How To Troubleshoot Your Power Recliner

One of the worst feelings in the world is getting a new purchase home, setting it up, and getting ready to use it, only to discover it isn’t working. When that item is a large purchase like a power recliner that stops working, that feeling is tenfold. No one wants to spend a few thousand dollars on a luxury recliner, only to have it not work correctly.

If you are reading this article, chances are, this particular scenario may apply to you, but don’t panic just yet! Before you return your power recliner or call the service people for repairs you purchased it, there are a few troubleshooting steps you can take to see if your recliner is genuinely broken or if you may just need to connect some loose wires.

At Furniture Fair, we’ve sold many power recliners and serviced many recliners needing repairs or just reconnections. We want to help you save a lot of time and hassle by showing you how to troubleshoot your potential recliner breakdown point.

This article will take you through some troubleshooting steps to hopefully help you fix your reclining mechanisms yourself and give you some options to go with if you can’t get your reclining power chair working.

The first thing to determine is that your power furniture isn’t working. Once you’ve established that something is wrong, the first step is to check your furniture cord connection to the outlet. As simple as it may seem, sometimes the recliner may have just come unplugged.

Check your outlet and your chord and make sure they are correctly connected. If your furniture still doesn’t work, you may want to test your outlet with another appliance to make sure the outlet is working correctly.

If you still aren’t receiving power, check your circuit breakers to ensure you didn’t accidentally trip a breaker when plugging in your new recliner. Older homes especially may have difficulty running higher-powered electronics or multiple appliances on one breaker.

While breaker overload is rare, it does happen from time to time and could be the cause of your lack of power in your power recliner. Refrain from using multiple powered devices on the same breaker to avoid this potential mishap.

Alright, now that we know it’s not a power issue or a tripped breaker, let’s start troubleshooting the power recliner for potential fixes. Different power recliners have different wiring setups, and power reclining sofas or sectionals can be incredibly complicated.

Make sure that your furniture is unplugged before you begin the troubleshooting process. Flip your furniture over to find the wiring sections. You should have someone assist you with larger pieces of furniture such as sofas or power reclining sectionals. If you need further assistance, call your salesperson for more in-depth instructions.

Check the back of your furniture for a power switch. While more rare, power switches on the back of recliners are sometimes used for easy power access. Make sure that the switch is turned in the on position. Many controls have a light-up indicator to help you know that it is receiving power.

The next thing to check is the back of the recliner. If the back of your sofa has a removable Velcro piece, remove the section. DO NOT attempt to remove sewn on backs, or you will damage your furniture.

Check the back of your furniture for any cords, batteries, electrical parts, or recliner motors, and keep in mind that different models have different layouts and parts. Check and make sure that all power cords are properly connected and reconnect any that may have come loose.

It doesn’t hurt to unplug and reconnect your cords to ensure that they have a proper connection. Sometimes turning a device off and back on again works for power recliners too. Tightly connected chords can be disconnected with the help of a flat head screwdriver or your keys if you happen to have them on you.

Make sure any zip ties are not tightened too tight. Manufacturers include zip ties to help keep the recliner cords in place during transportation, and removing them could help you reconnect loose wires.

Double-check your connection to the battery pack. As obvious as it may seem, you can’t get power without a good connection, so make sure the battery pack is connected correctly. Also, make sure that the power cord is plugged into the other side of the battery pack.

Now that you’ve checked the back, you can begin checking the base of the power reclining unit. Look for a zipper feature that allows access to the power chords for the buttons in the recliner arm. Not all power recliners will have this level of accessibility. If you can access the cord, make sure that it is connected properly.

The majority of connection issues usually come from the back of the base on your recliner. These cords should be kept tight to avoid damage to the recliner parts. The wires around the motor are fragile and prone to breaking, so check them to see if they are broken or damaged.

Once you’ve completed all the previous steps, flip your recliner over again and test all the functions and features. If your recliner is working now, congratulations! You’ve successfully fixed whatever was wrong with the connections or power issues.

If your recliner still isn’t working, there is no need to worry. Give customer care a call and let them know that your recliner isn’t working. New power recliners are usually covered under a manufacturer’s warranty. You are protected from most damage or broken parts if you purchase the 5-year protection plan.

If you buy a power recliner on clearance, then you can also buy a two-year protection program. The protection plan will also protect against recliner failures. However, if you didn’t buy any of these plans, Furniture Fair can send out a service technician at an additional fee to assess your furniture and find out whether or not you will need replacement parts.

Now that you have an idea of how to hopefully reconnect your power recliner so it will work again, hopefully, you can take back your living room and get your power recliner back into relax mode and out of frustration mode.

Remember to check the outlet, breaker box and avoid using surge protectors. Be sure to check all your cord connections and the wires on your motor. Finally, unplug and re-plug all connectors and cables to make sure you have a good connection.

If you are still having trouble with your power recliner after following this article, please contact our Customer Care Department, or visit one of our 11 convenient locations in the Cincinnati, Dayton, or Louisville locations, and we will help you find your next step.

If you are interested in learning more about recliners, check our manual vs. power reclining article or learn more about power lift chairs.

If you're currently trying to troubleshoot your power reclining furniture and it does not have powered headrests, watch this additional video for further assistance