Error codes · Samsung · Refrigerators

Samsung refrigerator error codes: most of them are a fan iced over, or the ice maker.

A Samsung refrigerator prints its codes on the temperature panel — the freezer and fridge numbers are replaced by 22C or 5E while the fault stands. Most of them trace back to frost: a door left ajar overnight, a fan iced solid behind the back panel, a defrost that stopped running. Find the code below, work the checks in order, and read the strip above the table before you reset — on a refrigerator the code is usually read out by the self-check, not seen on its own.

Covers: 2016-and-newer French door (RF22, RF23, RF26, RF27, RF28, RF29, Family Hub, Bespoke), side-by-side (RS22, RS25, RS27, RS28) and top-freezer (RT18, RT21) refrigerators.

Samsung · First

Before you clear it

Samsung prints a letter-and-number code (4C, dC, HE). Older displays printed the same faults with an E (4E, dE, HE) — the pages list both.

1

The same fault has two spellings. A 2016-and-newer panel prints a C (22C, 5C, 84C); the older panels printed an E (22E, 5E, 84E). The tables list both.

2

The self-check reads the stored codes: press and hold Fridge and Freezer together (Power Freeze and Fridge on some models) for about eight seconds until the display goes blank, then press one of those buttons once to show the first code and again for the next. A panel that returns to the temperatures has no fault stored.

3

The reset: unplug the refrigerator (or switch its breaker off) for one full minute, plug it back in and give it 24 hours before judging the temperatures — a refrigerator settles slowly. A code the self-check reads again after that is real.

4

Two panel states look like faults and are not: OF OF (or O FF) with the cooling stopped is Cooling Off — showroom mode — and a panel full of 8s after a power blip clears with the one-minute unplug. Both are in the table.

5

The model and serial plate is inside the fresh-food compartment on the left wall near the top (behind the top-left drawer or door bin on some). A Wi-Fi model shows the code and the next step in the SmartThings app.

Section 1 of 3

Cooling and defrost

22C#1

Also printed as 22E

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Code

Fridge fan fault

What it means

The fan behind the back panel of the fresh-food section is not turning at the speed the control asked for. On most Samsung French doors it has iced solid.

Check first
  1. The doors — a door left ajar overnight, or a drawer or a jar holding a door off its seal, lets in the moist air that becomes the ice. Shut each door and feel the gasket all the way round for a gap.
  2. The back panel inside the fridge — frost on the panel, a sheet of ice at the bottom of it, or a humming, scraping fan behind it, is the fan hitting ice.
  3. The fridge temperature — a fridge that has crept to 45°F with the freezer still at 0°F is this fault nine times in ten.
The fix

Unplug the refrigerator, open both doors, put towels down and let it thaw for 24 hours — everything out, the ice behind the panel must melt completely (a hair dryer on low speeds it; never an ice pick). Plug it back in. A fan that spins freely once thawed was the ice; one that stays silent is the fan motor. A fridge that ices over again within weeks has a defrost fault behind it (the parts under 25C) or a gasket that will not seal — service.

Stop & call

A fridge fan that runs after a thaw and ices again within weeks has a defrost heater, sensor or drain fault behind it; a fan that never spins once thawed is the motor. Either is a warranty call on a machine under warranty — keep the food cold in a cooler meanwhile.

21C#2

Also printed as 21E

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Code

Freezer fan fault

What it means

The fan behind the back panel of the freezer is not turning at the speed the control asked for — ice on the blades, or the motor.

Check first
  1. The freezer door seals all the way round; a bag of frozen peas behind a drawer holds the door off.
  2. Frost on the freezer's back panel, or a buzz and a scrape from behind it, is the fan in ice.
  3. The freezer temperature is rising while the fridge holds — the freezer fan's own sign.
The fix

The same 24-hour thaw as 22C — unplugged, doors open, towels down, everything out. A fan quiet and free after the thaw was the ice. One that never spins is the motor, and a freezer that ices again within weeks has a defrost fault (24C's parts) — service.

Stop & call

A freezer fan that stays silent after a full thaw, or ices again within weeks, is a service call. Move the frozen food to a cooler until it is seen.

23C#3

Also printed as 23E

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Code

Condenser fan fault

What it means

The fan at the bottom back of the refrigerator, beside the compressor, is not turning. Without it the compressor overheats and the whole box warms.

Check first
  1. Pull the refrigerator out and take off the lower back cover (a few screws). Look for a mat of dust and pet hair on the fan and the coil beside it.
  2. Something fallen behind the fridge — a cereal box, a dish towel — resting against the blades.
  3. With the cover off and the fridge running, the fan should spin steadily; blades that turn by hand but never under power are the motor.
The fix

Vacuum the coil and the fan, clear whatever was resting on the blades, put the cover back and reset. A fan that is clean, free and still silent is the condenser fan motor — a part a technician replaces from the back.

Stop & call

A condenser fan that will not run is a service call, and not one to leave for a week — a refrigerator run without it warms and strains its compressor. Keep it plugged in, keep the doors shut, and call it in.

24C#4

Also printed as 24E

Service call
Code

Freezer defrost fault

What it means

The defrost heater behind the freezer's back panel did not warm, or the sensor that watches it never saw it warm. The freezer coil ices over and the airflow stops.

Check first
  1. Reset (unplug one minute), then run the self-check again after a day.
  2. Frost thick on the freezer's back panel and a freezer warming slowly over a week fits this code.
The fix

A defrost code that returns is the defrost heater, its thermostat (the bimetal clipped to the coil) or the defrost sensor — parts behind the back panel, a technician's job. A thaw buys a few weeks; it does not fix it.

Stop & call

24C after a reset is a service call. The refrigerator keeps running meanwhile; a 24-hour thaw with everything out holds it over until the technician comes.

25C#5

Also printed as 25E

Service call
Code

Fridge defrost fault

What it means

The defrost heater behind the fresh-food section's back panel did not warm in its cycle, or its sensor never saw it warm.

Check first
  1. Reset (unplug one minute), then run the self-check again after a day.
  2. Ice on the fridge's back panel, water pooling under the crisper drawers, or ice under the drawers — the drain under the coil has frozen along with it.
The fix

A returning 25C is the fridge defrost heater, its thermostat or the defrost sensor — behind the panel, a technician's job. A full thaw is the stopgap, not the fix.

Stop & call

25C after a reset is a service call. Thaw it, dry it, and run it until the technician comes; a drain that keeps freezing is part of the same visit.

5C#6

Also printed as 5E

Service call
Code

Fridge defrost sensor

What it means

The sensor that tells the control the fridge coil has finished defrosting reads open or shorted. The control cannot run the defrost without it.

Check first
  1. Reset (unplug one minute) and run the self-check again after a day.
The fix

A sensor code that returns is the defrost sensor or its connector behind the fridge's back panel — a part a technician replaces.

Stop & call

5C after a reset is a service call. Note which section is warming and how fast; the refrigerator runs meanwhile.

84C#7

Also printed as 84E

Service call
Code

Compressor fault

What it means

The control drove the compressor and it did not start, or it locked. The box stops cooling.

Check first
  1. The refrigerator is plugged straight into the wall — never an extension cord.
  2. Unplug it for five full minutes, plug it in, and listen at the bottom back: a steady hum after a minute is the compressor running.
The fix

A compressor that stays silent after the reset, or hums and clicks off every few minutes, is the compressor or its inverter board — a service call. Move the food if the box warms; do not keep resetting it.

Stop & call

84C after a five-minute reset is a service call on the sealed system or the inverter. On a Samsung refrigerator the compressor carries its own longer warranty — have the model and serial ready.

85C#8

Also printed as 85E

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Code

Low voltage

What it means

The power coming in dropped below what the control will run the compressor on. A brownout, or a weak circuit.

Check first
  1. The refrigerator is on its own outlet — never an extension cord or a power strip.
  2. A lamp on the same circuit does not dim when the compressor starts; if it does, the outlet or the house wiring is the problem — an electrician's.
  3. Was there a storm or a utility brownout? The code clears with the one-minute unplug once the power is steady.
The fix

Fix the supply and reset. A refrigerator on a sound outlet that keeps printing 85C has a fault on its own board — a service call.

Stop & call

85C on a refrigerator plugged straight into a sound outlet is the control or inverter board — a service call, never something to keep resetting.

OF OF#9

Also printed as O FF · OFF OFF

Fix at home
Code

Cooling Off (showroom mode)

What it means

Not a fault. The lights and the panel work but the compressor is switched off — the mode a store floor uses. It turns on by a button press, usually by accident.

Check first
  1. The display reads OF OF (or O FF) where the temperatures should be, and the box is warm with the lights on.
The fix

Press and hold the two buttons the manual names for Cooling Off — Energy Saver and Fridge on most models, Freezer and Fridge or Power Freeze and Fridge on others — for about three seconds until the temperatures come back and the compressor starts.

88 88#10

Also printed as 88

Fix at home
Code

Panel reads all 8s

What it means

Not a fault on its own. The panel lit every segment after a power blip, or while the main board and the display were re-connecting.

Check first
  1. Unplug the refrigerator for one full minute and plug it in; the temperatures come back.
The fix

A panel that stays on 88 88 after the unplug, with the refrigerator cooling normally, is the display board or its harness — service, but the food is safe meanwhile.

Section 2 of 3

Ice and water

39C#11

Also printed as 39E

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Code

Ice maker fault

What it means

The ice maker did not finish a harvest in the time the control allowed — the tray did not turn, or the ice never froze.

Check first
  1. Ice Off is not lit on the panel (see below), and the ice maker's own switch, where there is one, is on.
  2. The bucket is pushed fully in; a bucket a half inch out stops the harvest.
  3. Ice jammed in the tray or under the auger — take the bucket out and look. Warm water on a cloth frees a stuck cube; never a knife.
  4. The temperatures: an ice maker in the freezer needs the freezer near 0°F; a French door's ice room needs the fridge set at 37°F or colder. Many are left warmer.
  5. The reset: press and hold the Test button on the ice maker (under its front edge; a small rubber or white button) until it chimes, and listen — the tray should turn and the valve should run water within a couple of minutes.
The fix

Clear the jam, fix the temperatures and run the test. An ice maker that fails the test with cold temperatures and water at the valve is the ice maker assembly, or the auger motor on a door-bucket model — parts, a technician's job.

Stop & call

An ice maker that fails its own test with the freezer cold and the water on is a service call. On a French door it is the single most common Samsung repair, and under warranty it is a warranty call.

40C#12

Also printed as 40E

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Code

Ice room fan fault

What it means

The fan that moves cold air into the French door's ice room is not turning. The room warms, the ice melts and refreezes into a block, and the ice maker stops.

Check first
  1. Take the ice bucket out and look at the back of the ice room — frost and ice around the fan opening is the fan iced over.
  2. The ice room's door (the flap the bucket seats against) closes fully; a bucket out of its seat lets warm air in.
The fix

Thaw the ice room (bucket out, a towel in it, 24 hours with the refrigerator unplugged, or a hair dryer on low for the ice around the fan), then reset. A fan that stays silent once thawed is the motor; an ice room that ices again within weeks has a leak at its seal — a known repair, a technician's.

Stop & call

An ice room fan that will not run after a thaw, or ices over again within weeks, is a service call. Note how often it happens; the technician will want to know.

26C#13

Also printed as 26E

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Code

Water valve fault

What it means

The control opened the ice maker's fill valve and did not see the fill it expected — or the valve ran longer than it should.

Check first
  1. The water is on: the shut-off under the sink or behind the refrigerator is fully open and the line is not kinked behind the box.
  2. The dispenser gives water (on a model with one). A dispenser that trickles has a clogged filter or a frozen line.
  3. The filter is less than six months old and seated with a click — an old filter starves the fill.
  4. Water keeps running into the bucket with no harvest? Turn the supply off now; the valve is stuck open.
The fix

Open the supply, change the filter, reset. A valve that will not open with water at it, or will not close, is the inlet valve at the bottom back — a part, a technician's. Keep the supply off until it is replaced if it is stuck open.

Stop & call

A valve that will not shut floods the bucket and the floor — turn the supply off and call it in. A valve that will not open with pressure at it is the same part. Either is a warranty call under warranty.

33C#14

Also printed as 33E

Service call
Code

Ice fill tube heater

What it means

The small heater on the tube that carries water to the ice maker is not warming. Without it the tube freezes and the ice maker goes dry.

Check first
  1. Reset (unplug one minute) and run the self-check again after a day; look for a frozen plug at the end of the fill tube above the ice tray.
The fix

A returning 33C is the fill tube heater or its connector — a part a technician replaces. Thawing the tube with warm water buys days, not a fix.

Stop & call

33C after a reset is a service call. The refrigerator cools normally meanwhile; only the ice stops.

Ice Off#15
Fix at home
Code

Ice maker is switched off

What it means

Not a fault. The ice maker is paused from the panel — the Ice Off light is on and no ice is made.

Check first
  1. Press and hold Ice Maker (Ice Off on some panels) for three seconds; the light goes out and the ice maker starts its next harvest within a day.
The fix

Nothing to fix. The first harvest after Ice Off takes up to 24 hours.

Filter#16
Fix at home
Code

Water filter reminder

What it means

Not a fault. The filter light turns on at six months on a timer, not on a measurement of the filter.

Check first
  1. Replace the filter (the plate inside the fridge names the type), then press and hold the button marked Filter Reset — Alarm / Filter or Ice Type / Filter on some panels — for three seconds.
The fix

The light goes out. A dispenser that trickles after a new filter has air in the line — run a gallon through it.

Section 3 of 3

The panel and the boards

A beep with no code is the door alarm — a door open past about two minutes, or a bin or a jar holding it off the seal. It stops when the door seats.

41C#17

Also printed as 41E

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Code

Family Hub screen fault

What it means

The Family Hub screen lost touch with the refrigerator's own control, or its software stalled.

Check first
  1. Restart the screen: press and hold the power button on the top right edge of the screen for a few seconds and choose Restart (or until it goes dark, then press again).
  2. If the screen stays dark or frozen, unplug the refrigerator for one full minute.
  3. Let the screen finish any update it offers; a half-installed update prints this code.
The fix

A screen that answers after the restart was a software stall. One that stays frozen or dark, or prints 41C again within the day, is the screen's board or the harness in the door hinge — a service call. The refrigerator keeps cooling meanwhile.

Stop & call

41C that returns after a restart and an unplug is a service call on the Family Hub screen. The cooling is not affected — only the screen.

PC ER#18

Also printed as PC Er · PC-ER

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Code

Panel connection lost

What it means

The control cannot talk to the display in the door. On a French door it shows when the harness through the top hinge has been disturbed — a door taken off for a move, or pulled through a doorway.

Check first
  1. Was a door removed or the refrigerator moved recently? The connector sits under the small cover on the top hinge of the left or right door.
  2. Unplug the refrigerator, lift the hinge cover (one screw), and look at the connector — it should be pushed home with its latch clicked, no pins bent.
  3. Plug it back in; the code clears at once if the connector was the cause.
The fix

Seat the connector and the panel comes back. A connector seated and latched that still prints PC ER is the harness through the hinge (a wire broken from the door swinging) or the display board — a technician's job.

Stop & call

PC ER with the hinge connector seated is a service call. The refrigerator cools normally meanwhile; the temperatures just cannot be read or changed from the door.

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 Samsung'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.