After adding all your ingredients to your Ninja blender, the last thing you want to see is a flashing red light. Not only does it delay your smoothie, but now you have to spend valuable time troubleshooting it.
If this is happening to you, then you’re in the right place. I’ll share all the steps you’ll need to take to get your blender working again (with plenty of photos so you can see exactly what is happening).
The key to fixing the blinking red light issue on a Ninja blender is to make sure that the safety tabs on the base are being pressed down. Line up the arrows on the lid, lock it into place, and twist the pitcher onto the base until you hear a click. If that doesn’t work, check the tabs for damage.
In this article, I’ll show you the proper steps to fix the blinking red light issue, what causes it, and how to tell if it’s being caused by damage to the blender.
Let’s dive right into it!
Align the lid so that the two white arrows face each other
The lid needs to be installed so that the white arrow on the lid faces the white arrow on the handle. This activates the safety tabs that allow the blender to operate.
You can see in the photo below that there is a small plastic piece in the handle that gets pushed by a metal prong in the lid handle (top left of the photo).
These pieces are pretty sturdy so it’s unlikely that there is anything wrong with the lid. But it’s still a good idea to double-check the tab in the handle.
If the metal prong and plastic tab are intact and nothing looks broken or damaged, push the handle down until you hear it click into place.
Check the safety tab on the bottom of the pitcher
Next, you’ll want to check that the safety tab on the pitcher itself is working properly.
Here’s what it should look like before you lock the handle on the lid:
And here’s what it should look like after you lock the handle on the lid:
You’ll notice that there is a small black tab that moves down about a quarter of an inch when you lock the lid.
This presses down on either the right or left safety tab on the base and tells the blender that the pitcher and lid are both locked and in place.
As long as this tab looks good, your next step is to place the pitcher on the base and rotate it clockwise until you hear it lock into place.
Remember that the handle of the pitcher should always end up facing the front of the blender. Any other configuration could break the safety tab on the pitcher.
However, the red light on your blender may be blinking because this tab is actually broken on the pitcher. This can happen if you try to twist the pitcher onto the base in the wrong direction or position.
What to do if the safety tab is broken
If you check this tab and it’s broken, all is not lost!
Of course, you can always order a replacement pitcher directly from Ninja. But there is a temporary fix that usually works and could save you some money.
Use a toothpick to replace the safety tab
A quick fix is to take a sturdy toothpick and wedge it into the slot under the pitcher handle. Break the toothpick so that it sticks out at least a quarter of an inch.
This essentially gives you a replacement for the plastic safety tab that should be there.
That way, when you lock the pitcher onto the base, it presses down the tab on the base and the blender will work properly.
It’s important to note that this tab is a safety feature that makes sure the blender doesn’t turn on unless the lid is securely locked into place. This stops hot and cold contents from potentially flying out and getting all over your kitchen.
If you add a toothpick here, you’ll need to manually make sure that the lid is on and locked, since the mechanism obviously won’t do that for you anymore.
Avoid placing anything in the base safety tab
Another bit of advice that I’ve seen is to cut a piece of a chopstick off and place it into the safety tab on the base of the Ninja blender.
I do NOT recommend this method because it means that the blender will always be able to operate, even if the pitcher isn’t attached properly or even present. This has the potential to cause injury, especially if you have children in the house.
And even if it doesn’t, the chance of causing a huge mess goes up because the blender could easily start before you have everything secured.
It’s best to just use the toothpick method described above or to replace your pitcher rather than risk damaging the motor or causing injury.
How to avoid breaking the safety tab
If the tab on your pitcher is still intact or you’ve replaced it already, there are two steps you can take to avoid damaging it in the future:
- Always make sure to twist the pitcher clockwise so that the handle ends up towards the front of the blender.
- Leave the lid unlocked until you’ve twisted the pitcher into position, then press the handle down to lock it. This keeps the tab out of harms way while you’re twisting the pitcher into position and will prevent it from breaking.
When to replace your pitcher
If the tab mechanism on your pitcher is broken, either at the top or at the bottom, you can use a toothpick to trick it into working for a time.
However, the toothpick will eventually break down and could even become stuck in the safety tab in the bottom over time. So it’s not a permanent solution.
Your best bet is to replace the pitcher when you are able to. You can find replacements on Amazon, but it’s typically going to be cheaper to just order a new pitcher directly from Ninja ($64.95 as of April 2023).
Why is the Ninja blender power button blinking red?
The blinking red power light indicates that the blender thinks your pitcher isn’t securely attached or the base has overheated. To prevent damage to the blender (and to you!), the power light will start to blink red and none of the buttons on the base will work.
What you need to know
If the red power light is blinking on your Ninja blender and it’s not working, it’s usually because the safety tabs aren’t being properly engaged.
You can try a few different approaches to fixing these:
- Make sure the white arrow on the lid is pointing to the white arrow on the pitcher handle.
- Push the handle on the lid closed until you hear a clicking sound.
- Twist the pitcher clockwise onto the base so that the handle ends up to the left or right of the controls on the base (the handle should not be towards the back).
- Check the safety tab on the lid where the two arrows meet to make sure it’s not damaged.
- Check the safety tab on the bottom of the pitcher to make sure it’s not damaged.
- Check for obstructions or damage to the safety tabs on the base of the blender itself.
- If all else fails, you can order a replacement for the pitcher and lid directly from Ninja for about $65.
Those seven steps should help you to resolve most issues with your blender.
Of course, you can also always reach out to Ninja customer support directly and get their help diagnosing the problem if none of these steps helped. Most of their blenders come with a standard 1-year warranty from the date of purchase.
Patrick Ward