All 20 Kenmore refrigerator codes
- Er FFFreezer evaporator fan fault
- Er IFIce compartment fan has failed
- Er CFCondenser fan motor problem
- Er COBoards aren't communicating
- Er FS / Er rSFreezer or refrigerator temperature sensor fault
- F dH / r dHDefrost didn't warm the coil enough
- F dS / r dSDefrost sensor fault
- Er IS / Er ItIce maker sensor or ice maker fault
- Er gFWater flow meter error
- dAir damper is stuck
- CCompartment temperature sensor failure
- CFControl board and user interface lost contact
- OP / SHSensor circuit reads open or shorted
- SY EFFreezer fan circuit has failed
- SY CE / SY CFControl board and door interface out of contact
- C1Sealed refrigerant system failure
- F3 / r3Defrost heater failure
- dr / dFDoor open over an hour or bad door switch
- ESDispenser failure, often a stuck button
- d2Forced defrost is running
About Kenmore refrigerator error codes
Kenmore is an American appliance brand that was sold for decades through Sears. Other manufacturers built Kenmore appliances under contract, and the first three digits of the model number (such as 110, 417 or 796) tell you which product family you have. The error codes follow that family's system, so check your model number before you read a code.
How to read Kenmore refrigerator codes
Kenmore refrigerators were built for Sears by several makers, and there's no single Kenmore code system. What a code means depends on the first three digits of your model number, the part before the dot. Check the rating label inside the fresh-food compartment. This page covers four prefix families from Sears PartsDirect's charts: 795 (Kenmore and Kenmore Elite bottom-freezer), 106, 253 (the 253.7031 French-door series) and 111 (Trio bottom-freezer). The same letters can mean different things across those families, so match your prefix before you act on a meaning.
On 795 models the code replaces the reading on the temperature display, and cooling may stop while it's showing. Kenmore Trio models with a 111 prefix store their codes instead. To read them, hold Lock for 3 seconds, then hold Freezer and Refrigerator together while pressing Accela Ice 5 times. The run time appears; press Freezer 6 more times to step past the sensor readings and filter timer, then once more for the first code, and keep pressing for any others. Press Lock to leave. Codes clear on their own after the fault is repaired.
A fridge thermometer tells you more about food safety than the display does: fresh food at or below 40°F (4°C), freezer around 0°F (-18°C). For fan and defrost codes a full manual defrost is a reasonable stopgap. Unplug, empty into coolers and let the ice melt with the doors open, with no heat guns or sharp tools near the coil.
Of the 20 codes on this page, 4 usually have a simple fix you can do yourself, and 5 usually need a technician. Each guide says which is which, so you don't pay for a service call you don't need, and you don't attempt a repair that isn't safe.
Kenmore refrigerator repair guides
- Frost Building Up in Your Freezer? Causes and Safe Fixes
Frost in a freezer comes from humid room air getting in, most often through a door that isn't closing all the way or a gasket that no longer seals.
- Refrigerator Making Noise? Normal Sounds vs Signs of Trouble
Most refrigerator noises are normal: gurgling refrigerant, popping walls, clicking relays and a steady hum from the compressor and fans.
- Refrigerator Not Cooling? What to Check First and How to Fix It
Most warm fridges come down to a control that got bumped, cooling switched off, dusty condenser coils or blocked air vents.
- Ice Maker Not Working? How to Get It Making Ice Again
An ice maker that stops making ice is usually switched off, blocked by a full or misplaced bucket, short of water because of a clogged filter or closed valve, or sitting in a freezer that isn't cold enough.
- How to Clean Refrigerator Condenser Coils (Bottom, Back or Top)
With the fridge unplugged, find the coils (behind the bottom grille, on the back, or up top on some built-ins), then loosen the dust with a long coil brush and vacuum it out.
- How to Change a Refrigerator Water Filter (and Flush It Right)
Most refrigerator water filters twist or push out in under a minute, and Whirlpool, Samsung and LG all say to replace them about every six months.
Before you start
- Write down your model number. It's on a sticker, usually inside the door or lid, on the frame, or on the back or side panel. Parts and some code meanings depend on it.
- Try a reset. Unplug the refrigerator or switch off its breaker for 10 minutes. This clears many one-off glitches without tools.
- Check that the doors close fully and the vents inside aren't blocked by food. Give the fridge a few hours after any reset before judging the temperature.