Sorry to hear your troubles.

Here's what you do about pressing the pad. Gently put your finger on the pad and slowly add pressure. I, too had probs at the beginning and thought I needed hard pressure to work-well, I was wrong. I was making it too hard. Just gently touch and see. apply more pressure as needed.

Yes, mine too would shut off without my knowledge. Actually, I had been futzing, trying to insure that everything was on, and each on the correct temp. In my futzing, I'd inadvertently shut off hobs.

Be patient, there is a learning curve, not a long one, a baby curve. Patience and a cool head and fingers.

Give yourself another 20 minutes with the manual. Read it slowly.

Also don't waste time trying to get back to the old setting. Think first. What setting should it be on since it may be cooked 20%. Think, think Maybe the same or up or down. Pretend you are the cooking teacher advising a new student.

I recall my learning probs, shutoffs, panics, when I did not read the lights correctly. Esp, when I was working on two or three hobs Wrong temp, on and off, oh my

It's very forgiving. Its very easy. flexible ppl and persistent people will have quicker luck often

Instruction in the form of manuals, or tech helf is needed

Micha - we have a Thermador induction cooktop and have never experienced the problems you list. Is there a way to see if this is standard with Miele cooktops? You may have a defective unit.

I would be very upset if the cooktop shut down without warning.

Cheryl

I have this sort of thing happening on my KA cooktop, where I realize the setting has changed inadvertently or turned off entirely, but it's not nearly as sensitive as yours. Mine responds to me setting things like tongs or baking sheets on the controls (not its fault) or leaning on the controls (not its fault) or spilling quite a bit of water over the controls (not its fault). A grain of rice or piece of food changing the controls is ridiculous. And mine never spontaneously shuts off, it's always because I put something on the power button. My favorite trick is when I put a pot on a hob, then try to turn on the hob, but it tells me there's no pot, and I try a few times before I realize I'mm trying to engage the wrong hob. Again, not its fault. It is a learning curve, where I have to learn to be more careful, but nothing like what you have. How terribly frustrating and annoying for you. And that cooktop was not exactly cheap, right? Have you emailed Miele HQ? I find that emails directly to the CEO (or as close as you can get) always get the most attention.

If Miele HQ tells you that "this is how it is," then you would be doing others a service to post reviews on Amazon, AJ Madison, and other consumer sites. My KA makes a lot of clicking and buzzing, and I posted my dissatisfaction about that on a bunch of sites. It's not revenge, it's just fair warning to others.

Good luck!

Thanks for your encouregement, jadeite and Ginny20. I will pick up my courage and get back in contact with Miele to see if we can come to some resolution.

I encounters this in the beginning...the control,panel also needs to be kept clean...spills or grease spatters can sometimes cause these problems...as stated before...the is a,learning curve with the touch of the controls...I would NOT trade this cooktop...love it!

I'm sorry you're having such a hard time with your new cooktop. I had a learning curve with the controls myself--getting the perfect touch to make the controls respond quickly, not accidentally changing settings or turning it off by resting my hand where it shouldn't be, but once I got it, it became habit and now it's not a problem. I've never had a small piece of food turn it off--like rice--that's nuts. I have also never, ever had the unit spontaneously shut down on me when I had it fully loaded.

I love mine, but I sure wouldn't if I had to fight with it. If, after 6 months, you're still frustrated, it's time to get firm with Miele. Perhaps one of the sensors is too sensitive--even Miele can screw up on the rare occastion. :-p Good luck to you, and please do report back and let us know how it's going.

Cj

Stale thread I know, but just for the record... Early on I ran into similar problems here and Miele Service was able to help is out. Trick was to recalibrate the sensors. You kill the breaker and make sure there are no direct sources of light on the cooktop so it can get a "baseline" reading as you flip the breaker to turn it on again. The controls are infrared and can behave very strangely if the cooktop powered up for the first time (and calibrated) under weird lighting conditions b

Thank-you for your post, trepex. I have in fact done that re-calibration -- twice. There was a minor improvement in that most of the controls were a bit more responsive, but the spontaneous shut-offs continue.

I use the large central burner (it's the 36" 5-burner model) daily, and continue to be completely frustrated with the fact that simply a brush of my sleeve will shut the whole unit off. We don't eat any prepared or processed foods, so I cook a lot, and yes, vegetable bits spill out of the pan often, also causing the controls to spontaneously turn up, or down or off, sometimes several times during one meal prep. It drives me nuts!! As I've mentioned before, the induction itself works beautifully. But Miele really dropped the ball with the technology used to operate the controls on these cooktops -- those photo sensitive diodes really do not work well in this application. So, I think anyone considering buying a Miele induction cooktop should be aware of this problem, and really take into consideration how much cooking they do. I know I wish I would have stuck with my initial plan of going with gas. And I'm not saying any of this to dis Miele -- I absolutely love my Miele fridge (it's so quiet and food keeps forever), convection oven (amazing roasted vegetables...) and dishwasher (I never pre-rinse, just scrape, and my dishes have never been this clean). The induction cooktop, however, is not working for me.

I'm curious--what does Miele have to say about this? You say that the control problem is partially solved, but that the spontaneous shutoffs continue? What do they think is causing this and why haven't they addressed that issue, along with whatever lingering control problems persist? I'd urge you not to let them off the hook on this. There are a number of us with these cooktops on this board and I fully expect that if our experiences were like yours, this cooktop would not enjoy a very good reputation! Clearly something isn't right with it. If I drop a towel over the controls, or rest my hand on them, they will shut off, but not if I simply brush my sleeve across them briefly. Something has to sit there for a few seconds before it shuts off. I don't mean to sound harsh, but these cooktops aren't inexpensive, and you have every right to have high expectations for it's performance and the customer service associated with the company. No way should you have to fight with an appliance! I'd be interested to hear how Miele is responding to your complaints.

Best of luck to you,
Cj

Just to set the record straight but I don't have a Miele, I have a Bosch. I was offering my insights and experience with being a new induction user in general, not specifically a Miele owner.

I need clarification, Micha. Your cooktop shuts off spontaneously with no touching at all, or shuts off by minor acts which you think should not affect the cooker?

A big blob of rice would not affect any cooker with knobs.

This is very odd, and does not sound right! I have and LOVE my Miele 36" 5 burner Induction cooktop. I use it 1-3 times a day, and have NEVER had one issue like you are experiencing. I wipe spills off while cooking, including over the controls). I have left a towel accidently touching the glass surface while cooking, and all that happens is the cooktop warns me with frantic beeping. I think you need to call Miele and schedule service!!

I always thought my favourite Miele appliances were my La Perla dishwasher or my Miele SpeedOven..but I think I could not live without my Miele Induction Cooktop! I will Never, Never, Never, Never own or cook on gas or a regular electric cooktop or range ever again!!! :))

I too just started using our newly installed Miele Induction oven - and I hate it too! Miele ovens-great....Miele fridge and freezer - great....but Miele induction cook top - SUCKS!

For all the same reasons as mentioned above. I am going to call Miele and see if they can come have a look but I'm not terribly optimistic.

Thank you for sharing because I thought it was only happening to me!

Once you get used to it , with a light touch, it works flawlessly. I have had mine over a year..,the first few months were frustrating, now, no problem!

My wife was having a bit of problems at the beginning. You have to put your finger flat on the glass. Pressing does not help since the sensors are infra red, but for some reason we are so use to pressing on this type of display we can't avoid doing it. Now she finds the controls very easy to use.

Once you get use to it, the controls are very fast unless of course there is something wrong with your particular unit. You can reprogram the sensors to be even faster if you want. Setting P6. S0 is slow, S1 normal (300 ms) and S2 is fast. Default setting is S1.

Micha55,

What model Miele do you have? I'm shopping for an induction cook top and considering Miele. I've seen a few comments like yours and am concerned. I'd greatly appreciate it if you could tell me the model number.

It is model KM 5993. We continue to have the same issues with food bits, or a sleeve hovering over the controls, turning burners off or on spontaneously, or even turning the whole cooktop off. It is chronic and a constant annoyance. However, water boils virtually instantly, and clean-up is a breeze, so the induction itself works very well. I would have loved gas, but my husband was not fond of cleaning those, nor of the combustion by-products and heat produced. If I were to get a do-over, I would look for an induction unit with another type of controls, not these photosensitive diodes used in this model. That's the problem, you see. It's actually light, or rather lack thereof, which operates the controls, so anything falling on, or passing over them which blocks the light reaching the diode, the same way your finger would, will activate them.

Good luck with your purchase.

To DannaFromCalgary,
I too am from Canada! Any luck with service in your area?

This post was edited by Micha55 on Tue, Nov 19, 13 at 13:43

KM-5993 here as well and no issues whatsoever. I just don't seem to have any problems with the infrared controls. And everything else about the unit is just spectacular. We had a 5773 in our last house and similarly loved it.

Micha55:

I've had a Kenmore/Electrolux induction w/ touch controls for about six years. When it's working well the touch controls are ok, operable provided my hands or the control surface aren't too greasy or wet. However, three times it has started getting buggy as controls become less responsive with intermittent faults, such as spontaneously turning off.

Separately, my current cooktop will turn itself off to prevent overheating. This is a safety feature to keep me from melting pots on the appliance or frying the appliance components. Apparently both of these are real risks. The enamel on a Le Creuset could melt & fuse to the cooktop or the aluminum alloy in a sandwich pot could melt if it got too hot. Temperature sensors situated on the hobs detect the temperature and disable the entire unit if a threshold is exceeded. For me this isn't a problem if I'm boiling. A boiling pot doesn't really get much above 212F, the temperature of the water in it. But if I use a grill pan I almost always end up getting so much heat conveyed from the pan onto the cooktop that it will shut off after a time. To defeat this I can move the grill pan from hob to hob to give each time to cool down, but this won't work if all hobs are occupied.

For the problems you mentioned above, I'd pay attention to the kinds of cooking your doing that cause the entire unit to shut off (separately from the control issue related to your sleeve or a blob of rice on the off button). If it's just a five pot boil it might warrant a service call. If your using a grill pan or trying for a high heat sear that might mean your pans are getting too hot for the threshold heat. Your manual might tell you what the threshold is supposed to be.

I am not a service technician, but I'm going to suggest that a service call might be warranted. It could be your controls are defective since the resets aren't working. It could also be that your high temperature shut off threshold is out of adjustment.

For other thoughts on this see similar thread "Feedback on Induction Cooktops w/ Knobs."

I switched from gas to induction. There was a learning curve with my Miele because of the infared controls (no need to apply pressure, just place your finger over the control). I, too, love my induction cooktop and hope to never return to any other type of cooktop.

This post was edited by Jamie_Morgan on Sun, Feb 23, 14 at 16:54

Jamie_Morgan: What midel number is your Miele Induction Cooktop?

Again, old thread but in case you are thinking of a Miele induction cooktop, these issues are still ongoing. I just had mine installed a month or so ago and while I love cooking on it and cleanup is a breeze, the touch controls take getting used to, but this spontaneously turning off is a REAL issue! I've never used more than 2 pans on mine, but usually during a meal, I will have turn the unit back on and reset both hobs at least once if not twice. It's not too big of a deal as it goes instantly back to cooking, but it is highly irritating. I think I'll try recalibrating to see if that helps.

You absolutely cannot have anything touch the controls or it freaks out and turns off. No water, no food spatter. This is bad design.

Love the cooktop but its a bit frustrating and here in 2017 the issue is still ongoing.

What kind of cookware are you using? Does it happen with all of your pots and pans or just some? Is the problem happening with cast iron or high quality stainless such as All-Clad/Demeyere?

I'm sorry to hear that you are having trouble with your cooktop. I have been using mine for eight months or so and have not had this issue. I love that I can use virtually any pan...cheap to expensive. Have you had Miele out to look at it?

I've had mine for a year, and there was definitely a learning curve with the controls...It is now flawless...as has been said, use a light touch and don't let anything cover the controls...

No problems with mine either as long as I don't cover the controls or do something stupid like leaving a cast iron pan on high for a while.

Not happy with this stove top...operating my stove should not be this difficult....some burners work... some don’t ...the two that do work turn off by themselves...

Valerie, call Miele! The 800 number should be on the back of your manual. Something is definitely wrong. Get it fixed!

After more time wth the cooktop, it never turns off on me anymore. I thought maybe the problem had just been eliminated until my son came over and cooked thanksgiving and it turned off on him. It must be part of the learning curve, knowing what you can and can't do. I like gas, but my goodness, the control you have wth induction is amazing! Love it, love it, love it! If I have something barely simmering/warm, I can hit boil and have it piping hot for the table in less than 30 sec. Wow! The cleaning is a breeze!

kismetique,

Did you set timers on the burners somehow? That would be the only reason they turn off. If they are randomly turning off, i would suggest one of two things is possible, the electrical connections are not correct or you have a faulty cooktop. Can you provide more information about how it is turning off?

Well, I am having the same problems with the controls with my miele induction cooktop. I have to have the precise touch to change the level of temperature I want, and if something touches that area everything goes off, while I think everything is cooking.... Just very annoying, I wish I have read these before, for some reason all the reviews I read. before were great. I will call Miele service to see if they can calibrate mine, just not right for a such expensive cooktop.

We purchased a home 3 yrs ago with a Miele induction cooktop. I do most of the cooking and appreciate the precise heat control. However, the controls drive me batty. I cannot tell you how many times I try to change the heat up or down with no response, or for whatever reasons the hob shuts off. We also have issues when food lands on the surface. My wife uses the unit less than I do and she hates it. I want to like it, but even given the fact that we do not have gas service to the house, I am considering switching to a propane cooktop.

Check the manual, you may have to reset it...also, just. Light touch on the controls...
There is a procedure to restart it.

I had a Miele 36” induction 11 years ago, with the circular controls and it was great. i moved and got the new style 5 years ago. It is horrible. If a water droplet hits a control, or a drop of grease, it will either put it on boost or turn it off. It gets errors constantly and we have to reset it at the breaker. Tonight, it just completely quit. I’m ready to try another brand.

I have one of these units and they are terribleI have one of these units and they are terrible. whenever we are doing serious cooking they will shut down and not restart. If you put anything down near the controls it gives you a fault notice and shuts off. No beep do you wont notice. DO NOT BUY ONE!! Stick with gas!

Nope..no gas..I absolutely prefer induction!!!

I love induction when it works properly. But this feature of shutting itself off when there’s any fault is absolutely maddening and can be a total disaster. You can be cooking a meal what do you need to keep something on high heat for 10 minutes. Somewhere along the line someone makes a false by dropping a dish towel on the cooktop or a pot boiling over and the burner goes off. Now the overhead protection will not let you turn it on.Unless you can get it to go on quickly, your dish will be ruined. This seems to be no fix for this. Miela seems to have no support for this. The only solution we have is they have a very cold cast-iron pan nearby And quickly put that on the burner to cool it down. So for that reason I wouldn’t recommend it. If I went gas I get The most powerful range you can get. The efficiency and speed with which the induction cooks is truly awesome.

I've had mine a year with the exact same problems. I have a love/hate relationship with it. Love it when it works, hate it when it shuts itself off, particularly if it won't restart. Have contacted Miela and they seem to think it just overheats. I don't think that's much of an answer on such an expensive appliance! Would never buy another Miela induction cooktop!

I have had my Miele induction unit for almost 12 years and have loved it all this time. I'm really unhappy to read that the newer cooktops have gone downhill. It's still going strong, but I'm going to have to research and re-shop when the time comes... :-(

This thread is a bit old. However, the complaints about Miele are still valid. I have been a loyal Miele customer for 13 years. I recently spent well over $30,000 on new appliances in my current primary residence. I regret it. While in the process of that recent kitchen renovation, a Miele induction cooktop in a second home has failed. The appliance is out of warranty. Miele customer service for out of warranty appliances is essentially nonexistent. They use bots on their website for the chat function. Their replies to emails appear to be written by bots. No one at their customer service phone number can help other than submit a technician visit, which you can do on the website. If you do not live in a major metropolitan area (NYC, LA, Chicago, etc.) there are not adequate competent service technicians available to help you. Local appliance retailers will not help at all if you did not purchase the item from them, so good luck if your retailer no longer sells Miele. Several retailers have stopped selling ?miele due to the poor customer service Miele provides. If you do happen find a competent technician. That person will be booked up for weeks. If you are a capable do-it-yourselver, you may be able to diagnose some problems after getting a hold of the technical manuals. But then, you will spend hundreds to thousands of dollars and still have an inoperable appliance. I am currently out more than $1400 for parts and still don’t have a functioning cooktop—not since July 2022. If you decide to just go ahead and replace the broken cooktop with the current model, you may find that the cutout dimensions have changed. Do yourself a favor and don’t buy Miele. They are great when they work and their performance is amazing. That said, in retrospect, the cost and problems with maintenance and repair are not worth it. Customer service is appalling.

Be sure and get the extended warranty on your new appliances. The retailer that sold us our Miele appliances did not tell us about it and we saw nothing in the material about it. You would think appliances that are so expensive would have more than a year's warranty, but they do not. You are right, it you are not in a major city, there will be no one to repair it. We have to wait weeks or months to pay someone at least $300 just to drive over from another place. It's a real problem, but when they work, they are great appliances. I will add that I have had no problems with the oven, combi-steam oven, dishwasher or frig. The cooktop and the freezer have been different stories. I have never had a dishwasher that works as well as the Miele.