Vizio TV Blinking Power Light: Fix in Minutes

If you have a “Vizio TV blinking power light” problem and you don’t know what to so, then you’re in the right place.

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.

Let’s dive in.

Vizio TV Blinking Power Light

A blinking power light on your Vizio TV means that there is a problem with the power supply or with the power board or main board of your TV. Fix it by changing wall sockets, using a different power cord and checking all cables are firmly connected to your TV. You should also use a voltmeter to see if your power board is working.

Power problems are the most usual 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 onto 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 detail 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.

With modern electronics, it’s possible that the problem is caused by something stuck in your TV’s flash memory or by a gremlin in the electronics that simply switching your TV on and off won’t resolve.

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

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.

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

Although this seems a very basic step, don’t overlook it because in the vast majority of cases a simple soft reset fixes most issues.

Most people will now have their TV fixed and back up and running. If this isn’t you, then we’ve got a few more basic fixes to try before getting into the hardware fixes.

2. Check Your Vizio TV’s Wall Socket

It might seem obvious, but the most common reason why your Vizio TV power light is flashing is because of a household power issue, rather than a problem with the TV itself.

First, you need to confirm that your wall socket is supplying enough power, and there is no interruption of supply during use.

There’s a few methods that you can use:

Unplug your Vizio TV from your wall socket.
Remove any surge interruptors 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. (It’s important that this device draws 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.

If you’ve tried a number of sockets and are still seeing the power light flashing, then move onto the next step.

3. See if the Power Cable is Damaged

If you didn’t check when changing the wall socket that your TV is plugged into, you should now confirm that the power cord itself isn’t damaged.

In particular, look for kinks and knots in the power cable, which can damage the copper wires both mechanically and from increasing the electrical resistance, which generates heat, causing damage that may not necessarily be obvious.

Because of potential damage within the cable that you cannot see due to the protective sheath, it can be a good idea to use a new power cable, if you have one or can borrow one.

Also, be sure to carefully look at the power connector on your TV to confirm that the port is free from corrosion, dirt and dust.

4. 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.

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

To check your HDMI and other cables:

Switch off your TV.
Remove any HDMI or other physical cables 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.
Firmly push the cables back into their slots on the TV.
Switch your TV back on again.

It 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 it this should have a separate connection to the TV’s main board.

Plug you HDMI cable into the new port, note the number next to it, then choose this HDMI input on your TV, by using the Input or Source button on your TV remote or the Input or Menu button on your TV itself.

You can also try removing all external devices, including those connected by Bluetooth and any coaxial or signal cables, so that the TV only has a power cable going into it.

This is because a flaw with the HDMI-CEC settings can stop your TV coming on properly if you have other devices, particularly games consoles, plugged into your TV.

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

Unplugging all cables will temporarily solve this, so if your TV’s power light is no longer blinking and your TV is working as normal, then try switching off HDMI-CEC before re-instating the cables.

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.

5. 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 its not responding to you because your remote isn’t working.

If you are using an IR remote, then confirm that you have a good line of site 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.

6. Look for Main Board / Power Board Failure

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

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 to $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.

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 onto 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 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 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 mulitmeter 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 direct 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 direct on:

844-254-8087 (Mon. – Fri., 8am – 11pm CST, Sat. – Sun., 9am – 8pm 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 off a future model if you pester them hard enough! This is always worth a try in my experience.

What to Do if Your Vizio TV Power Light is Blinking Multiple Times?

To wrap up, if your Vizio TV power light is blinking, then to fix it you can:

Check your TV is receiving power by testing your wall sockets.
Power cycle your TV.
Look for damage to your power cable.
Check your HDMI cables are firmly connected.
Check your remote is working and has batteries.
Test for main board or power board failure.

If you haven’t been able to fix your problem using the steps above, then your next port of call should be customer support, who can advise you if they are able to fix it.

If not, then you can try a local TV repair technician, but if they are unable to help, then unfortunately you are most probably looking at having to get a new TV.