Broken Latch – Quick and Easy Fix – Microwave (Kenmore and Samsung)

One day I heard a pop, and after that the microwave door would no longer latch closed! You could push the door closed, but it would just bounce open again. The door would not stay closed, so the light was on constantly.

I took it apart and determined that a small plastic hook in the latch mechanism had broken. This quick post details the simple fix.

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Here is the door sitting open because it would not latch…

Kenmore/Samsung Microwave Broken Door Latch

Okay, so the microwave in question is a Kenmore Model No. 401.85042010. After a few internet searches, this appears to be a very common problem, also plaguing several different brand names (Including Kenmore, Samsung, and Maytag) with slight variations.

Other model numbers for which the fix for this latch mechanism applies (a more complete list is at the end of this post):

Kenmore: 40180082010, 40180082700, 40180083700, 40180084700, 40180086700, 40180089700, 40180092010, 40180092700, 40180093010, 40180093700, 40180094700, 40180099010, 40180099700, 40185042010, 40185042210, 40185042310, 40185043010, 40185043210, 40185043310, 40185044010, 40185044110, 40185044210, 40185046010 etc;

Samsung: 592856000, 592856030, 592856040, 592856060, 592856090, 592856100, 592856130, 592856140, 592856190, 80082, 80083, 80084, 80086, 80089, 80092, 80093, 80094, 80099, BMHC815SS, BMHC815SSXAC, BMHC815WW, ME16H702SEB, ME16H702SES, ME16H702SEW

Tools and Supplies:

• flat-blade screwdriver or paint scraper
• 1/16″ drill
• Replacement Latch Mechanism (Part# DE64-00760A)
• Replacement Door Spring (Part# DE61-00048A)

Procedure to Fix a Broken Microwave Door Latch

To get at the latch mechanism, use a thin flat tool such as a flat-bladed screwdriver or a paint scraper and pry out the trim on the inner part of the microwave door.

There are these plastic clips that hold the trim in place. I just pried until they popped loose, and none of them snapped, but if you are worried about them snapping, you could reach in with a small tool and press the tab out of its hole, after you have pried out the first 1 or 2 clips. There appears to be about 2 clips on each edge.

It is only necessary to remove the trim on the side with the hook latches. Once the trim is out of the way, you can see the latch mechanism. lift it straight up to unseat it from its holes, then pull it out.

In my case, the little plastic hook that holds one end of the spring, had snapped off. That must have been the ‘pop’ sound I heard when it failed!

I chose to try repairing my existing latch. Another option is to just purchase a new one off of Amazon since they are pretty cheap. Here is the link if you want to check the current price:

DE64-00760A Microwave Door Latch Replacement

For the repair I did, I used a drill with a small drill bit.

I used a 1/16″ drill bit and it worked fine.

At the place where the hook broke off, I drilled a hole through the piece of plastic that remained, as shown.

Then, take the spring, and hook it through the hole you just drilled. If your spring broke, here is the link for a new one (it is labeled as Samsung, but applies to Kenmore as well):

Samsung DE61-00048A Key Spring

And then hook the other end of the spring through the corresponding hole in the microwave door.

Then pull up on the latch mechanism, and feed it into the holes at the top and the bottom of the channel in the microwave door that it rides in.

That’s pretty much it! Press the trim piece back into place, and you’re all set.

Thanks for reading PracticalMechanic.com!

Tools and Supplies:

• flat-blade screwdriver or paint scraper
• 1/16″ drill
• Replacement Latch Mechanism (Part# DE64-00760A)
• Replacement Door Spring (Part# DE61-00048A)

Other Model Numbers:

Kenmore:	Samsung:	Samsung:	Samsung:
40180082010	592856000	SMV9165BC/XAA	SMH7175BC/XAA
40180082700	592856030	SMV9165SC/XAA	SMH7175BE/XAA
40180083700	592856040	SMH7174BC/XAA	SMH7175CC/XAA
40180084700	592856060	SMH7174BE/XAA	SMH7178STD/XAA
40180086700	592856090	SMH7174CC/XAA	SMH7175WC/XAA
40180089700	592856100	SMH7174WC/XAA	SMH7175WE/XAA
40180092010	592856130	SMH7174WE/XAA	SMH7178STE/XAA
40180092700	592856140	SMH7177STE/XAA	SMH4150BD/XAA
40180093010	592856190	SMH4150WD/XAA	SMH1713S/XAA-01
40180093700	80082	SMH7175BC/XAA	ME18H704SFS/AA-00
40180094700	80083	SMH7175BE/XAA	ME20H705MSB/AA-00
40180099010	80084	SMH7175CC/XAA	ME20H705MSS/AA-00
40180099700	80086	SMV9165BC/XAA	BMHC815SS
40185042010	80089	SMV9165SC/XAA	BMHC815SSXAC
40185042210	80092	SMH7174BC/XAA	BMHC815WW
40185042310	80093	SMH7174BE/XAA	ME16H702SEB
40185043010	80094	SMH7174CC/XAA	ME16H702SES
40185043210	80099	SMH7174WC/XAA	ME16H702SEW
40185043310		SMH7174WE/XAA
40185044010		SMH7177STE/XAA
40185044110		SMH4150WD/XAA
40185044210
40185046010