Why is my Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Making Loud Noises? (And Ways to FIX It!)

Table of contents

You’re using your Ninja Foodi air fryer, and it’s making a lot of noise. You’re not sure if that’s normal or not, but you don’t want to use it anymore because it might be dangerous.

One common complaint is that the Ninja Foodi air fryer makes a lot of noise while in use and sometimes when it’s not in use. If you’re looking for ways to fix this problem, you’ve come to the right place.

This article is packed with all sorts of solutions from simple fixes like closing the door while cooking up to replacing parts inside your Ninja Foodi air fryer.

The internal parts of your air fryer are loose

One reason you might hear a noise coming from your air fryer is because of loose internal parts. This can happen due to wear and tear over time. If you notice a wild clunking noise when the air fryer is in use, it’s likely because some parts have come loose.

You can check and tighten loose parts yourself, but it’s always best to consult the manufacturer’s instructions first. Make sure you know what you’re doing before attempting any repairs.

To find out if there’s something loose inside your air fryer try these steps.

Make sure your air fryer is cool.
Unplug the air fryer.
Remove any accessories, attachments, tray, or basket.
Pick up the air fryer and give it a gentle shake.
Listen for any rattling and feel for any banging from the inside.
Reach your hand into the unit and feel around for parts like the element to see if it’s loose.

If you can hear or feel the pieces inside, then that might confirm something’s dislodged inside your air fryer.

In many cases, this may require some minor or major disassembly. There’s also no telling how important that loose piece is for the air fryer.

Your air fryer is not clean and has a lot of debris

Old food particles flung around the chamber of the air fryer can cause it to get loud.

I recommend you thoroughly check the insides of the air fryer for any hardened, small, or large chunks of food that might be flying around inside the air fryer while it’s on.

Clean out any food residue from inside the base of your air fryer, using a damp cloth if necessary.

While there, wipe down any removable parts of your air fryer (such as trays or baskets) with soapy water. Rinse them well under running water before drying them completely in an open area.

Making sure your air fryer is clean is especially important if you regularly use oil or butter in your cooking. These ingredients can cause residue that can build up over time and become difficult to clean.

The build-up residue can also slow down, rust, or even shut off the fan.

Your air fryer might have loose body panels if you hear rattling

Loose body panels are one of the most common causes of air fryer noise. When a panel is loose, it can fall or rattle around during operation, causing excessive vibrations and noise.

You can fix a loose body panel by tightening the screws that hold it in place with either an Allen wrench or screwdriver.

Be careful not to overtighten any screws. You could damage your air fryer if they’re too tight!

If you’re unsure whether your machine has loose panels, check for gaps between its body and components such as buttons or knobs.

These are especially vulnerable to movement from impact and may require reattaching with additional screws.

The air fryer fan may be loose if you hear clicking

If your Ninja is making a clicking noise when it’s on, it could be the fan. There’s one possibility where it’s the fan blade that’s loose. Here, you’ll probably have to disassemble the air fryer a little.

Keep in mind that taking apart your machine might void the warranty.

Start by unplugging your Ninja air fryer and making sure it’s cooled down.
Most basket-style Ninja air fryers will have the fan right behind the burner and grate shield, so you’re going to have to unscrew the grate shield.
Unscrew the element from its power source, but you don’t need to remove it completely.
There’s often a nut on the center of the fan, try and tighten it.

The air fryer fan motor has built up grease and residue

In some cases, you might find that even after tightening your air fryer, the fan continues to make clicking noises.

Another reason for this might be all the leftover build-up of food over a long period that gets trapped in the fan’s blades, gears, and motor.

If it’s the fan blades, you might be able to clean this up and test it. You can follow the same steps as above in removing the grate and accessing the fan section.

With a damp cloth, wipe down the fan blades and try to scrub off any gunk or chunks of residue and grease you can find. After you’re done, use another dry cloth and wipe off as much moisture as you can. You don’t want to leave it wet.

Close it up and try again.

If it’s the gears or the motor that the residue has reached, then it might be a good time to call in to get it serviced. It’ll be difficult to reach those areas and even if you succeed, you may accidentally damage the most vital components of the fan rendering your air fryer useless.

The air fryer motor needs lubrication

Your motor might also be making a lot of noise because it is lacking sufficient lubrication.

Electric motors are designed using grease and lubrication to help create a frictionless spinning of the bearings. The more lubrication that’s added to a motor, the less friction it will have to spend its blades.

Without the necessary lubrication, there will be damaging metal-to-metal contact between the rolling element.

If this is the case, you’ll likely hear a lot of vibration coming from the inside of your air fryer when it’s running.

I don’t recommend attempting to re-lubricate your air fryer fan motor even if you can get access to it. In doing so you run the risk of damaging the motor if you use too much lubricant or the wrong type of lubricant.

Your air fryer is having electrical issues if you hear loud pops

Let’s get a real more serious discussion here.

If you ever start hearing popping going on with your air fryer and you’re not air frying popcorn, then there is a huge cause for concern.

The popping sound might come from the circuit which also means it might be arching electricity. This can happen if some loose connection wires are causing the electricity to jump to any nearby metal surface.

If it’s happening to any faulty and warned-out circuits inside of your air fryer, it could end up starting a fire.

Stop using your air fryer immediately and unplug it from the wall.

This needs immediate attention and requires professional service to repair.

Air fryer fan controls are always on high

Most modern-day air fryers with multiple functionalities and features have a way to automatically control how fast the fan spins.

For example, if you set your air fryer on bake mode, the fan will try to spin as slowly as it can to keep the moisture inside the chamber. It still has to keep the fan running because it needs that to cool the controls inside.

But in some cases, if you’re trying to use a sear mode in your air fryer and you crank it up, the air fryer’s fan will max out as well.

In some cases, you’ll notice that your fan is always roaring. The problem here could be due to your fan’s control regulator being damaged.

There’s no way to fix this problem other than to replace the regulator that controls the fan.

It’s best to reach out to the manufacturer and see if you can have a professional take a look at it.

This isn’t a huge issue however it may affect the way your food is cooked. It may also lower the longevity of your air fryer because the fan is one of the main components that make an air fryer what it is.

An air fryer is making no noise at all

If you ever run into a situation like this, you might notice that your food is not being adequately cooked evenly.

If your air fryer is making no noise at all, it could be a sign that the motor has failed.

One thing you can do to check the motor and whether your fan is running is to turn it on while you listen to see if there’s any whirring sound coming from inside.

If you’re still unsure whether or not you are hearing the fan running, and you can’t see the fan, then something I like to do is pair a small bit of a piece of paper and placed it inside the air fryer I want the fan is running, that torn sheet of paper will end up flying around.

If it’s not working, that paper won’t move at all. Just remember to remove that sheet of paper immediately after you’re done testing. You don’t want to forget about it and accidentally cook it in your next meal.

If there it isn’t running at all, then your motor might have failed. If this is the case, contact Ninja customer service and they’ll help you replace your product or repair it.

The basket is not properly inserted or the door is not fully closed

These are probably going to be simple cases that can be solved by inspecting whether there are any gaps between the basket and the body of the air fryer or the oven door.

In many cases, this also may come down to cleaning as well. Various food items canned end up getting stuck in between the areas of contact where the basket slips in. It can also cause gaps to where the door closes, preventing the door from closing completely.

If you’re placing the basket into the air fryer, make sure the basket’s panels are pushed in and flushed with the rest of the device. Air fryer manufacturers and Appliance manufacturers in general design their products to fit together like pieces to a puzzle and there shouldn’t be any protrusions that slick out.

Remove your basket, and follow the rails that your basket slides into to see if there’s any food or residue that’s stuck there.

The looseness of these devices can cause them to rattle when the fan is running creating unnecessary noise.