Samsung Refrigerator Error Codes
One page per code or Samsung grouping — never a wall of codes to scroll through. Find the code on your display, open its page, and you get the manufacturer's meaning, the causes Samsung documents, the exact steps Samsung publishes where it publishes them, and a plain line for where DIY stops and a technician starts. Where Samsung files codes as a single entry — 22E with 22C, the 88 88 voltage family, PC ER with PC CH — the guide follows Samsung's own grouping.
Two Samsung rules shape every page in this collection, and they are the opposite of the usual reset advice. First, Samsung's standing instruction: unless directed, do not unplug the refrigerator, and do not interact with the panel to try to make the error code "go away" — doing either makes it harder for a technician to diagnose and correct the issue. A power cut appears on a page only where Samsung directs one for that code. Second, Samsung's catch-all: for any other code, its instruction is to visit the Support Center and request service — so the codes Samsung names without publishing a procedure (5E, 8E, 14E, 33E, 39E, 40E, 84C) get honest pages that print the documented meaning and Samsung's service route, not a borrowed reset.
Samsung refrigerator code guides available on FixSignal
Note: Code meanings and troubleshooting steps can vary by refrigerator model. Check your model manual.
| Code | What it means | |
|---|---|---|
| AP Access Point · a mode, not a fault | The refrigerator is acting as a Wi-Fi access point for SmartThings setup. It clears when setup completes, or after some time if setup does not complete. | Guide → |
| 21E | Freezer Fan Error — the electronics are not sensing the freezer fan turning. Samsung says this usually means the fan is frozen up; defrosting is your choice, otherwise service. | Guide → |
| 22E / 22C | Fridge Fan Error — Samsung files both codes as one entry. Its fix is a doors-open thaw: unplug, leave the doors open a few hours, restart; service if it returns. | Guide → |
| 41 or 42 with interior blue lights flashing | A Family Hub software issue. Samsung's fix is to reboot the Hub with the power switch inside the top of the right door; service if it continues. | Guide → |
| 41C 3-Door French Door Family Hub | A Family Hub software-update error: confirm the latest update is installed, then tap OK the first time it appears; service if it repeats. | Guide → |
| 76C or the Autofill indicator blinking | Water has been detected in the Autofill compartment. Dry the compartment; Samsung Canada says no service is required unless it recurs. | Guide → |
| 85C Family Hub models | Low voltage was detected on the power source — possibly a brief power outage. Samsung calls it harmless; press OK for 3 seconds to clear it. | Guide → |
| 88 88 filed with 83E · 85E · 86E | Voltage or Power Error — a surge or brown out can cause a communication fault. Samsung directs a 60-second power cut for this family, then service if the code returns. 83E, 85E and 86E are individually defined compressor errors; 88 88 itself is a communication fault. | Guide → |
| PC ER / PC CH | Communication Error between components — after a power surge, or if the doors are not properly connected. Samsung's procedure reseats the wire harness above the door. | Guide → |
| OF OF also O FF · OFF OFF · scrolling temperature bars | Cooling Off Mode (Demo / Shop mode) — cooling is switched off and service is not required. The exit steps are model-specific; the manual governs. | Guide → |
| Ice Off blinking an indicator, not a fault code | The ice bucket is not inserted correctly, or is not inserted at all. Reinsert it correctly. | Guide → |
| 5E | Fridge Defrost Sensor Error — Samsung names the meaning but publishes no owner procedure for this code; its route is the Support Center. | Guide → |
| 8E | Ice Maker (Freezer) Sensor Error — named by Samsung with no published owner procedure; the Support Center is its route. | Guide → |
| 14E | Ice Maker Sensor Error — named by Samsung with no published owner procedure; the Support Center is its route. | Guide → |
| 33E | Ice Pipe Heater Error — named by Samsung with no published owner procedure; the Support Center is its route. | Guide → |
| 39E / 39C | Ice Maker Function Error — Samsung files both codes together; no owner procedure is published for them; the Support Center is its route. | Guide → |
| 40E / 40C | Ice Room Fan Error — Samsung files both codes together; no owner procedure is published for them; the Support Center is its route. | Guide → |
| 84C | Compressor Lock — named by Samsung with no published owner procedure; the Support Center is its route. | Guide → |
| 71 blinking freezer display · Samsung India | The freezer temperature is abnormally high, or the freezer door has been open for a period — the freezer display LED blinks. It stops as the temperature falls. | Guide → |
| 72 blinking display · Samsung India | The refrigerator temperature is abnormally high, or the door has been open for a period — the display LED blinks. It stops as the temperature falls. | Guide → |
| 73 blinking flex zone display · Samsung India | The flex zone temperature is abnormally high, or the flex zone door has been open for a period — the flex zone display LED blinks. | Guide → |
| 81 · 82 · 83 · 84 · 85 · 86 one entry in Samsung India's list | After a power failure, the refrigerator has not restarted correctly. Samsung India's fix: switch off, wait a minute, restart; service if the lights still blink. Note: Samsung's US list defines 83E, 85E and 86E differently — the two presentations are printed on the page, not merged. | Guide → |
Start with these common codes
Three useful starting points, named as Samsung names them: Cooling Off mode (OF OF), the voltage or power error family (88 88), and the freezer fan error (21E).
Cooling Off mode — cooling is off, nothing is broken.88 88
Voltage or power error — the one family Samsung tells you to power-cycle.21E
Freezer fan error — usually a fan frozen up.
Displays that are not faults
Four entries connected with this collection are modes, indicators or normal behaviour rather than breakdowns. AP is the Wi-Fi setup mode and OF OF is Cooling Off (demo) mode — each has its own short guide above so a mode is never mistaken for a failure. Ice Off blinking is an indicator: the ice bucket is not seated. One more display belongs in this note and has no page of its own, because it is not a code: all icons flashing after the refrigerator is plugged in, or after a power outage — Samsung's US list says this is normal, the fridge is running a self diagnostic; its Canadian list calls it part of the normal startup process and says to wait a few moments, no action needed. A blinking temperature display on its own is usually the same kind of signal — Samsung India's guidance is that the panel blinks when the inside temperature is unusually high (a door left open, or recovery from an outage) and stops by itself as the temperature falls, which can take up to 2–4 hours; its numbered forms of that warning are 71, 72 and 73 in the table. One more mode belongs here: Sabbath mode on Samsung models is a feature documented in model manuals, not a display entry in Samsung's support code lists — so it is recorded here rather than given a code page: it is a setting you switch, never a fault.
The codes Samsung names without procedures
Samsung's US list ends with a short tail — "some of the more commonly received error codes and their meanings; this is not a complete list" — naming 5E, 8E, 14E, 33E, 39E/39C, 40E/40C and 84C. For those codes Samsung publishes a meaning and no owner procedure at all; its standing instruction for any other code is the Support Center. The guides for these seven follow that exactly: the meaning, what to record for the technician, and Samsung's no-unplug rule (which exists precisely so the code survives until it can be read). If Samsung publishes procedures for them later, the pages will be updated through the monitoring round.
Codes Samsung does not document in its consumer guides
Additional codes, including 1E, 2E, 4E, 6E, 23E, 24E, 25E and 26E, are reported in other refrigerator troubleshooting material. FixSignal has not verified their individual meanings and owner procedures against the official Samsung consumer sources used for this collection. We therefore do not assign meanings or publish repair instructions for them here. This does not establish that Samsung has never documented them elsewhere. Record the exact display and model number, consult the model-specific manual, and contact Samsung support when necessary.
The same approach applies to the single blinking segment displays on older models: which segment blinks carries a meaning in service documentation that FixSignal has not verified from an official Samsung consumer source, so record the pattern — photograph the display — and give it to the technician rather than relying on a segment table from a repair site. If Samsung publishes these codes officially, they will enter this collection through the same inventory process as every other code here.
Finding your model number
Samsung's lists differ by region and model family, so your model's own manual is the final word on its codes. The model number is on the rating label — label locations vary by model, commonly inside the door opening or on the back panel. Quote it when you talk to Samsung service; it decides which list applies to your machine. On Family Hub models you may not need to read a two-character display at all: Samsung documents a Self Check (Apps → Fridge Manager → Fridge Settings → Self Check → Start) that lists current or past error codes on the screen.
Samsung Product Support — search your model number
Frequently asked questions
Do all Samsung refrigerators use the same codes?
No — Samsung publishes its refrigerator codes in regional lists that do not fully overlap. Its US and Canadian lists agree on the main codes; its UK article covers the power and fan subset and groups 21E with the fridge fan codes; its Indian article documents the blinking-display numbers (71, 72, 73 and the 81–86 restart family) that the US list does not carry. Fan codes belong to models with those fans, the Autofill code to models with an Autofill pitcher, the Family Hub codes to models with the Hub screen, and 73 to models with a flex zone. Each guide states which machines it applies to.
Where do these meanings come from?
From Samsung's official support documentation: its US refrigerator error-code list, its Canadian error-code table, its UK power-cut article and its Indian blinking-display article. The exact Samsung pages are linked at the foot of every guide. Where Samsung's regions publish different treatments of the same code, the guide page says so and prints both.
My code is not in the table. What now?
The table above covers the codes documented in the four Samsung sources this collection rests on, each with a guide or an entry. If your display shows something that is not there, FixSignal has not verified its meaning or an owner procedure against an official Samsung consumer source (1E, 2E, 4E and their family — see the note above); it may also be a code for a different Samsung appliance (Samsung reuses letters across appliances — its washer lists are here), an older or region-specific model code, or a misread display. Samsung's own instruction for any other code is the Support Center: find the model number on the rating label and enter it into Samsung's product-support search.
Other collections
Samsung washing machine codes are published in full — every code family in Samsung's official washer information-code documentation has its own guide: Samsung washing machine error codes. LG refrigerator codes are complete too — every documented display in LG's refrigerator lists has its own guide: LG refrigerator error codes.
Sources
Every meaning and check order on this hub and its guide pages is taken from the official Samsung support sources linked at the foot of each guide page. Scope, stated exactly: this hub carries 22 guides covering the codes documented in the four Samsung sources listed below — a dedicated guide for each code those sources document individually, and one guide for each grouping Samsung itself files together (22E/22C, 39E/39C, 40E/40C, 41 or 42, PC ER/PC CH, the 88 88 family, 81–86). It is not a claim to every Samsung refrigerator code: codes outside these four sources are treated in the notes above. Where Samsung's regional lists treat a code differently, the guide page says so and prints both. The lists these guides rest on: Samsung — Refrigerator error codes (US) · Samsung — Common refrigerator error codes and their meaning (CA) · Samsung — Fridge Freezer display after a power cut (UK) · Samsung — Refrigerator temperature display is blinking (IN).