TV Turns Off by Itself After a Few Seconds (Causes, How to Fix)

As an owner of a TV that has been randomly turning off after a few seconds of being on, I have been incredibly frustrated. After doing some research and testing, I am here to share how I solved this issue, as well as other solutions I discovered to help those who are facing the same problem. In this blog post, I will be discussing the causes of why a TV may shut off after a few seconds and the various ways to fix it.

Your TV may be powering off after a few seconds because of power and TV settings issues. Check if your TV power timer settings are correct and if not, change it, replace the TV remote batteries if it is flat, clean the remote’s defective buttons, and check and fix a potentially faulty power source.

Tips for troubleshooting TV turning off on its own
– Check the power timer settings of your TV
– Check the power source and cord
– Check if HDMI-CEC is causing any problems
– Look to see if your TV’s remote controller is causing problems
– Update the firmware of your TV
– Perform a factory reset if all else fails

Table of Contents

Why Is My TV Turning Itself Off And, How Do I Fix It?

There are a few reasons why your TV could be turning itself off after a few seconds. Many of these issues are quick to diagnose and easy to fix.

Double Check Your TV’s Power Timer Settings

Often the reason that your TV keeps switching off after a few seconds, especially if it is around a specific time of day, is because of the TV’s power timer.

A power timer is a great tool to switch your TV off automatically when not watching to save electricity.

The power timer could become a nuisance if someone accidentally fiddled with it, causing the TV to switch off after some time of use or if the power timer was not supposed to be enabled at all.

The first thing to do if your TV keeps shutting down by itself is to go into your TV’s power timer settings and adjust or disable it.

Hopefully, by adjusting or switching off the TV’s power timer setting, the TV will no longer switch off itself.

Check Your TV’s Power Source And Cord

Often the power source that your TV is plugged into is at fault. It needs to be fixed if your power source is causing your TV problems.

First, switch off your TV and unplug it from the power source.

It may be a defective surge protector that causes your TV to switch off after a few seconds.

If your TV was plugged into a surge protector, remove it and plug it directly into the power source, and see if that fixed the problem. If not, try plugging your TV into a different power source as the power source may be faulty.

If none of this work, look at the TV’s power cord as it might be damaged. If you find the power cord damaged, it must be fixed or replaced by a new one to stop your TV from switching off after a few seconds.

Often the power source or cord is at fault and needs to be remedied by fixing or replacing them to let your TV function properly.

Check If HDMI-CEC Is Causing Any Problems On Your TV

Sometimes an HDMI-CEC (Consumer Electronics Control), a handy feature that allows your different devices to control one another through HDMI, is why your TV keeps turning itself off.

HDMI-CEC can often be either a hindrance or very useful. When it is a hindrance, HDMI-CEC can be overwhelmed by different signals trying to communicate simultaneously, causing your TV to turn off automatically.

When HDMI-CEC is helpful, it can do such things as switching on your TV and switching to the source of the device of a Blu-Ray player when it powers on and is connected to the HDMI.

This trouble with HDMI-CEC can be remedied by turning this feature off in your TV settings. Depending on your TV brand, it may have a different name, such as Anynet + for Samsung, Bravia Sync for Sony, and Simplink for LG.

If you want to keep using HDMI-CEC, disable each HDMI-CEC supported device, like a PlayStation 4 device and Blu-Ray player, till you find the culprit that causes the signal problem.

HDMI-CEC often causes your TV to power off at random because of being overwhelmed by different signals.

This problem can be fixed by turning HDMI-CEC off on your TV or disabling HDMI-CEC on HDMI-CEC supported devices till you find the device that is the culprit.

Look To See If Your TV’s Remote Controller Is Causing Problems

A TV remote that is low on batteries or dirty with defective buttons can cause incorrect signals to be sent to your TV that cause it to turn and off randomly after a few seconds.

The first thing to do if your TV remote buttons are sticking and defective is to clean the remote and its defective buttons.

Before doing so, remove the TV remote batteries so the TV remote does not interfere with the TV while cleaning it. Afterward, clean each key on the TV remote by shacking unwanted debris out of it before wiping it with a soft cloth with rubbing alcohol.

It might just be a flat battery that is causing a problem. This problem can easily be fixed by replacing the flat batteries with new ones.

If your TV remote is causing problems and is dirty with defective buttons, clean the remote by shacking out unwanted debris and cleaning it with rubbing alcohol. If the TV remote has low batteries, replace it with new batteries.

Update The Firmware Of Your TV

Your TV may have shipped with a firmware bug that causes it to switch off automatically. Luckily, it may have already gotten fixed with a firmware update that remedies this bug causing your TV to turn off after a few seconds.

You can usually update your TV by looking for an available firmware update download in your TV’s settings.

If you cannot download the firmware update in your TV’s settings, you may need to go onto the maker of your TV’s support website on your PC, download the firmware update, and install it through a USB on your TV.

Occasionally, your firmware may be outdated on your TV and needs to be updated in your TV’s settings or download it on your PC and install it through a USB on your TV.

If All Else Fails, Perform A Factory Rest

Unfortunately, if all of the above fails, you may need to do a factory reset which will wipe all custom settings on your TV.

By performing a factory reset, it will wipe all custom settings on your TV and reset it to your default TV’s default settings. A factory reset on your PC will remove all your TV’s settings and the one that may have caused your TV to turn off automatically if you could not find it in your TV’s settings.

You can find this option in your TV’s setting and perform the factory reset from there on your TV.

The last step to take if your TV is still causing problems is to perform a factory reset, which will remove all your custom settings but likely remedy the problem of your TV turning off after a few seconds.

A hard reset involves completely resetting the TV to its factory defaults. Most TV models have specific instructions. However, if you have a Samsung TV here are the steps to follow:

To perform a factory reset:

Head to Settings > General.
Select Reset.
Enter your PIN > then select Reset.

Note: If you didn’t change your PIN initially the code is 0000

Conclusion

If your TV keeps turning off after a few seconds, you can take a few steps to fix this problem. First, turn off your TV and check if your power source and cord are at fault. Check if your TV’s power timer settings are causing your TV to turn itself off at inconvenient times.

Disable or modify your HDMI-CEC settings on your TV and devices, which may interfere with another. Your TV remote batteries may be flat, causing signal interference. If your remote has defective buttons, clean it and the buttons.