Samsung Refrigerator error code 5E
Defrost sensor fault
Quick answer
On Samsung Refrigerator (2000s onward), 5E is a fault. It means defrost sensor fault. A first thing to check: Defrost sensor thermistor failed open or shorted.
- Applies to
- Samsung Refrigerator
- Samsung refrigerator codes · Refrigerator · 2000s onward
- Type of code
- Fault
- Urgency: Needs attention soon
- First safe check
- Look for heavy frost on the freezer walls that persists across a full day, which is the pattern a failed defrost makes.
What 5E means on this model
The sensor that watches the evaporator coil has gone open, shorted, or is reporting a value the control will not accept. The pattern to look for is heavy frost on the freezer walls that never clears, because that is a defrost that is not running.
Symptoms you will notice
- Frost builds up on the freezer walls and does not clear on its own
- Code appears in the hours, not at the start of a cycle
- Freezer holds temperature for a while then warms steadily
- Defrost cycles seem never to run
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:
- Defrost sensor thermistor failed open or shorted
- Sensor connector corroded where it sits near the wet defrost area
- Defrost heater or bimetal thermostat open, so the coil ices and the sensor saturates
- Wiring pinched where the cabinet liner moves
- Drain blocked, so melt water refreezes around the sensor
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.
- Look for heavy frost on the freezer walls that persists across a full day, which is the pattern a failed defrost makes.
- Check the drain hole at the back of the fresh food compartment for a plug of ice.
- With the power off, look at the sensor connector near the evaporator for corrosion.
Do not do these
- ×Do not chip the ice off a coil with a tool. Puncture the tubing and the sealed system is finished.
- ×Do not leave a defrost fault running for weeks. Ice on the evaporator hides the coil from the cooling air and the compressor works much harder.
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.
Drain clearing is easy. A heater or timer is a technician job on most models.
What it costs to fix
Parts
Defrost sensor $20 to $60. Defrost heater $30 to $90. Defrost timer or board $80 to $200. Drain heater $20 to $50.
Labor
One to two and a half hours.
DIY or technician
Drain clearing is easy. A heater or timer is a technician job on most models.
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.