One coil is dead and the others work. Whether that is a part you can buy or a service call depends entirely on which of three cooktops you own, and the difference is visible in ten seconds.
Coil elements plug into a receptacle and lift out. On many ranges that is genuinely an owner-replaceable part.
Smooth radiant tops, where the elements are under a single glass-ceramic surface, are not. Everything is under the glass.
Induction tops are not either, and they add a category of causes that has nothing to do with the appliance.
One rule before any of it: the breaker goes off before anything comes apart, and stays off while your hands are anywhere near the appliance. An electric range typically runs on a dedicated high-current circuit, and "unplugged" is not always available to you the way it is on a small appliance.
Which cooktop do you have
Coil. Visible spiral elements sitting in reflector bowls, which lift up at the outer edge. Common on older and budget ranges.
Smooth radiant. One flat glass-ceramic surface with printed circles. Elements are underneath and you cannot see them except as a glow.
Induction. Also a flat glass surface, and the tell is behavior rather than looks: the surface itself does not get hot from the element, only from the pan, and cookware has to be magnetic.
If you are not sure between the last two, a magnet on the base of a pan settles it. If the pan is not magnetic and the hob never worked with it, you have induction and a cookware problem rather than a fault.
Coil cooktops: the checks
1. Swap the element with a working one
With the breaker off, lift the suspect element at the outer edge and pull it straight out of its receptacle. Put it in a working position, and put a known-good one in the suspect position.
Turn the breaker back on and test.
If the fault follows the element, the element is the problem and it is a replaceable part.
If the fault stays with the position, the receptacle or the switch is the problem, and that is where this stops. A receptacle is inside the range, on wiring carrying serious current, and it is a technician's job.
This one test does the whole diagnosis and it costs nothing.
2. Look at the element and the receptacle
Breaker off. Look for blistering, a break in the coil, or a section that has swollen or split. Look at the two terminals and at the receptacle they went into for scorching, melting or discoloration.
Scorching or melting in the receptacle stops everything. That is heat where there should not be heat, it means a bad connection, and putting a new element into a damaged receptacle repeats the fault with a new part. Technician.
3. Buy the right part
If the element is the fault, the part is model-specific. Take the old one, or use the model number from the plate on the range, usually behind a drawer or on the frame inside a door.
Do not buy a part that "looks the same." Terminal spacing and wattage differ, and the wrong element in the right receptacle is a heat problem.
Smooth radiant tops: what you can and cannot do
What you can do: check the breaker, check whether more than one element is affected, check the control lock setting, and clean the surface properly, which is covered in how to clean a glass cooktop.
What you cannot do: anything under the glass. Elements, wiring and controls on a radiant top are accessed by lifting or removing the glass surface, which is a technician's job on essentially every model.
A crack in the glass stops use immediately. A cracked glass-ceramic surface on an energized cooktop puts a path for liquid onto live components underneath. Turn the breaker off and stop using it until it is repaired or replaced.
Induction tops: the causes that are not faults
The pan is not magnetic. Induction needs ferrous cookware. A magnet that does not stick to the base of the pan is the answer, and it is not a fault.
The pan is too small for the zone, or is not centered. Many units will not energize a zone below a minimum pan size.
The pan base is warped, so contact with the surface is poor.
The control lock is on, or a child lock has been enabled.
The unit has reduced power because of heat. Induction units manage their own temperature and can reduce output.
Only after all of that is it a fault, and a fault on an induction hob is under the glass and is a technician's job.
Where this stops being yours, stated once, plainly
Anything past the element and its receptacle on a coil range. Switches, wiring, terminal blocks and the range's own connection to the circuit.
Anything under the glass on a radiant or induction top.
Any sign of heat damage: a scorched receptacle, a discolored terminal, a smell of burning plastic, or a socket or connection that is hot.
Any cracked glass surface.
A breaker that trips when the element is used. That is a fault telling you something, and resetting it repeatedly is the wrong response. Electrician or appliance technician.
The range's own supply. An electric range is usually on a dedicated high-current circuit and its connection is not general homeowner territory. If the whole range is dead rather than one element, check the breaker once, and if it trips again that is an electrician.
Is it worth repairing
For a coil element the question rarely arises: the part is inexpensive and the fix is quick.
For anything under the glass it is a real question, and the rule of thumb everybody quotes, that you replace when a repair costs more than half a new appliance, is widely attributed and could not be verified at a primary source. Our triage guide reports that failed trace rather than repeating the rule: is this a DIY fix or a service call.
If the range is gas rather than electric and the problem is a burner that will not light, that is a different set of causes, and any smell of gas is not a troubleshooting question at all: leave the building and call from outside.
FAQ
One burner on my electric stove does not work. Is that a part I can buy? On a coil cooktop, usually yes: elements plug into a receptacle and are model-specific replaceable parts. On a smooth radiant or induction top, no, because the elements are under the glass.
How do I know whether it is the element or the socket? Swap the suspect element into a working position and a known-good one into the suspect position, with the breaker off while you do it. If the fault follows the element, it is the element. If it stays with the position, it is the receptacle or the switch, and that is a technician's job.
The receptacle looks burnt. Can I just fit a new element? No. Scorching or melting means a bad connection producing heat, and a new element in a damaged receptacle repeats the fault. That is a technician's repair.
My induction hob will not turn on for one pan. Check whether a magnet sticks to the base of that pan, whether the pan is large enough for the zone and centered on it, and whether a control lock is on. Those are the common non-fault causes.
The breaker trips when I use that burner. What now? Do not keep resetting it. A breaker tripping under load is doing its job and telling you something. That is an electrician or an appliance technician.
Is a cracked glass cooktop safe to use until I get it fixed? No. A crack gives liquid a path to live components underneath. Turn the breaker off and stop using it.
Sources: this page contains no wattage, voltage, cost, repair price or lifespan figure, and cites none. Part selection is routed to the reader's own model number and the original component rather than to any specification stated here. The unverifiable status of the widely quoted 50 percent repair-or-replace rule is carried from this site's own appliance triage article, which records the failed attribution trace. The gas-smell response referred to at the end is set out in full on its own page in this cluster and involves no troubleshooting step.
