"COOKTOP ON" light does not go off. fire hazard?

[chessplayer]

Good Evening,
I need help. Lots of it. Please - The "COOKTOP ON" light on my electric Whirlpool range would not go off. The burners have been off for hours now, the oven too, they are stone cold, however the light would not go off. As a comparison the "Hot surface" light is off. This range is about 5 years old and is out of warranty. Two questions I would like to ask:
1. Does this represent any safety hazard? How urgent is this? The burners do seem to work fine.
2. Is this a repair that can be done by somebody, me, that has never repaired appliances? Is it a matter of unplugging a part and plugging in a new one?
Any answers and ideas would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Dawgluver]

As long as the burners are cold, I don't see it as a safety hazard. Have you looked in the manual? Check out the diagram, something might have gotten loose. You might try calling the Whirlpool troubleshooting number, or look it up on line. Good luck!

 

[chessplayer]

I am still trying to locate the manual...I will try calling Whirpool tomorrow. I tried the web and went to a "just answer whirlpool" site about half way they asked me to state how much i would pay for the answer... i closed the tab. Thank you for the reassurance that it most likely is not a fire hazard. I kinda thought so myself. Thank you.

 

[Dawgluver]

I am still trying to locate the manual...I will try calling Whirpool tomorrow. I tried the web and went to a "just answer whirlpool" site about half way they asked me to state how much i would pay for the answer... i closed the tab. Thank you for the reassurance that it most likely is not a fire hazard. I kinda thought so myself. Thank you.

The real Whirlpool site won't charge you, I know what site you're talking about! Glad you closed the tab!

 

[bakechef]

Since stoves have circuit boards now, maybe unplug and plug back in. May need to be reset.

And agree, the real whirlpool site WILL NOT ask for money.

 

[GLC]

Take a look at the discussion here:

Whirlpool range "cooktop on" light stays on forever

Their diagnosis makes perfect sense, and if you're at all able to get inside the range, it's easy to confirm.

But first, I'd run each of the burner switches on and off a few times to see if the contacts free up or at least maybe the light goes out for an instant when you move one of them, and you'll know which one is bad.

This sounds like a common problem with Whirlpool ranges, as there are any number of Q&A sites that address it, and all give the same answer.

 

[CWS4322]

It certainly is not something to ignore. My xMIL's neighbour's house burnt down because of such a short circuit. I know, rare, but it happened (at least, that was what the arson squad determined the cause of the fire).