Vizio Smart TVs come with award-winning technology and the highest picture quality in the affordable TV range. The devices feature SmartCast, which is an operating system that powers or runs them.
You can use a Vizio TV to access your favorite apps, cast from your phone, and control your viewing experience by integrating intelligent technologies like Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Homekit.
But despite being advanced systems, Vizio TVs sometimes fail to work, and you get many errors when using them.
Many Vizio TV user complaints revolve around the device screen flickering constantly, SmartCast failing to load, and the TV turning on but not showing pictures.
Luckily, Vizio TVs come with a user manual that you can use to find a solution to the problem you are facing. However, if that isn’t an option, this guide will come in handy.
Vizio TV troubleshooting guide
Here are common issues with Vizio TVs and how to troubleshoot them.
1. The TV turns on, then right back off
If your Vizio TV keeps turning on and then off almost instantly, do the following:
- Press the menu key on your VIZIO remote.
- Choose System.
- Turn the Power Mode setting to Eco Mode.
If the above does not work:
- Press the menu key on your VIZIO remote.
- Choose System
- Select CEC.
- Turn the CEC setting to OFF.
Also, ensure you firmly fix the power cord to the wall outlet. If that does not offer a solution, consider factory resetting your TV. Follow these steps:
- Press the menu key on your VIZIO remote.
- Choose system.
- Select Reset & Admin
- Select Reset to Factory Settings.
You will have to set up your TV again after factory resetting.
Check out this guide for fixing a TV that is turning off randomly. The remote troubleshooting guide will also help should you find the remote to be problematic.
2. Vizio TV screen is flickering
To fix a flickering Vizio TV screen, remove all connected cables from both the TV and the connecting devices, then wait for about 30 seconds before reconnecting them.
Alternatively, consider checking your Advanced Video Settings in the menu and turn the following settings OFF:
- Ambient Lighting
- Backlight Control
- Advanced Adaptive Luma
If the TV still flickers, do the following:
- Power off the TV.
- Unplug the power cord from the electrical socket.
- Press and hold the power button on the TV for 30 seconds while still unplugged from the wall.
- Release the power button.
- Plug the TV back into the electrical socket.
- Power the TV back on.
Consider performing a factory reset or contacting support if the option does not work.
If you how technical know-how, you can try out the steps in the video below:
3. TV shows pictures but no sound
If you are getting no sound with your Vizio TV built-in speakers, try the following:
- Ensure the volume level of your TV is above zero.
- Check if you have muted the TV.
- Ensure you have connected and secured your devices’ cables to the TV.
- Disconnect and reconnect the cords from the back of the TV and the source device, especially HDMI cables.
- When reconnecting the cables, ensure they have no damages or cuts.
Another solution is to turn the TV speakers ON.
- Press the Menu button on your VIZIO remote.
- Use the arrow keys to highlight Audio or Audio settings.
- Press OK.
- The option next to the TV Speaker setting should be ON. But if it is OFF, press OK to toggle ON.
If the solutions above don’t work, you should contact a professional.
4. The menu is not working
You can solve this issue in different ways:
- Power cycle the TV and try again.
- Factory reset the Vizio TV.
Use the buttons on the TV to do this step.
- Press and hold the Volume Down and Input buttons on the TV.
- Wait for a few seconds until you get a message on the TV screen.
- When the message appears, release the Volume Down button and press the Input button for ten seconds.
- You will see another message telling you the memory is clear, and the reset will happen shortly.
- The TV will boot up.
- A Welcome screen will appear after the process ends.
Complete the setup and try accessing the menu.
5. The TV turns on but doesn’t show pictures
If you are not getting a picture:
- Press the power button on your remote and wait for a few seconds.
- Your TV is not powering on. Check the power light on your device. You will see a white light or LED indicator light that will fade out when the TV powers on. If the light is coming on, your TV is also on.
- Press the menu button on the remote. If the menu appears, your TV is working well. The problem could be the external devices you have connected to the TV.
- Ensure your TV is on the right input channel for the device you are trying to use. Press the Input button on the remote to toggle through the available channels.
- Check that all cable connections are secure.
Here’s a detailed guide for fixing a Vizio TV that doesn’t show pictures but the sound and backlight work. It has more solutions that you can try out.
6. Black screen of death
A failure in one of your Vizio TVs’ power supply boards can cause the black screen of death. However, you can try to troubleshoot the issue as follows:
- Check the connections and power: Ensure you have connected the power cable snugly.
- Perform a power cycle of your TV: Follow the steps in section two above.
- Perform a flashlight test: Shine a bright flashlight on your TV while standing at least two inches from the screen. If you can see an image, the inverter board in the device is faulty. Contact a professional to replace it.
- Perform sound test: Turn the TV on and listen for any sound or play a video that will make lots of noise. If you can hear the sound, your TV hardware needs replacing.
To fix the issue, you may have to replace the inverter board or power board. Ideally, you should have a professional do it for you.
7. SmartCast won’t load
When the Vizio TV SmartCast is not loading or is unavailable, you can try to resolve the issue as follows:
- Verify you have connected your TV to the internet. Also, ensure you have a stable internet connection and that the speed is not zero.
- Switch your TV to HDMI 1 and wait until your programming loads, or you see a “No Signal” message.
- When the programming loads or you see the “No Signal” message, press the Menu button on your VIZIO Remote, select System > Reset & Admin > Soft Power Cycle > Yes.
- Your TV will power OFF and then back ON.
- You will see the Information Bar.
- Wait until the bar disappears.
- After 30 seconds, change your TV from HDMI 1 to SmartCast.
If SmartCast is not loading after the above steps, reset your Vizio TV. If this doesn’t work, follow the guidelines in this SmartCast troubleshooting guide.
8. Vizio TV won’t connect to Wi-Fi
You can troubleshoot Wi-Fi connection issues on your Vizio TV by following the steps below:
- Check to ensure you have a stable internet connection. You can do this by connecting to the internet using a different device.
- Turn DHCP settings to ON: Press the Menu key on the remote > Select Network > Manual Setup > DHCP > Press the arrow button to turn DHCP to ON if the option is OFF.
- Power-cycle all devices. These include the router, modem, and Vizio TV.
- Reset your Vizio TV to factory settings. You will then have to go through the network connection setup again. When doing so, enable WPA-PSK [TKIP].
If the TV does not connect to Wi-Fi, consider using a wired Ethernet connection and try again.
Check out our detailed guide on fixing Vizio TV internet issues for more information.
9. TV won’t turn on with remote
If your remote is not working when you use it, try to do the following:
- Remove any obstacles from the front of the TV.
- Insert new batteries.
- Power cycle the remote > Remove the batteries > Press every button on the device at least once > Re-insert the batteries > Check to determine if the unit is working.
- Use a different Vizio TV remote.
If your remote is working well, consider power-cycling your Vizio TV:
- Unplug the power cord from the outlet.
- Hold the power button down for five seconds.
- Plug the power cord back in and power on the TV.
Try using the remote to power the TV.
10. TV won’t stay off
You can try to solve this issue by following the troubleshooting steps below:
- Ensure the power button on the remote is not stuck.
- Turn CEC OFF: Press the menu key on the remote > Choose System > Select CEC > Turn the setting OFF.
- Power-cycle your TV by disconnecting it from the power source – Press and hold the power button on the TV for five seconds and release it – Plug back in the power cord. At this point, use your remote to turn the TV ON or OFF and see whether it works.
If the above steps do not work, factory reset your TV. Follow the steps outlined in section one above.
Conclusion
Your Vizio TV can stop working from time to time because of several factors. An issue can arise whereby the TV keeps on flickering, it remains on without turning off, or it fails to connect to Wi-Fi.
You can troubleshoot many problems with your Smart TV by performing a factory reset. You can also troubleshoot Vizio TV by updating the firmware.
If all steps fail, contact customer support for further assistance.
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