If your Ninja Foodi starts flashing the message POT, then it could be a couple of things. Follow my troubleshooting guide to hopefully fix it without needing to send it in for repair.
After you get through the main steps the all-important question comes up “are you still in warranty?” If not I give a written guide on what you can try if you are a brave soul that fears not disassembling your Foodi.
What Causes POT Error on Ninja Foodi?
The vast majority of the time, a little bit of food or debris has gotten stuck between the sensor and the contact plate that tells the Foodi your pot is in place and the unit is ready to use. I found several people that had this error after a bit of stew was spilled in the bottom of their Foodi.
Another unconfirmed possibility is corrosion or rust that obstructs the connection between the contact and the sensor.
Is My Ninja Foodi Broken?
No, in most cases, with the POT Error your Ninja can be either fixed easily by following the troubleshooting steps below or in the worst-case scenario, you will need to send it back to the factory so they can fix or replace the parts.
I know for some people you would call that broken, but my main point is there is hope that your unit can be fixed and, at worst, replaced.
Troubleshooting Steps Before Escalation
Before I throw you into the fire of fixing your own things or even calling support lets, try some simple troubleshooting methods to see if we can fix this issue easily.
Also, nobody is going to know, not even me, if it was something simple, so feel free to make yourself sound like 007-MacGyver, lol
- Check to see if your pot is in the Foodi – the reason I said what I said above is because I have forgotten to put my pot in… Embarrassing to admit, but I did.
- Make sure the pot is set all the way into the Foodi – Check the edges and ensure the pot is sitting flush and level.
- Check the sensor is not stuck – make sure your Foodi is not hot because the sensor is in the middle of the heat plate. If it is not hot, wiggle the sensor a little and make sure it is not stuck.
- Unplug and Re-plug the Foodi – You might be thinking this is not my computer, but this is the last thing I would try before calling support.
Choose Your Own Adventure
If you have gone through the troubleshooting steps and are still reading, maybe your unit is actually messed up, and the pot sensor is broken. In that case, I have 2 main options than some follow-up options. You can read straight through, or you can click on “In Warranty” or “Out of Warranty” and from there, make a choice appropriate to you.
In Warranty
These are the same steps you can read about in my other article, but if you have a still active warranty, you will want to take full advantage of that and get your unit replaced or repaired. Follow these steps to get that done.
Step 1: Call Support
Call support at 1-877-646-5288 explains to the support person what happened with your unit and the error you are getting. In this case, it is POT which means the sensor is not working.
Step 2: Follow Troubleshooting
They will most likely have you walk through some troubleshooting steps similar to the ones listed above, and then if your issue is not resolved, they will want to set up a warranty exchange or repair.
Step 3: Send back For Repair or Exchange
If the troubleshooting steps do not resolve the POT error, they will set up a ticket and explain how you can send your unit back for exchange or repair. This is a simple process and typically takes 4-6 weeks to get your replacement from the time you mail yours.
Out of Warranty
If your Ninja Foodi is out of warranty and you feel like MacGyver, there are a few options we currently know of for getting it working again. Each depends on your level of risk.
Bypass
Bypassing the pot sensor is a bad idea. It could be dangerous, and of course, if you have a warranty, you won’t after you do this kind of “fix,” so make sure this is what you want to do.
As far as danger goes, I’m no expert on the issue; however, without the pot sensor, it might cause your Foodi to be able to come on at the wrong times, possibly overheat, and you are likely bypassing some safety features.
So if you are sure you want to take on the risk, then go for it. However, I can no assume any responsibility for what you choose to do with your Ninja Foodi. I also assume no responsibility for incomplete or inaccurate steps. If you choose to go down this path, you are on your own.
Step 1: Remove All Items
You want to start by removing all items and unplugging your Foodi from the wall. You then want to close the crisper lid.
Step 2: Flip It Upside Down
Flip the Foodi upside down and rest it on a towel. You will need to find a way to support the odd shape so that you can ask for help from someone around you, or as I did, you can put the Ninja in your lap.
Step 3: Remove the Bottom
Unscrew the screws on the bottom of the Foodi and pop off the plastic cover that protects the bottom. You may need to pry a little on it after you take the screws out.
Step 4: Unscrew One Black Wire
Ok, I know you are following instructions from the internet with no pictures to go off of (at least at the time of writing). However, in the middle, there is a silver plate with 2 black leads going to it screwed in with small nuts. Unscrew one of the wires and replace the nut with the wire detached. Make sure you don’t drop the nut into the inner workings of the Foodi.
Step 5: Unscrew The Nut From The Other Wire
Now that you have a loose wire, you want to attach it to the other post by removing the other nut and placing the wires together. Once they are together on the post, you want to screw the nut back on, clamping both wires together.
Step 6: Put It Back Together
Once you have connected both wires to the same post, you have bypassed the switch. It is time to put the bottom back on and try out your new possibly dangerous Ninja Foodi.
Replace
If you still want to MacGyver things but don’t want to go the possibly dangerous route of bypassing the switch altogether, then you can go another possibly dangerous route.
Lets fix this thing for real and replace the sensor with our own!
Even though I know conceptually what to do here and I’m going to describe it to you, I have not tried it. I don’t know where to find the parts. I don’t even know for sure what they are called or that I’m right about what to replace. So like with the bypass, you are doing this at your own risk.
There is an assumption that the switch on the bottom is purely a pressure-based switch that is spring-loaded. If that is the case, you might be able to do the following steps and take the switch apart and clean it. If someone out there attempts some of this and gets pics, please share. Please post a comment and let us know.
Step 1: Remove All Items
You want to start by removing all items and unplugging your Foodi from the wall. You then want to close the crisper lid.
Step 2: Flip It Upside Down
Flip the Foodi upside down and rest it on a towel. You will need to find a way to support the odd shape so that you can ask for help from someone around you, or as I did, you can put the Ninja in your lap.
Step 3: Remove the Bottom
Unscrew the screws on the bottom of the Foodi and pop off the plastic cover that protects the bottom. You may need to pry a little on it after you take the screws out.
Step 4: Coming soon… (keep reading anyway)
So this is where things get a little uncertain. Once you get to the bottom of the machine, you need to figure out how to remove the sensor for access. I plan to do this in the future but not in the near future. The sensor could be screwed in, or it might be placed with some press using high pressure.
But if you get it out, you can start to figure out what parts to get possibly get to replace it, and things will get easier.
I would love to hear any comments from people trying this.
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Repair Shop
This will be more annoying than anything, so I will keep it short and sweet. I called the repair shops in my local area, and none of them could repair the Ninja Foodi, saying it would be hard to get parts.
However, after a few hours of calling, I was able to find a repair shop that was 45 min away that said they could do it, and another that was 2.5 hrs away that also said they could do it.
So this might make sense if you happen to live in an area with a repair shop willing to do the work. However, if you live in an area like mine, you might want to look at the bypass method or even worst-case replacement.
If you go for a replacement, I’ve seen the Foodis selling on eBay for $40 to $100, which means your unit is not a total loss if you are willing to go through the hassle of listing it on eBay.
You can also find used and refurbished Ninja Foodis on there for a respectable $150ish range.
Check out my Guide to Buying Ninja Foodi for the best ways to get a deal or start cooking with the Ninja Foodi for less money.
