Error codes · LG · Refrigerators

LG refrigerator error codes: a fan, a sensor, or a door that has been open too long.

An LG refrigerator prints Er and two characters, and the second half names the part — FF is the freezer fan, dH the defrost heater, IF the ice maker fan. A fan code is often a fan frozen into a block of ice, which a day of defrosting clears. Find the code below, take the checks in order, and clear it with the reset in the strip above; the ones that need a technician say so.

Covers: 2015-and-newer French door (LFXS, LFXC, LRFXS, LRFVS, LRFDS, LRMVS, LRMDS, InstaView, Craft Ice) and side-by-side (LSXS, LRSXS, LRSOS) refrigerators.

LG · First

Before you clear it

LG prints two-letter codes (OE, IE, dE, UE). A lower-case letter is the display's own shape, not a different code.

1

The panel prints Er on the left and the code on the right (Er FF, Er dH). Some displays drop the Er and print the two characters alone; the tables list both.

2

The reset: unplug the refrigerator (or switch the breaker off) for two full minutes, plug it back in and give it 24 hours to pull down before judging the temperature. A fan code that clears and stays gone was ice on the fan — keep an eye on it.

3

A Wi-Fi model shows the code and the next step in the ThinQ app; any model with a Smart Diagnosis mark on the panel sends its fault to the app when you hold the phone to the mark and press and hold the button the app names for three seconds.

4

OFF on the display with the lights on and no cooling is Display (demo) mode, not a fault — see the OFF entry below for the button hold that turns it off.

5

The model and serial plate is inside the fresh-food section on the left wall above the top drawer, or behind the kick plate at the bottom front. Every warranty call starts with those two numbers.

Section 1 of 3

Fans and defrost

A fan code on a refrigerator that has been running fine is usually ice on the fan blade. Clear the ice first; the part comes second.

Er FF#1

Also printed as FF

Check, then call
Code

Freezer fan error

What it means

The fan behind the freezer's back wall, which pushes cold air over the evaporator, did not report its speed. Frozen solid, blocked, or failed.

Check first
  1. Listen at the freezer with the door closed — a working fan hums; a fan grinding or clicking against ice is the usual cause, and silence is a fan that is not turning.
  2. Nothing is packed against the back wall of the freezer where the air comes out.
  3. Unplug the refrigerator for two minutes and plug it in. If the fan starts, it was ice; if the code returns within the day, the ice came back because the defrost is not keeping up.
The fix

A fan iced over: empty the freezer, leave the door open and the refrigerator unplugged for 24 hours to thaw, then restart. A fan that still does not turn, or ices over again within the week, is the fan motor or the defrost system — a service call.

Stop & call

A freezer fan that does not turn after a full thaw is the fan motor. Keep the food cold elsewhere and call it in — on a machine under warranty, a warranty service call.

Er rF#2

Also printed as rF

Check, then call
Code

Refrigerator fan error

What it means

The fan that moves cold air through the fresh-food section did not report its speed.

Check first
  1. Listen on the fresh-food side with the door closed for the fan; nothing is pushed against the vent panel at the back.
  2. Unplug for two minutes and restart; a fan that starts was iced.
The fix

Ice on the fan: thaw the refrigerator 24 hours with the doors open and restart. A fan that will not turn after a thaw is the fan motor — a service call.

Stop & call

An rF that comes back after a thaw and a reset is the fan motor. Call it in with the code, the model and the serial.

Er CF#3

Also printed as CF

Check, then call
Code

Condenser fan error

What it means

The fan at the bottom back of the refrigerator, which cools the compressor and the condenser, did not report its speed.

Check first
  1. Pull the refrigerator out and look at the fan at the bottom back — a plastic bag, a cord or a dust mat stops it; a bent blade rubs.
  2. The grille and the coils are clean (a vacuum brush does it).
  3. Unplug two minutes and restart.
The fix

Clear what stopped the fan and the code clears. A free, clean fan that will not turn is the condenser fan motor — a service call. Keep the refrigerator pulled a few inches from the wall meanwhile so the compressor can shed heat.

Stop & call

A condenser fan that does not turn free of debris is the motor. Call it in — a compressor that cannot shed heat does not last.

Er IF#4

Also printed as IF · Er 1F · 1F

Check, then call
Code

Ice maker fan error

What it means

The small fan that feeds cold air to the in-door ice compartment did not report its speed. The display's 1 reads as an I, so Er 1F is the same code.

Check first
  1. The ice compartment in the door: ice packed against the back of it, or a bucket not seated all the way, blocks the fan.
  2. Pull the ice bucket, empty it, and look for ice built up on the compartment's back wall.
  3. Unplug two minutes and restart.
The fix

Thaw the ice compartment (bucket out, the door-in-door open a few hours), reseat the bucket and restart. A fan that still will not turn is the ice compartment fan motor — a service call. The refrigerator keeps cooling meanwhile.

Stop & call

An IF that comes back after the compartment is thawed is the ice fan motor. The refrigerator and freezer still cool; call it in when you can.

Er dH#5

Also printed as dH

Service call
Code

Defrost did not finish

What it means

The defrost heater ran its full time and the evaporator did not warm up to the point the sensor expected. The heater, its fuse or the sensor.

Check first
  1. Look at the back wall of the freezer: a sheet of frost over it means the defrost has not been working for days.
  2. Unplug two minutes and restart; the control will run a defrost on its own.
The fix

A dH that returns is the defrost heater, the thermal fuse beside it, or the defrost sensor — all behind the freezer's back panel, a technician's job. Thaw the frost in the meantime so the fan keeps turning.

Stop & call

dH after a reset is a service call. Empty and thaw the freezer if frost has built up, and file the code with the model and serial.

Er dS#6

Also printed as dS

Service call
Code

Defrost sensor

What it means

The sensor clipped to the evaporator that tells the control when the defrost is done is reading open or shorted.

Check first
  1. Unplug two minutes and restart. A sensor code that clears and stays gone was a one-off.
The fix

A dS that comes back is the defrost sensor behind the freezer's back panel — a part, a technician's job.

Stop & call

dS after a reset is a service call. The refrigerator keeps cooling for now; frost builds until the sensor is replaced.

Section 2 of 3

Sensors, ice and water

Er FS#7

Also printed as FS

Service call
Code

Freezer sensor

What it means

The temperature sensor in the freezer is reading open or shorted.

Check first
  1. Unplug two minutes and restart.
The fix

An FS that returns is the freezer thermistor or its wiring — a part, a technician's job. The control runs on a fallback schedule meanwhile and the freezer may run colder or warmer than set.

Stop & call

FS after a reset is a service call. Keep a thermometer in the freezer while you wait.

Er rS#8

Also printed as rS

Service call
Code

Refrigerator sensor

What it means

The temperature sensor in the fresh-food section is reading open or shorted.

Check first
  1. Unplug two minutes and restart.
The fix

An rS that returns is the fresh-food thermistor or its wiring — a part, a technician's job.

Stop & call

rS after a reset is a service call. The fresh-food side may run warm until the sensor is replaced; move the milk to the coldest shelf.

Er rt#9

Also printed as rt

Service call
Code

Room temperature sensor

What it means

The sensor that reads the air around the refrigerator (it sets how hard the machine works) is open or shorted.

Check first
  1. Unplug two minutes and restart.
The fix

An rt that returns is the room sensor, usually in the door hinge cover or the top panel — a part, a technician's job. The refrigerator keeps cooling meanwhile.

Stop & call

rt after a reset is a service call; the refrigerator cools normally while you wait.

Er IS#10

Also printed as IS

Service call
Code

Ice maker sensor

What it means

The temperature sensor on the ice maker is reading open or shorted, so the control cannot tell when the ice is frozen.

Check first
  1. Turn the ice maker off and on from the panel, then unplug the refrigerator two minutes and restart.
The fix

An IS that returns is the ice maker assembly (the sensor is built into it) — a part, a technician's job. The refrigerator cools normally meanwhile.

Stop & call

IS after a reset is a service call. Turn the ice maker off so it does not keep trying.

Er It#11

Also printed as It

Check, then call
Code

Ice maker error

What it means

The ice maker's tray or motor did not finish its cycle — it tried to twist or tip the tray and did not reach the end.

Check first
  1. Pull the ice bucket and look at the tray: an ice cube jammed behind it, or ice frozen over the tray, stops the motor.
  2. Thaw the compartment (bucket out, the door open a few hours), clear the ice, reseat the bucket.
  3. Turn the ice maker off and on from the panel.
The fix

A jam cleared is the fix. A tray that still does not turn is the ice maker assembly — a part, a technician's job.

Stop & call

An It that comes back with the tray clear is the ice maker. Turn it off and call it in; the refrigerator cools fine without it.

Er gF#12

Also printed as gF

Check, then call
Code

Water flow error

What it means

The flow meter on the water line read too much or too little water going to the dispenser or the ice maker.

Check first
  1. The water line's shut-off valve behind the refrigerator or under the sink is fully open.
  2. The line is not kinked where the refrigerator was pushed back against it.
  3. The water filter is seated and is not past its date — a clogged filter starves the flow.
  4. Hold a glass at the dispenser: a strong, steady stream is good; a dribble is the supply.
The fix

Open the valve, straighten the line, change the filter, and the code clears on the next fill. A strong supply that still prints gF is the flow meter or the water valve on the refrigerator — a service call.

Stop & call

gF with the valve open, the line straight and a fresh filter is the flow meter or the inlet valve. Call it in; the refrigerator cools fine meanwhile.

Section 3 of 3

The boards, the doors and the modes

Er CO#13

Also printed as CO

Service call
Code

Boards not talking

What it means

The display board in the door and the main control at the back lost communication with each other.

Check first
  1. Unplug the refrigerator for five full minutes, plug it in and watch the display.
The fix

A CO that comes back is the harness through the door hinge or one of the two boards — a service call. The refrigerator usually keeps cooling meanwhile.

Stop & call

CO after a five-minute unplug is a service call. The boards and the hinge harness are a technician's job.

Er 22#14

Also printed as 22

Service call
Code

Compressor relay

What it means

The control switched the compressor on and it did not start — the start relay on the compressor or the compressor itself.

Check first
  1. Listen at the bottom back: a click every few minutes with no hum after it is a compressor that is not starting.
  2. Unplug five minutes and restart.
The fix

A 22 that comes back is the compressor's start relay or the compressor — a sealed-system technician's job, and on a machine under warranty a warranty service call. Move the food; the box will warm.

Stop & call

22 after a reset is a compressor fault. Move the food somewhere cold and call it in today — this one is the heart of the machine.

Er 67#15

Also printed as 67

Fix at home
Code

Door open too long or blocked

What it means

A door has been held open, or did not close all the way, for longer than the control allows — usually something inside is in the way.

Check first
  1. Close every door and drawer and listen for the latch. A drawer not pushed home, a jar on the top shelf against the door bin, or a bag of ice in the freezer drawer holds a door open a half inch.
  2. The gasket is clean and seals all the way round — a dollar bill closed in the door should pull out with a drag.
  3. The refrigerator is level or tilted slightly back so the doors swing shut on their own.
The fix

Clear what is in the way, close the doors, and the code clears. A door that closes fully and still prints 67 is a door switch — a part.

OFF#16

Also printed as OF F

Fix at home
Code

Display (demo) mode

What it means

Not a fault. The lights work, the panel works, and nothing cools — the refrigerator is in the showroom mode it shipped in.

Check first
  1. The display reads OFF (or OF F) where the temperatures should show.
The fix

With the doors closed, press and hold Refrigerator and Ice Plus (on some models Freezer and Ice Plus) together for five seconds until the display beeps and shows the temperatures again. Give it 24 hours to pull down.

Warranty · When to file

When it's a warranty call

Every unit leaves with the manufacturer's full factory warranty. The codes below name a part inside the machine — once the checks have ruled out the install, the power and the hoses, call LG's line with the model and serial, and text us if you want a hand with the claim.

All units are surplus inventory (open box, cancelled order, customer return, overstock, or minor scratch & dent). Every unit includes the manufacturer's full factory warranty. Please inspect thoroughly in person before purchasing — cosmetic imperfections or missing accessories are possible.

Still stuck?

Text us the model number and what it's doing — we'll point you at the next step.

A fix, a part, or a warranty call — the plate's model and serial plus one line about the symptom is all it takes to tell which.

These pages are educational. Every appliance is a little different — follow the manufacturer's manual and local code, and leave gas, water heater and 240V work to a licensed installer.