Smeg Er03 fault codewhat it means and how to fix it
A knob or button is being read as held on. On these knob-operated range cookers that usually means a knob kept turned to A too long. Release it, then clean the hob as Smeg say.
Before you start
What were the knobs doing when the code appeared?
The right answer depends on what you can see. Pick the one that matches.
Choose the option on the left that matches what your appliance is doing, and the answer for that case appears here.
What were the knobs doing when the code appeared?
That matches the condition Smeg publish in the manual: a knob kept turned to the A position for more than thirty seconds brings up a fault message by design. Nothing is broken.
Let go, move whatever was leaning on the knob, and use short deliberate turns to A rather than holding it. Smeg publish that releasing the knobs clears the message.
What were the knobs doing when the code appeared?
This is the case Smeg’s article describes, written for their touch-control hobs. It is a long shot on a knob-operated range cooker, but it is their published cause and their published remedy is free.
Clear the glass, wipe it, dry it and try again. If the code goes, you have your answer; if it stays, treat the knobs as the more likely explanation.
What were the knobs doing when the code appeared?
Then the hob is reporting continuous operation with nothing operating it, which points at the control itself. This is where Smeg’s two articles stop agreeing and the older one is the more useful of the two.
Book a service visit. Tell them the code appears with the knobs at rest and the glass dry, because that is the detail that rules out both published causes.
What Er03 means
Smeg publish Er03 as a knob or button in continuous operation, caused by the presence of liquid or cookware on the control area, and their remedy is to clean the hob or remove the cookware. That sentence is written for the whole of Smeg’s induction range, most of which is built-in hobs with touch controls in the glass, and it needs reading with the appliance in front of you. The induction hobs on the Portofino and Victoria range cookers covered here are worked by knobs on the front panel, with only the power displays set into the glass, so there is no touch area for a puddle or a pan to press. The half of Smeg’s sentence that applies to a range cooker is the knob.
Their manuals publish the matching condition in their own words: if the knobs are kept turned to the A position for more than thirty seconds, a fault message appears on the display, and the Victoria manual adds that releasing the knobs makes the error message disappear. Position A is the sprung anticlockwise position used for the controls lock, which wants two knobs held there together until the lock symbol appears, and for the heating accelerator, which wants a knob turned to A and released. Hold on past the symbol, or lean a tea towel or a pan handle against a knob so it sits turned, and the hob reads a control in continuous operation, stops accepting anything and waits, which is the sensible response rather than a fault.
The liquid and cookware half of Smeg’s sentence is still worth honouring, because a wet or dirty top costs nothing to put right and Smeg have named it, but on a range cooker it is not the likely explanation. Now the honest part. Smeg’s older support article lists Er03 among the codes for which you should contact the service centre for an engineer, while the newer article gives it the clean-the-hob remedy. Both pages are Smeg’s. The practical reading is that the newer article is right about the common case and the older one is right about what to do when nothing is holding a knob and the glass is clean and dry, because a control that reports continuous operation with nothing operating it is reporting something about itself.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| A knob held at the A position too long | Smeg publish a thirty second limit on holding the knobs at the A position before a fault message appears. Setting the controls lock or the heating accelerator and holding on past the symbol does it. | Common |
| Something leaning on a knob | A tea towel hooked over a knob, a pan handle or a tray resting against one, keeps it turned so the hob sees a control that never lets go. Our own observation of what holds a knob on a wide front panel, not a Smeg statement. | Common |
| Liquid or cookware on the control area | Smeg’s own published cause, written for their touch-control hobs where the controls sit in the glass. On these knob-operated range cookers there is no touch area to cover, but a wet or dirty top is still worth ruling out because it costs nothing. | Occasional |
| A knob that no longer springs back from A | The A position is sprung. A knob that has been knocked, or whose spring has tired, can sit turned after you let go and read as held. Our own observation rather than a Smeg statement. | Occasional |
| A failing control | Where it lands when the code appears with every knob at rest and the glass clean and dry. This is the case Smeg’s older article sends to the service centre. | Rare |
What to try yourself
Let go of every hob knob and check none of them is sitting turned. Smeg publish that holding a knob at the A position beyond thirty seconds produces the fault message on its own, and the Victoria manual says releasing the knobs makes it disappear.
Move anything leaning against the front panel — tea towels, pan handles, trays — so nothing is holding a knob turned.
Turn each hob knob to 0 and see whether it returns and settles there. A knob that sits off centre after you release it is worth noting for the engineer if the code comes back.
Follow Smeg’s published remedy as well: clear cookware off the glass, wipe the top and dry it properly. On a knob-operated range cooker this is unlikely to be the cause, but it is Smeg’s own instruction and it costs nothing.
If nothing has changed, switch the cooker off at its wall switch, leave it a minute, and switch it back on.
If Er03 returns with every knob at rest and the glass clean and dry, book a service visit rather than repeating the checks. Smeg’s older article routes this code to an engineer.
Do not lever a knob off or open the front panel to reach the switch behind it. The hob controls sit alongside mains powered induction boards, and Smeg’s older article treats a persistent Er03 as engineer work.
Get a qualified appliance engineer to look at your Smeg Er03
We do not pass enquiries to a repair firm, so there is no form here. When you book a qualified appliance engineer, tell them the make, the model and the exact code or message on the display, and ask whether they carry parts for this make — that is what turns one visit into a repair rather than a quote.
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£0–£220
Time on site
10 minutes
Nothing in the case Smeg describe, because the fix is letting go of a knob or wiping the top. A service visit and a control only if the code appears with the knobs at rest on a clean dry hob, which is the branch their older article covers.
Typical UK prices including parts and labour, updated September 2026. Your quote may differ.
Own this appliance and had this code? . Nothing is published until a person has read it.
Related Smeg fault codes
- ERR4Get it checkedThe pyrolytic door lock has not attached to the door, often because the door was opened while it was locking. Smeg publish a real owner remedy.Related: controls and lockouts
- SHOUsually simple to fixNot a fault at all. The oven is in showroom mode, so the control panel works and no heating is possible. Smeg publish how to switch it off.Related: same brand
- U400Get it checkedSmeg publish six words for this: wrong connection, connect the equipment properly. On a hardwired range cooker that means an electrician rather than anything you can do.Related: same brand
- E2Get it checkedOverheating of the inductor on the hob, but E2 is also in Smeg’s pyrolytic oven list. Which display it is on changes the answer completely.Related: same brand
- E6Get it checkedPower failure to the power board. Smeg publish a timed remedy rather than a flick of the switch: turn the appliance off for a full five minutes.Related: same brand
- E5Get it checkedThe hob has judged the mains voltage signal invalid. Smeg say to check the supply voltage, which on a hardwired cooker is an electrician’s job rather than yours.Related: same brand
Own a Smeg range cooker? Save it and its codes come first next time.
Related guides
Common questions about Smeg Er03
Smeg’s two support pages say different things. Which one do I follow?
Both are theirs, so we are not going to pick one for you. The newer article, updated in March 2023, gives the clean-the-hob remedy and names the cause. The older one, from December 2018, lists Er03 among the codes needing an engineer. Read them in that order: release the knobs and clean the top first, and if the code survives that, the older article is the one describing your situation.
Is this the controls lock or the child lock?
No, although they are neighbours. The controls lock on the hob is set by turning two zone knobs to A together and holding them until the lock symbol appears, and the fault message is what you get for holding on too long past that point. The child lock is an oven setting in the secondary menu that engages automatically after a minute without input. Smeg’s older article says a flashing symbol means showroom mode or the child safety lock, so if the controls are dead but no code is showing, check those two before assuming a fault.
Smeg say liquid or cookware on the control area. Where is the control area on my range cooker?
There is not one in the sense that sentence means. Smeg’s article covers their whole induction range, and on their built-in hobs the controls are touch points in the glass that a spill or a pan can press. On the Portofino and Victoria range cookers the hob is worked by knobs and the glass only carries the power displays. Wipe and dry the top anyway because Smeg name it, but look at the knobs first.
Do I need to turn it off at the wall?
Not usually. Releasing the knobs is normally enough, because Smeg publish that the message clears when the knobs are released rather than latching. A power cycle at the wall switch is worth one attempt if the display stays stuck with every knob at rest, and if that does not shift it there is nothing further to try at home.
Technical review
Not reviewed by an engineer
No engineer has read this page. Severity follows what the manufacturer publishes, and we would rather tell you that than let a byline imply a sign-off.
Sources and how we verified this
We establish the facts from the sources below and then write the explanation ourselves. We do not copy manufacturer wording and we do not host their manuals.
- Manufacturer support portal
- Manufacturer technical and service documentation
This page has not been reviewed by an engineer, and we would rather tell you that than imply otherwise. The severity rating follows what the manufacturer publishes: where they say isolate the appliance and call someone, so do we.