Like many other home appliances on the market, a Cuisinart coffee maker requires regular maintenance and some small repairs. Even though they are made with the highest quality from a very trustworthy company, small errors can sometimes occur that can make a coffee maker useless. Instead of wasting the money to buy a new coffee maker or send it back to the manufacturer, it can be very beneficial to learn how to repair a Cuisinart coffee maker.
Troubleshooting
The first step in learning how to repair a Cuisinart coffee maker is learning how to determine if there is actually a problem that needs to be fixed. Believe it or not, many people actually think their home appliances are broken, when in reality, they are either doing something wrong or forgetting a step. If your coffee maker is not working correctly, you will first want to check and make sure everything is in order.
Make sure the appliance is plugged in and the outlet is working, and turn on any light switch that is needed to power the outlet. You will also want to check that all parts of the coffee maker are in place, since many models will not turn on if the coffee basket or pot is not in place. It is beneficial to inspect the entire coffee maker to make sure nothing is out of place, since many problems can actually be easily solved with a very simple solution.
Power Failures
One of the most common problems that can occur with a Cuisinart coffee maker is it having lack of power, meaning the entire appliance will not work. Like mentioned above, the first step is to make sure that the outlet being used is working, and that a switch does not need to be turned on to provide electricity to the outlet.
If the outlet is not a problem, the next step is to check out the machine. There is a chance the cord could have tangled and caused some of the wires to break, or the power supply on the inside of the appliance may not be connected. Although not all electrical problems can be fixed, the best bet is to try and straighten out the cord and make sure everything is connected correctly.
Prevention is the best solution for power problems on a Cuisinart coffee maker, which can be done by taking care of the appliance even when it is not being used. Bundling up or twisting cords can cause them to break, so it is best to roll them loosely to keep them in tact.
Brewing Problems
Another common problem that can occur with the Cuisinart coffee maker is it will stop brewing, even when there is water ready to be transformed into coffee. The machine still turns on and works like it should, but does not continue brewing an entire pot of coffee, and acts like it has finished brewing even when there is still water sitting in the bin. This type of problem is pretty common among various coffee makers, and usually occurs when there is a problem inside the machine.
One of the best ways to fix this problem is by flushing the coffee maker out with a vinegar solution, which can be made with equal parts of vinegar and water. It should be poured in the same place as the water that is ready to be brewed, and will help to clear out the machine and make it ready to start brewing again. This problem is usually caused by calcium building up within the machine, and the vinegar helps to clear out any blockage to help it start running smoothly again.
Weird Tasting Coffee
After using your coffee maker for an extended period of time, the coffee can sometimes begin to taste bitter or like metal. It can be prevented by keeping the coffee maker and the pot clean on a regular basis, but is sometimes inevitable when the coffee maker is used on a daily basis.
Although vinegar does work great at cleaning out the machine, it can also be beneficial to use a de-calcium product such as CLR. Place about ¼ cup of the solution in the machine and fill the rest up with water, and the metal taste should be gone soon after. Make sure to run water through the machine several times after using the solution, to make sure and clean out any solution that may be left behind.
It isn’t hard learning how to fix a Cuisinart coffee maker, since many of the problems can be easily solved. By providing the machine with regular maintenance and keeping it clean as much as possible, many of the common problems can be easily solved.
cuisinart coffeemaker seems to ‘over percolate’ in that an excessive amount of steam is coming from it to the extent that if I put in 8 cups of water, I get 6 cups of coffee. Coffee brews — and is hot— but is releasing excessive steam. I clean regularly with vinegar. Any ideas of what it could be?
It sounds like your charcoal filter needs to be replaced.
when we put the water in, it turns on and does absolutely nothing? tried resetting the filter basket, decanter??? nothing. Any ideas
My cuisinart just stopped brewing. Have power, water, trying to run vinegar through but won’t perk.it is on brew, checked power…red light…what to do?
Ours stopped working last week. We’ve poured gallons
of vinegar through it but still no luck.
I thought a company like Cuisinart would respond quickly,
offering fulfill their warranty. But each time I call I”m given a new “trick” that might make it work. Tho it’s only 6 months
old and cost quite a bit of money (rich lawyer-son gave it
to us for Xmas), my wife is ready to discard it on trash day.
Mine did the exact same thing. One day it worked the next it didn’t. The red brew light comes on but nothing happens. Did you receive any response on ideas how to fix it?
DGB-625 the program button stopped working properly. Will light up when I push it SOMETIMES, but the clock will not blink in order for me to program start time. When it lights up I can’t turn it off with just a touch. I have to push the start button to turn off the program light. Other times, the Program button will not turn on at all. Clock and all else works great. Only 4 months old! I have regularly decalcified it. I even let it dry out completely. Anything else I can do?
My cuisnart coffee pot just all of a sudden stopped working, bought it on amazon just two days ago, yesterday brewed a perfect pot of coffee and today turned on this morning, then this evening i came home after a power outage, and to find that my coffee pot will NOT turn on! all outlets are good, cord is good, no power to the pot what so ever! What can I do?
i have a bad switch in my cofeemaker how can my husband take it apart to replace it? Thanks so much
I bought a Cuisinart Coffee Pot model 1150 a while ago and it started leaking water. I took the bottom plate off and saw that the rubber tube was deteriorating and I have tried to find a replacement, but that seems to be next to impossible.. I have removed to old tube and it just about fell apart in my hand. Where can I get a new tube, or are they not available? The pot brewed a good cup of coffee but as of now it is useless. Do I just throw it away or can I get a repair part?
Hi Miriam, please consider the amount of water absorbed by the coffe gounds and the actual measurement of cup size. I use 10 cups and normally get 7/8 cups per full pot.
Ed
I have the same problem as Judy 7/23/11 4:05P
I set the switch to on and it turns off by itself without the coffee being done! What do I do?
OMG I can’t believe so many people have had the same problem that the coffee pot just suddenly stopped working. The red light comes on and that’s it. I also thought Cuisinart was a reputable company and I paid a substantial amount for this pot, more than I had for any other. I tried everything that was suggested. I think Cuisinart should replace all our pots or repair them without a charge. It seems it must be some kind of defect. You know it’s going to be a bad day when you can’t get your coffee. LOL
This is the second Cuisinart I’ve had. The first one had a problem but the company sent me a replacement. They wouldn’t give me a warranty on this one because it was a replacement…..now the on switch won’t work. Was working fine, then yesterday, poof! Dead…The clock will work…the button for fewer cups works, and the cleaning button work. How can I fix this? Love the coffee pot, makes good coffee….sure hope I can fix it! Can you help me?
I have almost the same problem as Maylene does. Since an electrical storm yesterday, we have no power indication at the coffee brewer lights even though the outlet does work with other appliances.
I have exactly the same problem. Coffee is in, water is in, light comes on. Nothing happens.
Is this machine dead?
This is truly unbelievable! Bette and Karen, you guys said it perfectly! Our maker was a wedding gift 4 years ago. Yes, I understand wear and tear, etc. But, there is obviously a bigger issue here. Brand reputation is critical to any company’s success. You would think a company with such a powerful and respected reputation as Cuisinart, would take a more proactive position on these issues. If only APPLE made an iCoffee.
Yeah, I know….I’m not another APPLE groupie. 
But, you have to appreciate their commitment to customer satisfaction and the level of quality in their products.
Come on Cuisinart….GET IT TOGETHER!
Same here, gang. Water in, coffee in, cleaned out the machine, light comes on….Nothing
Yup, same problem as I see many others have, red light comes on, water in, no brewing. However, the day before it started spewing steam and I thought, uh oh.. I will put some vinegar and water in, but it’s not brewing, so it won’t go through everything. Can’t find receipt..it’s only a year old and the school year starts soon!
Here’s another who has a cuisinart stainless steel nice coffee pot that just wouldn’t come on one day. It doesn’t have a light on or anything. I like to work on electric machines, but this one has some weird screws that aren’t phillips, flat-head, star-shaped or anything I’ve ever seen. They look like a flat-head, but have a solid piece in the middle that blocks a flat-head. I am a teacher and school starts soon and I need my coffee. It is a stainless steel pot that keeps it warm forever and turns off after brewing. Coolest coffee pot I’ve ever had, but this sucks!
I may have a fix. My Cuisinart CM leaks, too. It has a short rubber tube on the bottom; the tube has split at one end. I believe this is the cause of my leak. I couldn’t find a tube, but one person said he used High-temperature RTV sealant/gasket maker.
I am going to try this myself. Here is a link. I have no financial, etc. interest in the product.
http://permatex.carshopinc.com/product_info.php/products_id/42291/81160
Same issue as above. Worked yesterday but won’t brew today. I had a Krups that I got tired of before anything went wrong with it. Thought I would try out a Cuisinart and haven’t even had it a year and it stopped working. Looks like I will go back to the Krups. At least I have my coffee press as a back up for today.
I do feel better knowing others have had their coffee post simply work one day and not the next; That is my problem. My pot is only a year old. I have loved it but based on the number of problems here I may have to go back to my Krups as well.
very nice article, giving some explanation what i search before
This is the 2nd cuisinart coffee maker i have had in 2 years…..just stop brewing….I am breaking our my old Krups that is over 15 years old and works beautifully!
I have a Cuisinart coffee an hot water maker CHW-12 I make the coffee and the light goes out after coffee is made so I get this first cup hot and the machine shuts off. How do I fix this problem? I love the coffee maker but not the cold part. Please help me or I will have to go to a different type of coffee maker.
Eerie how we all have the same problem around the same time and no solutions. Worked yesterday and today it won’t brew. Lights,clock, everything’s works but nothing happens. Disappointing being only 4 years old, should have kept my ugly old coffeemaker from the 80′s.
I don’t know how to fix as yet, but I did find out how to get the bottom off. The unusual screws are called Torx, security. or Torx tamper proof. They are a Torx 10 size but with a pin in the center so a standard Torx size 10 does not work. It must have a corresponding hole in the center of the screw driver head. The Torx is a star shaped head. I hope this helps.
same thing!!! And it’s only a year old. Of course I don’t have the receipt. What do I do buy a new one?
Same thing…yesterday the coffee wasn’t as hot as it has been. But today..nothing. The light comes on, but is not brewing. We got it right before Christmas last year so not quite a year old! I have so enjoyed this coffeemaker until now…
My Cuisanart coffee maker began not turning on and off when I flicked the switch. Now I can not get it to come on and brew coffee at all. Some others have posted about bad switches…………please tell me how I can replace this switch? thanks.
Same thing with ours.. machine is ON, light turns on.. no brewing.. anyone have any explanation as to WHY this is happening or how they got theirs fixed? thanks
This is our third and last Cuisnart Grind and Brew coffee-maker. After a year of use, the grinder basket will not come out for cleaning. It gets jammed in because they used plastic parts instead of metal. We returned the first one and they replaced it, with shipping charges. The second one, we were on our own. Foolishly, we bought a third one and within a year the same thing happened with the grinding basket. It made delicious coffee; we don’t know what brand to get now.
I have used vinegar solution to clean my coffee maker, but to no avail. This is a very expensive machine.
That’s the same thing that happened to ours! One day it was perfectly fine, next day….nothing! Red light is on, but nothing happens….
Got my 3 years ago as a present and now it leaks water out of the hole where the electrical cord comes out. I have to tilt it to get all of the water out or it covers my counter. What do you think is wrong and how can I look at the rubber hose that some people have been talking about in this thread? (Before this, I had a cheap Mr. Coffee machine that lasted with no problems for over 10 years.)
my clock stopped working on mine
My DCC-2000, 4+ years old, just stopped working. Other appliances work in the outlet. Have tried other outlets. I want to check the cord from the inside and have unscrewed all the bottom screws and the bottom will not come off. How to take off the bottom? Am I going in the right direction?
Our Cuisinart Grind n Brew, Model DGB-700BC (purchased June, 2009) turns itself OFF immediately after brewing (no hot plate, no light….totally OFF). What part do I need and where do I buy it (or take it to be fixed); a $100.00 coffeemaker should last longer than two years!
i have the same problem…coffee water leaks out the bottom…i saw that no one responded to your post yet. did you find a resolution? I like my pot, just not the mess i find when i go to get my first cup of coffee for the day.
I got no response to my water leakage problem. I want to check the rubber hose that other people were talking about, but I’m afraid to take it apart because I’m not a handyman type without directions to follow. The fact that our leak comes out of the same hole as the plug wire kind of freaks me out, but my husband seems willing to take the chance of electrocution every morning.
We have a Cusinart that takes its own sweet time to brew a pot (45-55minutes) . I contacted the company and they wanted the model and serial#. they replied back that we should clean with vinager; which we did. It still didn’t speed up the brew process. The coffee maker was a new gift but they responded that it was a very old unit and has reached it’s usefull life. Needless to say, we went back to the tried and true Mr Coffee. We now have fresh coffee in about 5minutes. No more Cusinart products for us.
Wow.. Like many above, today my few months old Cuisinart just stopped brewing. All lights come on, everything seems fine, but no coffee. This was my first Cuisinart. Guess I’ll not be replacing with a Cuisinart.
Same thing! Four month old pot stopped working suddenly. Power, lights, but no brew. Lemon!
Seems like many people have a problem with their coffee maker just dying for no reason. This is my second Cuisinart and it won’t brew. Time to buy a different brand! I am fed up with Cuisinart and their ability to make good coffee makers! ugh.
Mine will not heat water to make coffee, so how is it supposeto heat vinegar to clean? First one lasted 5 years, this one less than six months.
The answer; try another make.
We bought the grind and brew years ago, but now I can not get the grinder basket out for cleaning… any ideas?
I love my Cuisinart except for the problem of the ginderr not coming out unless I take 2 pair of pliers out and put it on the floor and pull it straight out. I don’t get iti. I clean it after every 2-3 and often after every brew to ensure no buildup occurs. Soo frustrating I don’t know what to do.
I am so devasted…I loved my pot too! Got it at Amazon almost a year ago and wont brew! Is that it? What can a coffee addict do?
My DCC-1200 was1 year old. Worked great even this past weekend. I gave it light use and didnt use it every day either and I took meticulous care of it. I used it about 2-3 times per week max.
Yesterday same as everyone else light came on and no brewing. Tapped it, wiggled switch on and off, and nothing!
Returned it with receipt to store (name witheld) to get a Bunn but they dont stock in store. They had little to choose from so I took another DCC-1200 home.
Krups appear to have equally bad problems when I read reviews. I dont especially like Bunn keeping water heating in it all day. Sounds like it would get “stale”. I like the Cuisinart but doesnt anyone know how to fix this issue? Bad switch? bad wiring? any ideas?