Ninja AF161 Max XL Air Fryer Troubleshooting

The air fryer emits an off-putting chemical smell after using.

The manual recommends the basket to be cleaned before general use, and after each time you cook food.

To clean the basket, remove it from the unit and clean and wash it with soapy water, then take it out to wipe and dry until clean. The main unit should not be cleaned in this way, and should only be wiped.

If the chemical smell persists, thoroughly clean the device again with soap and water. Let the basket dry before placing it back into the air fryer. Place the air fryer outside and cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes with no food or content in the basket. If needed, repeat the process until the chemical smell fades away.

Alternatively, place aluminum foil in the bottom of the basket before cooking to combat the occurrence of chemical smell.

While in use, the numeric display turns off and goes black/dark.

The air fryer went to sleep. Click any button to wake the air fryer. Pressing any of the face buttons in this way won't do anything besides wake the unit.

If the device does not immediately turn on when plugged into an outlet, the wall socket may be faulty. Try plugging the air fryer into a different wall socket and push it in all the way.

The air fryer does not properly heat food after using it.

If the heating plate appears to be dirty, hand wash the air fryer with a damp cloth.

Confirm the basket is fully inserted while cooking. If the basket is not fully inserted, then the food will not cook correctly due to basket sensors.

Unplug the appliance and let it cool down for 30 minutes, then try again. There might be too much food and not enough space for air circulation.

The air fryer is constantly making a beeping sound.

If the device beeps and the word "End" appears on the numerical display, the food is finished cooking.

Remove food from the basket if it has not yet been removed. If the device continues to beep after the food has been removed, try powering off the air fryer, unplugging it, and then plugging it back in.

The air fryer makes a rattling noise while the food is cooking.

There are two spring-loaded basket sensors located below the button panel. These can become loose and can be tightened when necessary.

While in operation, the air fryer's fan may cause some food items to fly around and become stuck in the fan. You will need to clean the fan and remove any food debris that is obstructing it to remedy the rattling noise. To prevent this from happening in the future, you can secure individual pieces of food to join pieces together by using toothpicks, or place the individual food items below the cooking plate while using the air fryer. If cleaning the fan does not fix the rattling noise, you may need to remove and replace the fan.