Self-clean heats the cavity far past baking temperatures and locks the door on purpose. The control will not release that lock until it believes the oven is cool. The kitchen may feel fine while the cavity is still hot. Waiting is the first repair.
If you smell a strong electrical odor or see smoke that is not leftover food, leave the oven off and treat it as a stop-use event — still without prying the door.
Self-clean is supposed to lock
That click at the start of the cycle is the latch. It is working. The display may show a lock icon long after the clean cycle’s clock has finished because cool-down is a separate phase.
Cool-down patience
Give the oven hours, not minutes, especially after a long clean. Do not run the cooling fan “trick” by forcing bake if the control is still in lockout. Opening windows helps you, not the latch thermometer.
When the latch never releases
If the oven is fully cool to a thermometer in the cavity — door still closed — and the lock has not moved, the latch or the control is stuck. That is a technician job. Forcing the door bends the oven and the kitchen cabinet. Gas ovens follow the same rule; adding “I smelled gas” means you stop and ventilate rather than keep cycling power.
