Why Your Keurig Keeps Shutting Off When Brewing (And The Easy Way To Fix It)

It's a nightmare scenario for the caffeine fiends among us: You groggily walk to the kitchen, plop a pod into your Keurig, and select your cup size. The machine rumples to life and everything is going fine, but then your Keurig cuts off just as it's gearing up to brew. What gives?

First and foremost, check your settings. "Some of our brewers come with an 'Energy Saver' or 'Auto On/Off' feature," the brand's website explains. "If your brewer is powering off unexpectedly, ensure these features are not enabled." You can find more information about your specific model on Keurig's coffee maker support page.

No luck? Keurig recommends contacting customer service, but these days many customers turn to Reddit instead. "Remove the water reservoir, unplug [the] machine, tip it upside down and smack the bottom a few times," recommended one Redditor. According to comments, the approach seems to be a popular fix. "This worked like a charm," one commenter wrote.

There's one problem with Reddit's recommendation, though: It's an easy way to void your warranty. According to Keurig's website, the brand's warranty does not "cover damages caused by ... services performed by anyone other than Keurig or its authorized service providers ... or external causes such as abuse, misuse ... or acts of God." It's not clear whether dropping your upside-down Keurig on the counter counts as an "act of God" or not, but it's fair to assume that it counts as either "abuse" or "misuse." As such, the brand's customer service should be your first stop, not Reddit.

Nobody likes customer service, so I did the dirty work for you. Don't be scared to call yourself, though. The process was pretty pain-free. I was connected in less than a minute, and the representative was clear and attentive. Learn from my mistake and avoid emails because you likely won't get a helpful response. When I reached out over email, the brand simply told me to call for help.

The representative's first recommendation? Check the plug. Making sure it's plugged in might seem obvious, but the fact that it was the representative's first response suggests that it happens more often than you'd expect. So, it's best to double check even if the machine looks like it's plugged in since you might have a loose connection.

The representative said that clogs are common, too. Check the receiver port and the water tank's drainage system for any obvious clogs and thoroughly clean your Keurig. While you're at it, descaling your Keurig will keep it running smoothly. 

If you want to use a different kind of coffee, the agent suggested you purchase the brand's official reusable K-cup filter. Avoid using coffee pods from other brands and definitely don't dump ground coffee straight into the machine. Notably, the agent did not suggest poking tubes with paper clips or banging on the bottom of the machine. If customer service can't provide support, you can try Reddit's tips if you dare, just don't blame us when you void your warranty in the process.