Microwave leak brand new microwave/hood combo. Fails the "cell phone test"- put a cell phone in, close the door, call the phone. If the phone rings, there's supposedly a microwave leak. Well, the cell phone rings loud and clear.

You would better served replacing unit. Throwing parts at it is an unnecessary step.

You have a micro switch out of place or bad on door latch or striker is broken

All microwave ovens have safety switches on the doors to prevent the oven from running with the door open. Many have up to 4 of these standard microswitches. They do go bad, and can be replaced rather easily. Open your oven up, and match the existing switches with new from any electronics supplier. New switches are $2 to $3 each. A microwave technician will want to charge you on the order of $100 to come out to see what the problem is, go back to his office and order switches, and then come out to do the replacement.

Hi Edward
I should mention (although it's pretty obvious) that Microwave Energy is DANGEROUS.
So it's better not to fiddle with the internals.
A quick test can be done to check for electromagnetic energy (in the 2.45Ghz range) inside the oven. Put a glass of water in the Microwave Oven and place 2 strips of tinfoil across the top of the open glass above the water. Put the strips close together but not quite touching then close the door.
Start the microwave & look through the glass window. Listen & Watch for sparks between the tinfoil pieces. If there are sparks then your Microwave Oven is generating or transmitting electromagnetic energy from the magnetron tube unit.
If it's working Don't leave it sparking too long. The tinfoil can get hot enough to burn. The glass of water is to absorb any microwave energy.
There is an interlock switch on the door for safety to protect you from microwaves leaking out of the door cracks. This switch fails to function sometimes. But normally the oven won't even try to power on or spin the turntable (or Fan) if this interlock fails.
If there are no sparks then your Magnetron is shot. Its usually not worth fixing them unless you know of a specialist technician who is qualified and competent with microwave equipment.
Hope This Helps
..... Trevor

No! this could not be further from the truth, you can buy a microwave test card and check for leakage around the door seals, or take it to a service professional to do a quick test.

If a fuse blew, somthing is worng, not the fuse. In that case cheaper to replace the unit. Much more common is safety switch issues. Like door switches....small looseness can make switch not seat or close. Safety first.
A comment about microwave leaking, I used to test TONS of units and never, ever found a machine that leaked microwaves....I quit testing, essentially if the door closes properly, it will not leak.

The only way to tell for sure is to use a microwave leakage tester, which is an electronic instrument calibrated to standards for an accurate measurement. They are fairly expensive, so you aren't likely to run out and buy one. If you have reason to think your oven is leaking, you should call for service or take the oven in to a shop where they should have a tester.

Unless something has happened to damage the door sealing surfaces, your oven should not be leaking microwave. Check that the inside of the door and edges of the cooking cavity are kept clean of built-up food. Look at the door when it's closed. If it's straight side-to-side and is closing properly all around there should be no problem.

Do not believe the claim that you can test for leakage by calling a cell phone placed in the oven, and if the phone rings the oven is leaking microwaves. The shielding in a microwave is not effective at cell phone frequencies, which are much lower than microwaves. The phone will ring normally even in an oven with no measured leakage.

The "cell phone" test is a fraud. Cell phones operate on a frequency range much lower than microwaves (800 MHz for phones and 2.5 GHz for the ovens), and the metal screen in the microwave door won't affect them. The phone will ring loud and clear and it doesn't mean the oven is leaking microwaves.

You can buy a "microwave leakage test card" at some stores that supposedly change color when you hold in front of the door if the oven is leaking microwaves. This is also a fake. It actually responds to heat, on the thory that if heat is escaping around the door then microwaves are too. That's wrong.

The only sure way to test for microwave leakage is with a standardized leakage test meter. This is a fairly expensive electronic device. You really don't need to worry about microwave leakage unless the door of the oven is visibly out of alignment so that it isn't closing and sealing properly. If the door hasn't been getting slammed shut and the oven hasn't been dropped, everything should be fine. Take the oven to a service shop for a leakage test if you are concerned.

One final note: Microwave energy drops off rapidly with distance. Just don't stand right in front of the oven while it's running.

Hope this helps ease your mind. Thanks for using Fixya!

HI, this is an indication of a failed door switch. When the switch fails, the control cannot recognize the closed door signal. Simply replacing the door latch mechanism will solve this issue.

Replace the door latch assembly, asap.

We have a stove with no downdraft, and a microwave with a hood above it. It works just fine. I expect you could keep your downdraft and put a microwave without a hood above it, and that would also work. I don't think, however, you can buy an above the range mocrowave oven, that slides in on brackets, which will not have a hood.