Vizio TV Light Blinking (5-Min Troubleshooting)

The white power light blinking can indicate problems ranging from power board failure to T-Con errors and backlight failure, with a failed internal component being the most likely cause.

I know how frustrating it is to have a non-working TV with a cryptic flashing light that doesn’t give you any information about what’s wrong with it.

I wrote this article as a guide to take you step-by-step through the possible fixes for a blinking power light, and to help you get your Vizio TV working normally again without you having to resort to calling out a technician, or even replacing your TV.

Vizio TV Blinking Power Light Possible Causes

Cause	Explanation
Software Glitch	– If you have a newer model of TV, then it could be a glitch that can be resolved by power cycling.
Household Power Issue	– Check your wall socket is supplying sufficient voltage. – Check your TV’s power cord/socket isn’t damaged.
HDMI/Connected Device Problems	– Remove all HDMI cables and re-test your TV. – HDMI-CEC could be the problem if your TV now works.
Remote Not Working	– Double-check that your TV’s remote is sending a signal to your TV.
Poor Connection in Internal Cable/s	– The cable that connects the power board to the main board could have come loose. – The cables connecting the T-Con to the main board can also either come loose or not make a proper connection, which can result in your TV not coming on – This is a 10 minute fix.
Internal Component Failure	– Component failure on the power board can prevent your TV from coming on to stop further damage. – You can check for component failure with a multimeter and either replace the failed component or the entire board.

How to Fix a Vizio TV With a Blinking Power Light

Power problems are the most common suspect if your power light is blinking multiple times when you try to turn your Vizio TV on.

We’ll go over detailed steps for how to fix this below, starting with the easiest fixes before moving on to hardware fixes if none of those work.

For a quick overview of the troubleshooting steps, you can take a look at my video below, with the full details for each step in this guide.

1. Power Cycle Your Vizio TV

Although this might seem a basic step, power cycling your TV is often the best way to fix your Vizio TV’s blinking power light.

About 30% of people who contact me either through email, YouTube, or who leave comments here, fix their problem with a power cycle.

Power cycling your TV will clear out any issues with non-permanent memory without losing your settings.

Unplug your TV.
Hold down the physical power button on your Vizio TV for at least 15 seconds to drain any residual power from the capacitors.
Leave your TV unplugged for at least 30 minutes.
Plug it back in and switch it back on.
It’s a good idea to try this a couple more times if it doesn’t work at first, as this can sometimes take a few goes to kick in.

nb. Make sure that you hold down the physical power button on your TV, not the one on the remote, and make sure you time 15 seconds when holding the power button down.

Also, make sure you do wait for the full 30 minutes before plugging your TV back in – you would be surprised how long the components within your TV can hold a charge, and you want to make sure it has fully reset.

2. Check Your Vizio TV’s Wall Socket

In about 10% of cases, a fault within your household power supply, or more specifically within the surge protector or smart plug that your TV is plugged into is the cause of the problem.

To thoroughly test your power supply:

Unplug your Vizio TV from your wall socket.
Remove any surge interrupters or smart plugs so that you have a direct line to your wall socket.
Plug another large device that you know works into the same socket and check that the new device works as normal. (This device must draw approximately as much power as your TV, to confirm the socket is fully working).
Remove the other device and plug your TV back into this socket.
Switch on the power and switch on your TV using the physical power button located somewhere on its case (usually beneath the Vizio logo).
See if the power light is solid. If so, this means your TV is getting sufficient voltage.
If your TV’s power light is flashing on and off, then repeat these steps with another wall socket to confirm your household electricity supply isn’t a problem.

You should also look at your power cord for kinks and knots in the power cable, which can damage the copper wires both mechanically and by increasing the electrical resistance, which generates heat, causing damage that may not necessarily be obvious, and be sure to carefully look at the power connector on your TV to confirm that the port is free from corrosion, dirt, and dust.

3. Check for HDMI Conflicts

There’s a strong possibility that a poorly seated cable is automatically switching inputs on your TV, but as it’s not fully connected, it isn’t able to supply a signal and so it looks like your TV isn’t working, with the power light flashing.

HDMI problems affect about 5% of users.

This comes down to either a:

Faulty HDMI cable with a break in it
Damaged HDMI port with broken pins
Poor HDMI connection where the cable and connector are not fully making contact

Start by removing all HDMI and other cables apart from your power cable, then switch your TV on.

If you are now getting a picture, then:

Take a look at any HDMI or other physical cables that were connected to the back of your TV.
If you have any compressed air, use that to clean the contacts both of the cable and in the connector on the TV. If you don’t have compressed air, then blow gently on them.
Make sure your TV is off, then firmly push the cables back into their slots on the TV.
Switch your TV back on again.

If that hasn’t fixed the problem, then try using a different HDMI input. Most TVs have 3 or 4 HDMI ports.

If you have one that is on a different part of the TV then that would be the best one to try, as this should have a separate connection to the TV’s main board.

If your TV is now working, it could be because a flaw with the HDMI-CEC settings can stop your TV from coming on properly if you have other devices, particularly game consoles, plugged into your TV.

HDMI-CEC allows two-way communication between your TV and console, allowing your console to switch your TV on and off automatically.

The problem is that if you do not switch inputs on your TV away from your console’s input before switching off your TV, then your TV will not “listen” to your remote, and will instead just blink its lights.

To switch off HDMI-CEC on a Vizio TV:

Press Menu on your remote.
Scroll to System.
Then CEC.
And set CEC Funtion to disable.

4. Confirm Your Vizio Remote is Working

If the power light is blinking, this means that your TV is receiving power, but there is a chance that it’s not responding to you because your remote isn’t working.

Remote control problems are unlikely to be the cause, but it’s worth checking just for completeness.

If you are using an IR remote, then confirm that you have a good line of sight to your TV.

If you are using an RF remote, confirm that it is connected to the same local network as your TV.

Don’t forget to check the batteries in your remote, replacing the existing ones with brand new batteries if you have no way of checking them.

For IR remotes, it’s possible to check if the remote is working by using your smartphone’s camera.

Simply point the IR transmitter on the end of your remote at your phone’s camera and you will see a red light appear when you press any button on the remote.

This doesn’t work for some cameras though, notably some iPhones, so check with another remote if in doubt about your camera.

5. Look for Main Board / Power Board Failure

If you’ve checked external connections, then all that’s left are internal connections, and in particular the main board and/or power board.

Burned-out components on the power board are the most likely cause of blinking lights on your TV.

These are hidden away inside the case of your TV and can be checked for failure by simply taking your TV’s case apart and using a multimeter to check that voltages are correct across the boards.

You should note that this invalidates your warranty, so if you bought your TV in the last year, then contact Vizio to have them fix it.

Out-of-warranty fixes are likely to run $200 – $400 to check and replace a main board, but if you do it yourself, you are looking at around $30 – $50 in parts from eBay.

Troubleshooting the main board and power board is easiest to see in video form, so take a look below for the full details on doing this.

CAUTION
Opening up your TV is potentially dangerous due to the risk of electric shock. If you are not confident in your skills, do not proceed.

The two things that you are looking for are:

If there is power received by the power socket on the power board, and if all components are receiving power from this.
No components are showing signs of damage. Particularly look at capacitors as these are prone to swelling after power surges which causes them to fail.

If both the power board and main boards look OK, then the most likely problem is a failure of the backlight inverter.

This powers the backlight of your TV by uprating the standard voltage and current of your home supply to the higher levels required by the backlight.

It’s a very small board in most TV models (although in some is integrated into the power board). Check this board with your voltmeter, and don’t forget to also look at the cable.

These boards are only around $10-15 on eBay, so they are very cheap to replace if they have failed.

The final thing to check is if your backlight itself has failed.

If the inverter and cable are working normally, with normal voltages shown on your voltmeter, then it’s possible that your backlights themselves need replacing.

This is a slightly more involved job but it is completely possible to do at home. Follow the steps in the video below to see how to do this.

Vizio TV Power Light Flashes 15 Times

Your Vizio TV power light flashes 15 times because of a software fault or a failure of the main board, power board, or backlight.

Try resetting your TV and if this fails to fix the issue, then open it up and use a multimeter to check that all components are receiving sufficient power.

In particular, check there are no enlarged or burned capacitors, and if there are, replace them or replace the entire board they are on.

Do the same thing if your Vizio TV power light flashes 12 times or if your Vizio TV power light flashes 16 times.

Vizio TV Support and Warranty

You can check your warranty information directly with Vizio.

Unfortunately, warranties typically only last a year unless you have already paid to extend it.

Because blinking power light problems can occur on newer TVs, if your TV is under one year old, return your TV under warranty and get it fixed.

You can use the Vizio support site to help diagnose your problem, but if you are at this stage, then you are better off calling them directly at:

844-254-8087 (Mon. – Fri., 8 am – 11 pm CST, Sat. – Sun., 9 am – 8 pm CST)

You can also contact them directly through live chat, or text them a short description of your problem on 205-301-3729.

Even if Vizio won’t fix your TV, they might still offer you a discount on a future model if you pester them hard enough! This is always worth a try in my experience.

Vizio TV Blinking White Light: Quick Troubleshooting

The most common cause of the white power light blinking on your Vizio TV is a component failure on the power board, but main board component failure cannot be discounted.
Use a multimeter to check the components if there is no obvious sign of burning or damage.
Before opening up your TV, run through a power cycle, and check the HDMI connections and your household power supply, to ensure one of these simpler-to-fix causes is not the root of the problem.

I’m confident that these steps will fix your TV, although the later steps do require a bit more effort than the earlier ones.

Don’t forget that opening up your TV will void its warranty, but this can’t be helped in most cases.

If you need any further help, then I suggest contacting Vizio support directly or checking on YouTube where it’s much easier to see how to open up your TV, for example.