Samsung TV Keeps Restarting? (Possible Causes & Fixes)

Dennis Howard
by Dennis Howard

You turn off your Samsung TV and leave the room. You come back, and the TV is back on. That can be a little spooky. You may notice that your Samsung TV restarts itself intermittently while you are watching a show. This interruption can be highly frustrating. What causes a Samsung TV to restart itself, and can this situation be remedied?

Typically, a Samsung TV that restarts itself has issues such as a new HDMI device, a damaged power supply, overheating, or a bad control board. Some of these problems can be fixed by changing settings on the TV or HDMI device. Internal problems will probably require a visit from a service technician.

You should try diagnosing the restart problem with your Samsung TV before you call a service technician. Eliminating simple problems that you can fix can save you a hefty service charge. However, a trained Samsung service technician should attend to internal problems such as a bad power supply, overheating, or a faulty controller board.

Do You Need Appliance Repair Services?

Get free, zero-commitment quotes from pro contractors near you.

Sorting Out the Issue

Many homeowners don’t feel comfortable sorting out the issues that can cause a Samsung TV to restart itself with no apparent outside input. In truth, some of these issues are quite easy to find, and the fix is often simple. Let’s look at some of the more common reasons a Samsung TV restarts and a few of the more difficult-to-diagnose problems.

Check Your Electrical Connection

There are instances when a bad electrical connection can cause intermittent restarts on a Samsung TV. Take care when working with the electrical supply cable of your Samsung TV to prevent any possible injury from an electrical shock.

Check the wall outlet and the plug on the power cable to your Samsung TV. Look for issues that may indicate an electrical problem, such as:

  • Black or burn marks on the face of the electrical outlet.
  • Melting of the plastic around the outlet or on the plug of the Samsung TV power cable.
  • If the electrical outlet or power cord is hot to the touch, you may have an electrical issue

If you find one of these issues with the electrical connection at the outlet, a call to a licensed electrician is in order. The electrician can examine the outlet and find the source of the problem safely and correctly.

The plug on the back of your Samsung TV can also be a problem. The most common problem with the plug on the back of the Samsung TV is a loose power cord that isn’t properly seated in the plug. Make sure the electrical cord plug is pushed all the way into the socket on the back of your Samsung TV and is tight.

External Devices and Samsung TV Control

Most of us have at least one or two external devices connected to our Samsung TVs. Among the most popular accessory devices connected to Samsung TVs are:

  • Game Consoles
  • Amazon Fire Sticks
  • Blu-Ray Devices
  • Soundbars of various makes and models

Many of these devices that interact with your Samsung TV can be at the root of your restarting problems. To determine if your Samsung TV is having a problem with one of the accessory devices, a process of elimination is your best course. These steps should help you identify the source of the problem.

Step 1: Turn off your Samsung TV

Before you plug or unplug anything from your Samsung TV, you should make sure the power to the TV is off. Plugging or unplugging any device can cause a small electrical arc that can damage the internal electronic components of your TV. Your Samsung TV control board constantly polls each plug to check for the status of the plug. Any kind of electrical charge can be catastrophic.

Step 2: Unplug Everything From your Samsung TV

When your Samsung TV is safely turned off, unplug all the accessory devices attached to the Samsung TV. If you have any Bluetooth devices connected to your Samsung TV, you should disconnect those as well.

Many soundbars connect to your Samsung TV via Bluetooth connections that may remain connected even when the TV and the soundbar seem to be turned off. Manually unpair these Bluetooth devices. Follow the directions in the user manual for your Bluetooth devices to unpair them from your Samsung TV.

Step 3: Plug One Device Into your Samsung TV

Plug one of your accessory devices back into your Samsung TV and turn on your TV. Let your Samsung TV run for a few minutes to check for proper operation, then turn on the accessory device. Change to the appropriate input port to see if the accessory device is operating properly.

Some HDMI devices include a feature that allows you to control the Samsung TV and the HDMI device with a single remote. This single remote control is handy if you normally use that HDMI device when you are watching TV. However, this feature can cause some intermittent problems with certain models of Samsung TVs.

The feature, called HDMI-CEC, can be turned off in the setting menu of your Samsun TV. Under the SETTINGS menu, select the tab labeled GENERAL and look for an option called EXTERNAL DEVICE MANAGER. Turn this setting to OFF. The downside to this solution is turning on each device separately, which means keeping track of more than one remote control.

Step 4: Repeat Step 3 for Each Accessory Device

Repeat Step 3 for each accessory or Bluetooth device you want to keep connected to your Samsung TV. Work slowly and systematically. When you test each new device, give your Samsung TV time to warm up and run for a while before moving to the next device.

Problems with Other Remote or Mobile Devices

If you use smart home components in your wireless system, some smart home devices can interface with your Samsung TV. In some cases, you may not even be aware that the device is connected to your Samsung TV.

If your Samsung TV is set to accept and act on these signals from your smart home devices, your entire wireless network can become a source of problems. Spurious wireless signals can cause your Samsung TV to respond by turning on or off.

Diagnosing this problem can be tricky. The best method is to turn off the feature on your Samsung TV. If turning off this feature on the TV eliminates the problem, you can begin to look for the source of the signals in your smart home network.

To turn off this feature in your Samsung TV, access the SETTINGS menu and click on the GENERAL tab, the NETWORK tab, EXPERT SETTINGS, and choose the POWER ON WIT MOBILE option. Toggle this setting to OFF.

Firmware Problems – Unusual but Possible

Your Samsung TV has its own computer that runs the firmware making the TV operate correctly. Samsung issues firmware updates periodically when an issue with the operation of Samsung TVs becomes known.

It is rare for the firmware in a Samsung TV to cause restart problems, but it is not impossible. You should check with the Samsung website to see if a firmware update is available for your Samsung TV. If an update is available, follow the directions on the Samsung website to download and install the new firmware on your Samsung TV.

Each model and make of Samsung TV has different firmware and unique download and installation requirements. It is impossible to give a generic set of instructions for this task. However, Samsung’s customer service is excellent and can answer any questions about installing new firmware.

Internal Issues With your Samsung TV

A Samsung TV that constantly restarts and the above fixes don’t remedy the problem indicates that your Samsung TV has internal electronic problems. Many different problems can occur internally with your Samsung TV that can cause intermittent restarts.

  • As Samsung TVs age, they become susceptible to overheating. Dust settles on the electronic parts inside the TV, acting as insulation. Electronic parts that overheat regularly can cause a host of problems, including random restarts.
  • The heart of your Samsung TV is the main control board. This board connects to various other components inside the TV with flat ribbon cables. If any of these cables is damaged or the connections become loose, you may experience different sorts of problems, including mysterious TV restarts.
  • The power supply of your Samsung TV controls all the power going to the various components of your TV. If the power supply board is damaged somehow, the power it delivers to your Samsung TV can fluctuate in unpredictable ways, sometimes causing the system to restart.
  • A failed Main Control Board usually means your Samsung TV won’t work at all. However, some electronic components can work unless they overheat, which can cause strange behaviors from the main control board. These problems are difficult to diagnose and hard to repair. In most instances, it is easier and cheaper to replace the whole main control board.

Unfortunately, most homeowners are not equipped or don’t have the expertise to diagnose and fix these internal problems. A trained Samsung TV technician is your best option. This is especially true if your Samsung TV is still under warranty. You should contact the Samsung customer service department for more information about warranty claims.

Do You Need Appliance Repair Services?

Get free, zero-commitment quotes from pro contractors near you.

Keeping The Entertainment Streaming

Keeping an uninterrupted flow of entertainment through your Samsung TV is the goal. When things start to get a little weird with your Samsung TV, a bit of patient diagnosis can help you keep your Samsung TV operating properly. If all else fails, a call to a trained technician will put your Samsung TV back in action.

Dennis Howard
Dennis Howard

Dennis is a retired firefighter with an extensive background in construction, home improvement, and remodeling. He worked in the trades part-time while serving as an active firefighter. On his retirement, he started a remodeling and home repair business, which he ran for several years.

More by Dennis Howard

Next