Green light on but recliner not working

Green light on but recliner not working, what it means and what to check next in a UK home

If your recliner has a green light on the transformer but it will not move, that usually means the power supply is reaching the system, but the recliner is not receiving the correct signal to operate, or a safety condition is stopping movement. In plain terms, it is often a connection, control, or cable route problem rather than the wall socket. This is especially common after pushing the sofa back, vacuuming underneath, or moving a corner suite module slightly.

This guide is written for UK power recliners, including recliner sofas, recliner armchairs, and recliner seats within a corner suite.

Safety first

If you see damaged cables, crushed wiring, melting, scorching, a burning smell, or sparking, stop immediately. Unplug at the wall and contact your retailer or a qualified technician. Do not force a power recliner mechanism by hand.

What the green light usually tells you

A green transformer light generally indicates mains power is reaching the transformer and the transformer is outputting power to the recliner system. So if the recliner is dead with a green light, the most likely causes shift to the low voltage connection into the furniture, the control handset or switch, a trapped cable, a control box issue, or an actuator issue.

Fix it fast, the short checks that solve most cases

1. Do a safe reset

Unplug at the wall.

Wait 60 seconds.

Plug back in and test.

2. Reseat the low voltage connectors

Unplug first.

Find the transformer and the low voltage lead that runs into the sofa.

Push the connector firmly back into place. Many failures are simply a connector that has worked loose.

3. Look for a trapped or stretched cable

Unplug first.

Trace the low voltage lead and any visible cables under the seat.

Look for a cable pinched under the frame, caught in moving parts, or pulled tight because the sofa has been pushed back against the wall.

If you find a pinch point, reroute the cable so it sits with slack and cannot be pulled into the mechanism.

4. If you have a wireless handset, check the batteries

Some power recliners use RF handsets with batteries. If the transformer light is green but the recliner does nothing, the handset can be the reason. Replace the handset batteries and try again.

5. Check whether it is one seat or all seats

If only one seat in a recliner sofa or corner suite has stopped working, the fault is often local to that seat, such as the switch, handset connection, wiring harness, or actuator.

If all seats are dead but the transformer light is green, focus on the main low voltage connection into the furniture and the main control box connection.

6. Consider transformer thermal cutout if it stopped suddenly

Some systems have thermal protection. If the transformer overheats it may shut down temporarily.

Switch off at the mains and allow the transformer to cool for around 30 minutes, then restore power and test again.

If it repeats, stop using it and arrange service because repeat overheating can indicate a downstream load fault.

Symptoms and what they usually mean

Green light is solid, recliner does nothing, no button lights

Most common causes are a loose connector, trapped cable, handset issue, or a control box fault. Start with reseating connectors and checking cable routing. If it persists, it usually needs a technician rather than more button pressing.

Green light is on, one seat works and the other does not

Likely a local seat issue, switch, wiring, or actuator. Do not swap parts unless you are competent. Log exactly which seat fails and what happens when you press the button, then contact the retailer for service.

Green light is on, recliner clicks but does not move

This can be an obstruction, linkage bind, or an actuator struggling. Stop testing and arrange service if you cannot see an obvious obstruction.

Green light is on, recliner stopped after moving the sofa

This strongly points to a cable being stretched, unplugged, or pinched. Check the cable route before anything else.

What not to do

Do not keep pressing the button repeatedly if nothing happens. You can overheat a struggling component or worsen a jam.

Do not force the footrest down by hand.

Do not dismantle electrical components unless you are competent and it is safe to do so.

When to stop and call for support

Contact your retailer or service team if

You have a green light but no movement after the reset and connector checks.

The recliner moves then stops repeatedly.