EOS Rebel T6i shutter button quit working. Not sure what to do anymore?

[Cprather45]

Alright so i'm no professional at cameras whatsoever but i've asked multiple who are a lot more knowledge than me and they can't figure it out. So i have a canon t6i that i've had for around 4 years and it's been perfect for what i need it for. Back in July i was out shooting and all the sudden the shutter button quit working just out of the blue no warning no nothing. Here is what stumps the people i ask. If you do the half hold to auto focus, it focuses with no problem but when you press down to take the picture there's nothing. I've tried a factory reset, different lenses, different modes everything you can think of and still the same problem. Now i have had one of those remote shutter switch things. When you plug that in to the camera the shutter button that is on the camera works like it's brand new. It focuses, take pictures, continuous shooting, it all works like the camera is brand new and i just don't know what to do anymore. Any help, information, or advice will be greatly appreciated!!

[Tronhard]

Hi and welcome to the forum:

My first response is that there is a fault in the circuit  directly under the shutter button.  Essentially there are two circuits that are enacted.  The first is the half-press that causes the camera to focus and meter, the harder press engages a second circuit that trips the shutter and records the image.
If there is a fault in this specific circuit or contact, then pressing to shoot will not work, but the metering and focus will work.  It also explains why the remote will work as that is tripping, not the contact from the shutter button, but a different circuit that enacts the actual taking of the image.  This may be caused by a crack in the circuit or a build-up of dirt under the shutter button itself.
When you were using the camera when this happened, were you in a very dusty or dirty environment?
In the former case (bad circuit), I expect you would need to get the camera to a service centre (call 0-800-OK-CANON) and have them assess and (if they still do so) fix the issue.  You may find that the camera is no longer serviced, or the cost outweighs the value.

[Cprather45]

That's so useful information thank you so much, yes I'm a dirt track racing photographer so I'm constantly around Dirt, dust, etc so that's probably what happened. I appreciate it so much thank you

[Tronhard]

You could send the camera in for a cleaning service, specifically asking for the shutter button to be looked at, and at the same time they will clean the sensor, which is likely contaminated with dust particles that will appear as marks on your images.

[Anonymous]

Your camera needs to be sent to Canon for replacement of the shutter switch. You have a bad shutter switch.