizio TV remote control |
If your Vizio remote is faulty, its IR sensor might keep sending signals to your TV and turn it on or off randomly during use. Removing the Vizio remote’s batteries will help confirm if this is behind the booting problem.
Step 1: Remove your Vizio remote’s back cover to open its battery compartment. |
Step 2: Remove the batteries inside the Vizio remote’s battery compartment. |
| Step 3: Keep your Vizio TV turned on to monitor whether or not it will keep turning off again. |
FIX 2. Hold the Vizio remote’s power button
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 4 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 1 minute and 10 seconds |
| Things Needed | A Vizio TV remote control |
After confirming if your faulty remote control is causing your Vizio TV to keep turning off, we suggest power cycling it immediately. Like your Vizio TV, you can power cycle the remote control by cutting off its power supply and holding its power button.
| Step 1: Remove your Vizio remote’s back cover to open its battery compartment. |
| Step 2: Remove the batteries inside the Vizio remote’s battery compartment. |
| Step 3: Hold the Power key on your Vizio remote for 60 seconds to power cycle it. |
Step 4: Insert its batteries and reinstall your Vizio remote’s back cover. Note: Use images inside the remote’s battery compartment to know where its batteries’ positive and negative terminals should connect. |
FIX 3. Double-check if the sleep timer is enabled
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 4 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 40 seconds |
| Things Needed | A Vizio smart TV A Vizio TV remote control |
Although putting your Vizio TV to sleep isn’t the same as powering it off, both situations stop you from watching your favorite shows. Thus, it’s advisable to deactivate its sleep timer alongside the Auto Power Off feature.
| Step 1: Press the Vizio remote control’s Menu key to open your TV’s settings menu. |
| Step 2: Go to Timers. |
Step 3: Click Sleep Timer. |
Step 4: Select Off to deactivate its sleep timer. |
FIX 4. Inspect its HDMI port for damage
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 1 |
| Time to Perform Fix | 10 to 30 seconds |
| Things Needed | A Vizio smart TV |
Aside from its cable connections, inspecting the HDMI ports on your Vizio TV would be best. After all, it doesn’t matter how secure you plug the cables on your Vizio TV if its HDMI port is faulty and damaged.
Unfortunately, troubleshooting a faulty or damaged HDMI port is a complex procedure. As such, we recommend bringing your Vizio TV to a service center for an expert to do the replacement process for you.
Be sure to check your Vizio TV’s warranty policy, as it might help save you from unnecessary expenses for the repair service.
