How to Fix a Keurig That Turns Off When You Hit Brew

If your Keurig shuts off after you hit the brew button, you’ve probably scoured the internet looking for a solution—just like I did.

My Experience

This exact issue happened to me with my K-Cafe from 2021:

• The problem first occurred when it turned itself off after brewing a cup of coffee before it finished brewing.
• After that, every time I tried to make a cup, it would go through the usual process of heating up, I’d select my cup size, hit brew, but it’d shut off again and again and again.

↓↓↓ VIDEO BELOW SHOWS THE ISSUE AND THE FIX ↓↓↓

Here’s what happened:

1. The machine warmed up as usual.
2. The lights turned on as expected.
3. I selected my cup size and hit “brew.”
4. No water came out of the spout, and the water pump made no noise.
5. The machine paused briefly, then made a faint clicking sound and turned off.
6. This happened over and over again.

If this sounds like your problem, keep reading!

The Most Common Fix: Clear a Clogged Needle

The most common solution is a clogged upper needle—the one that pierces the K-Cup. Coffee grounds can block it, triggering a safety shutoff.

How to Fix It:

• Use a paperclip to clear any clogs in the needle.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t my issue. My needle was clear, but I learned that Keurig machines have a safety shutoff that activates when a clog is detected. That meant I might have a clog somewhere else.

What Actually Fixed My Keurig

After some digging, I found a video on how to open up the machine. I suspected the water pump might be bad, or there was a clog elsewhere. Before you do anything make sure you have this on hand. You WILL need it.

What I Discovered

Once inside, I noticed a brown gunky buildup inside the hose that carries water from the tank to the heating element. It wasn’t blocking, and there wasn’t much, but I suspected it might be enough to trip the pressure safety shutoff feature I heard these machines have.

The Fix:

1. Unplug the machine.
2. Open the unit and locate the water hoses.
3. One hose at a time, clean them out using a thin straw brush.
4. Key Step 💧
   • The hose leading to the water pump should be disconnected next to a sink—this will drain the internal reservoir/heating element completely.
   • Ensure the hose is clear and clean, then reconnect it.

Resetting the Machine:

• After reconnecting the hoses, refill the external water reservoir and put it back in place. IF YOU HAVE THE DESCALER ON HAND, USE THIS INSTEAD TO SAVE TIME.
• Plug the machine back in—but do not turn it on.
• The Keurig automatically detected an empty reservoir (as if it were brand new), and the water pump whirred to life — it took all the fresh water and pulled it into the internal reservoir.
• For whatever reason after that the machine worked again.
  • A clog might’ve been cleared
  • The machine might’ve been glitching thinking there was a clog but there wasn’t
  • It needed to be emptied completely to force the water pump to turn on and move the water around!

Final Steps

• I ran a bottle of Keurig Descale Solution through the machine following their instructions. I let it sit inside the machine for a good 30-45 minutes to descale the internal reservoir.
• I ran a whole tank of fresh water through the machine while it was still apart — and everything seemed good. I cleaned everything up and it mostly snapped back together.
• Now it brews perfectly.

I even made a video showing exactly what I did (watch it above if you can)—hope this helps!

If You’re Hesitant to Open It Up…

I get it—opening up your machine can feel risky. But I had nothing to lose since it wasn’t working anyway.

If you’d rather not take it apart and need a new machine, click here.