Samsung Refrigerator error code 40E
Ice room fan fault
Quick answer
On Samsung Refrigerator (2000s onward), 40E is a fault. It means ice room fan fault. A first thing to check: Ice room fan motor failed.
- Applies to
- Samsung Refrigerator
- Samsung refrigerator codes · Refrigerator · 2000s onward
- Type of code
- Fault
- Urgency: Needs attention soon
- First safe check
- Open the ice room cover and look for a fan blade that is stationary or jammed against ice.
What 40E means on this model
The small fan in the ice storage area has failed, and that compartment needs forced air to keep the ice from clumping. The first sign is ice going soft in the bucket while the freezer itself is still cold.
Symptoms you will notice
- Ice in the bucket becomes soft and clumps together
- Ice maker stops after producing a first batch
- Ice at the front of the bucket melts while the rest holds
- Code appears on models with a separate ice room
Common causes
The code tells you what the control detected, not which part failed. These are the causes we see most often, roughly in order of likelihood:
- Ice room fan motor failed
- Ice bridging to the fan and freezing the blade
- Drain or defrost fault leaving ice in the ice room
- Fan connector or harness fault
What you can safely check
These are homeowner-level checks. None of them need you to open a live electrical compartment or work on gas.
- Open the ice room cover and look for a fan blade that is stationary or jammed against ice.
- Check the ice for a hard clump that has formed against the rear wall.
- Watch whether the fan runs when the compressor starts.
Do not do these
- ×Do not pour warm water into the ice room to free a jammed fan, because the melt water refreezes in the same place.
- ×Do not chip ice inside the ice room with a tool.
When to call a technician
Book a technician, do not keep resetting it
This fault will not clear on its own. Every power cycle gives the control one more failed attempt, and repeated attempts are what turn a cheap part replacement into a seized or contaminated system.
- If the appliance has stopped mid-cycle, is making a noise you have not heard before, or smells burnt, stop reading here and call. Those are symptoms of something the fault code does not describe well enough.
Technician work. Checking for an ice clump and the fan condition is worth doing before the call.
What it costs to fix
Parts
Ice room fan motor $40 to $110. Ice maker module $60 to $180.
Labor
Two to three hours on a model with a rear cover.
DIY or technician
Technician work. Checking for an ice clump and the fan condition is worth doing before the call.
Typical US part and labor ranges, 2026. They vary by region, model and contractor, so treat them as a planning figure, not a quote.
Scope of this code
- Code table
- Samsung refrigerator codes
- Models in scope
- Samsung Refrigerator, 2015 onward
- Checked
- Confirm on your own unit
- Find the model number on the data plate, then check this code in the service manual for that model. Manufacturers revise code tables between model years, and a revised board can renumber a fault.