Element TV Shuts off Randomly? Here’s Why [SOLVED]

If your Element TV keeps shutting itself off at random with no rhyme or reason, we’re here to help you fix this problem.

In the next couple of minutes, we’re going to diagnose exactly what’s wrong with your Element brand television and what you can do to fix it. Chances are, you aren’t exactly sure what’s the root of your TV turning itself off – that’s okay – we’re here to help.

There are a number of things that can learn to an Element TV shutting off randomly, or seemingly at random. Let’s go over them, how to fix them, and how to prevent these issues from happening again in the future.

We have some official answers from Element’s own support staff and technicians, along with some additional context and ideas that we’ve curated from all around the internet. A lot of people have dealt with their Element TV turning on and off, and we’ve put together a compilation of all of the answers so you can find everything you need right here.

Fix Element TV Shuts Off Randomly

Try this first: Make sure that your power cable is firmly inserted into the back of the TV and into your wall outlet. Make sure that the power source isn’t cutting out. You could try plugging a lamp into the outlet, or just paying attention to see if any of your other electronics are having issues where lights flicker, or devices turn on and off like your Element TV. If so, then there’s a problem with your power source, and probably nothing wrong with your TV. If the power source seems fine, here are some solutions to fix your Element TV.

The first thing we’re going to try doing is a soft reset of your Element TV. This is very easy to do, and it’s the number 1 recommended thing to try according to Element themselves.

To do a soft reset of your Element TV, here’s what you need to do…

  1. Unplug your TV from the power outlet/wall socket.
  2. Press and hold the POWER button on the front of your TV a few times, and then hold it for about 30 seconds. Nothing will happen, since it’s unplugged from the wall, but the goal here is to discharge any stored electricity from the TV entirely.
  3. Wait another few minutes (this is an extra step, it’s not always necessary, but it doesn’t hurt and it can help).
  4. Plug the TV back into the power outlet.
  5. Turn the TV on, and see if it’s still randomly turning itself on and off.

This is the most common fix, so hopefully now you’re all set. But if not, we can try a factory reset instead.

reset element tv

How to factory reset an Element TV

A factory reset will revert your television to the state it was in when you first purchased it, or when it first left the factory floor, hence the name.

Not all Element TV’s will allow a factory reset, so if the following instructions don’t work, there’s another method that we’ll try in just a moment, but this this first.

  1. Press the HOME button on your remote control.
  2. Choose the SETTINGS option.
  3. Choose the SYSTEM option from the SETTINGS menu.
  4. Choose ADVANCED SYSTEM SETTINGS.
  5. Select FACTORY RESET (EVERYTHING).

Some of the bolded names of the menu items might be slightly different, but you’ll get the gist of it once you open up the menus for yourself. IF you’re missing a remote, you can likely use the buttons on the front of your television to navigate the menus.

If the above method doesn’t work, here’s another way to factory reset an Element TV.

Look at the back of your television set and look for a small pinhole. It should be labelled “reset”. You might need a flashlight to see behind your TV if it’s dark, or it might be easier to flip your TV around to face you while you’re doing this, depending on the configuration of your room.

Use a small pin or a pointy object to press in this reset button. The button should be located near an HDMI port on the back of the TV, but it can vary by model, so check the sides of the TV as well if you can’t find it.

Do this while the TV is turned on, and if you can see the screen, you’ll get a notification/visual confirmation that the RESET process is working.

If neither of these first two fixes works, Element recommends calling their customer support hotline. You can reach them at 888-842-3577 and they may be able to offer additional guidance, but we have a few more things you can try right here on this page, so keep reading before you call them!

Check If Your Element TV Is In Power-Saving Mode

Some TV’s have a power-saving mode which will cause them to shut-off after a certain amount of time. If your TV has power-saving mode turned on, this could be why it turns itself off.

Here’s how to check if your Element TV is in power-saving mode:

  1. When your TV is turned on, press MENU on your remote to access the TV’s menu.
  2. Go to SETTINGS.
  3. Look for a menu called POWER MANAGEMENT or ENERGY SAVING.
  4. If POWER SAVING MODE or ECO MODE are enabled, try disabling them by selecting the OFF option.
  5. Save the changes and check if your TV still turns itself off.

To be totally honest, if you just started having these issues with your TV and you didn’t manually turn on power-saving mode, then this probably isn’t the cause of your issues. Having said that, it’s still worth a try, because part of troubleshooting a broken TV is to try everything we can, even if it seems unlikely. We start with the most common fixes for an Element TV and we work our way forward from there. Usually, it’s not the most common fix that makes the most sense, but not always!

Update Your Element TV’s Firmware

Firmware is essentially the software that your TV operates but, but it’s not the same software as you would find on your computer or as an app on your phone. Firmware isn’t as easy to update as regular software, but it’s very important. Sometimes, issues with your TV can be fixed by updating the firmware. Here’s how to update the firmware of your Element TV.

  1. Visit the support section on Element’s website here.
  2. Enter the model number of your TV into the search box.
  3. Click the correct model for your television and look for a section called DOWNLOADS or FIRMWARE.
  4. Download the firmware file provided by Element.
  5. Transfer the file onto a portable USB thumbstick or a portable hard drive that connects via USB.
  6. Insert this USB into the USB port on your Element TV. It’s probably on the back, but it could be on the side of the television.
  7. Press the MENU button on your remote control, or on the TV itself.
  8. Navigate to SETTINGS and then SYSTEM UPDATE. (It might be called SOFTWARE UPDATE).
  9. Choose the option called USB UPDATE.
  10. Your Element TV will search the USB drive for the necessary software update (the firmware you downloaded) and it will begin the installation process.
  11. There will be prompts on-screen to guide you through the process of updating your firmware on an Element TV.

Note: Updating the firmware is generally safe and straight-forward, but keep this as a last resort because it’s possible to cause issues if it doesn’t go smoothly. Make sure that you don’t turn your TV off during this process, which can be kind of nerve-wracking if you’re dealing with a TV that’s turning itself off randomly.

Final Thoughts on Element TV Shutting off Randomly

How often does your TV turn itself off? Does it turn itself back on afterwards? Is this something you can live with, or does it happen often enough that your TV is unusable?

These are things to consider when you’re trying to fix an Element TV that shuts itself off. Is it worth taking it in to get repaired if nothing on this list is working? It could be an internal module that’s broken, but that will likely be costly to fix.

Even if the parts are under $100, you still have to consider the cost of the labor, compared to how much you paid for the TV versus getting a brand new one. If you are already planning on upgrading your TV in the near future, an Element TV that turns on and off randomly might be a good sign to start shopping for a new one.

If your TV wasn’t too expensive, and it’s going to cost a lot to fix, then it’s probably not worth fixing – as unfortunate as that is. You may be able to donate it to a local school that has an electronics lab so that students can practice repairs on it.

A lot of broken tech goes to waste, and that’s awful, but the issue is that sometimes, it’s more expensive to fix an old TV instead of just getting a new one. In any case, if you’ve tried everything and you aren’t finding a solution, you can try reaching out to Element to see what they can do for you when your Element TV shuts off randomly.

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About the Author

Benjamin Crawford wrote the first 50 articles for RSS, before handing the reigns over to our newest author, Jay. Ben may still pop up now and then to cover topics, but Jay Kenneth is now managing the RSSCloud blog.