Samsung Refrigerator Error Codes: What Each One Means

A Samsung refrigerator error code is a number followed by E or C, such as 22E or 22C, and both letters mean the same fault. The codes owners see most are the fan codes 21E and 22E, the ice maker code 39E and the power codes 83E, 85E and 86E. OF OF is not a fault: it is Cooling Off Mode, which stops the refrigerator from cooling. Below is what each code means according to Samsung, what usually fixes it, and what that repair costs in Bozmanfix job records.

How a Samsung Refrigerator Shows an Error Code

Most Samsung French Door and Side-by-Side refrigerators show a code across two small two-digit displays, so 22E may read as 22 E, and OF OF is simply OF on each display. Samsung lists many codes as pairs, such as 22E and 22C or 39E and 39C: the number names the fault and the letter depends on the model. A few codes, such as 84C and 85C, appear in Samsung documentation only with a C.

Samsung refrigerators made before about 2008 did not use these numbers at all. They signalled faults with blinking LEDs, and those patterns do not translate to the modern codes, so an old unit with flashing lights needs the owner manual for that model rather than this table.

Samsung Refrigerator Error Codes: The Full Table

The last column is the Bozmanfix median total for the repair the code most often leads to, part, labor and service call together, from our completed refrigerator jobs. A code names a circuit, not a part, so the repair is confirmed by testing before anything is ordered.

Codes That Are Not Faults

A lock icon means the panel is locked. On panels inside or on top of the door, hold Door Alarm for three seconds; on outside panels with a Child Lock, hold Ice Maker Off for three seconds. Some panels lock themselves after a minute without use, which is normal. AP on the display means the refrigerator is in Wi-Fi setup for SmartThings and clears when setup ends. All icons flashing right after power returns is the normal startup self-check.

Ice Off blinking means the ice bucket is missing or not seated; take it out and push it back in until it clicks. 85C is a notice that the power dipped for a moment. Hold OK for three seconds to clear it, and only treat it as a problem if it keeps coming back, which points at the circuit the refrigerator is plugged into.

Fan Codes: 21E, 22E and 40E

21E is the freezer fan, 22E the refrigerator fan and 40E the ice room fan. The board expects to see each fan turning, and sets the code when it does not.

The most common cause is ice, not a dead motor. When a door is left open or a gasket no longer seals, humid air gets in, frost builds on the fan blade and the blade stops. Samsung says this about 22E directly and recommends unplugging the refrigerator and leaving the doors open for several hours, then restarting it. Move the food to a cooler first and put towels down for the meltwater. Make sure afterwards that every door closes fully and the gaskets are not torn or folded.

Sensor and Defrost Codes: 4E, 5E, 8E and 14E

4E and 5E are the freezer and refrigerator defrost sensors, and 8E and 14E are ice maker sensors. Each means the board reads a sensor as open or shorted. On the defrost sensor Samsung documents the limits: below about minus 50 degrees Celsius it reads as open, above about 50 degrees as shorted. There is no owner fix; the repair is the sensor or its connector, and a Bozmanfix temperature sensor repair runs a median of 386 dollars across 65 refrigerator repairs.

Several other numbers are widely reported for Samsung refrigerators but are not on Samsung’s current U.S. list. 1E and 2E are commonly reported as the freezer and refrigerator temperature sensors, 23E as the condenser fan and 24E and 25E as freezer and refrigerator defrost errors. Treat those meanings as likely rather than confirmed, and give the technician the exact code and model number.

A defrost problem that is left alone tends to move through the codes: first frost builds, then a fan code appears, then the refrigerator stops cooling. For that stage, see Samsung refrigerator not cooling and freezer frost buildup. A Bozmanfix defrost heater or timer repair runs a median of 395 dollars across 58 refrigerator repairs.

Ice Maker Codes: 33E and 39E

Ice is where Samsung owners call most. In Bozmanfix job notes, about one Samsung refrigerator call in four mentions ice. Two codes cover most of it.

33E is the ice pipe heater, the small heater that keeps the fill tube from freezing. When it fails the tube freezes shut and the ice maker gets no water. Check whether the fill tube is iced over; a frozen fill tube repair runs a Bozmanfix median of 393 dollars, and when the water inlet valve is the cause, 428 dollars.

39E or 39C is the ice maker function error, meaning the ice maker is frozen, jammed or has failed. Samsung documents a reset: take the ice bucket out and press the Test button on the ice maker. If nothing chimes or moves, cut power for two minutes and try again. If the code returns, the ice maker assembly is the usual repair at a Bozmanfix median of 449 dollars. The longer Samsung ice story, including ice building up in the compartment, is on Samsung refrigerator ice maker problems.

76C, on models with an Autofill pitcher, means water was detected in the pitcher area. Dry it and look for a leak; for water under the refrigerator, see Samsung refrigerator leaking water.

Power and Compressor Codes: 83E, 84C, 85E, 86E and 88 88

This group is about the electricity reaching the compressor. 83E is abnormal compressor current, 85E is under-voltage such as a brownout, 86E is over-voltage such as a surge after a thunderstorm, and 88 88 means power was disrupted while the refrigerator was starting up. For all four, Samsung’s step is to unplug the refrigerator for 60 seconds or switch its breaker off and on. Plug it straight into a wall outlet, not an extension cord.

If 83E, 85E or 86E keeps returning after a clean restart on a dedicated outlet, the problem is either the household circuit or the inverter board, and a technician checks the voltage at the outlet before ordering a board. For how compressor failure looks before any code appears, see signs of a bad refrigerator compressor.

Communication and Family Hub Codes

PC ER or PC CH means the boards have stopped talking to each other. Samsung points at power surges and at the wire harness above the door hinge, which can loosen when the doors are removed to get the refrigerator through a doorway. Samsung’s step is to power off, disconnect and reconnect that harness, then power back on. If the code persists, the harness is checked before a board; a Bozmanfix refrigerator control board repair runs a median of 564 dollars across 78 repairs.

On Family Hub models, 41 or 42 with the blue interior lights flashing is a software problem: reboot the Family Hub with the power switch inside the right door. 41C on three-door Family Hub models usually follows a software update; install the latest update and tap OK the first time it appears. These are rarely a repair.

What a Samsung Refrigerator Repair Costs

Across 989 Samsung refrigerator repairs where Bozmanfix replaced a part, the median total was 410 dollars, with the middle half of repairs between 331 and 503 dollars. These are the Bozmanfix medians by part across all refrigerator brands, each including the part, the labor and the service call:

Every repair except the compressor sits between roughly 380 and 570 dollars, because the visit and the labor make most of the bill whatever the part costs. So the question behind almost any Samsung code is the same: is it the sealed system, which means 84C or a compressor that has stopped, or anything else? For Samsung pricing in more depth, see Samsung refrigerator repair, and for the whole brand, Samsung appliance repair. Samsung is the most-serviced refrigerator brand in Bozmanfix records at 21.8 percent of branded refrigerator calls, which reflects how many Samsung refrigerators are installed, not how reliable they are.

Medians from completed Bozmanfix work orders where a part was replaced. The 99 dollar diagnostic is waived when you approve the repair; it is 150 dollars on a double unit that has to be pulled from cabinetry.

Related Samsung and Refrigerator Guides

Samsung refrigerator not cooling · Samsung ice maker problems · Samsung refrigerator leaking water · Samsung washer error codes · LG refrigerator error codes · refrigerator temperature · how long refrigerators last

Sources

Code meanings and reset steps come from Samsung documentation: the Samsung refrigerator error codes page, Cooling Off Mode, unlocking the control panel and the ice maker reset guide. Codes not on Samsung’s current U.S. list are marked as commonly reported. Repair totals come from completed Bozmanfix work orders.

Samsung Refrigerator Error Code FAQ