Samsung Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working
Quick fixes to try first, what usually fails, and what the repair really costs in Tampa Bay
Quick answer
Most Samsung ice makers stop because of a frozen or clogged water line, an old or badly seated water filter, a freezer that is not cold enough, or an ice maker that was switched off at the panel. Check those four first: they take a few minutes and cost nothing. If the ice maker is still dead after that, the ice maker assembly, the thermostat, the water inlet valve or the control board has failed and needs a technician.
Try these first: the most common quick fixes
- The ice maker was switched off. Many Samsung models let you turn it off from the panel by holding one or more keys for a few seconds, and it is often pressed by accident while someone wipes the front. Look for an ice-off indicator on the display and switch it back on.
- The water filter is old or not fully seated. The ice maker takes its water from the same line as the dispenser, so a clogged or half-seated cartridge starves it. Reseat the filter, make sure it is an original Samsung one, and replace it if it is more than six months old.
- The freezer is not cold enough. Ice needs a freezer at 0°F (−18°C). Check the setting, do not overload the freezer, and make sure the door closes fully. A jam or syrup spill frozen onto the gasket keeps the door from sealing.
- The water line is kinked or frozen. Slide the refrigerator out a little and check the line behind it for kinks. Small, hollow cubes or a very slow ice cycle usually mean a partly frozen or clogged line.
- The ice maker arm or sensor is stuck. Make sure the arm moves freely, nothing blocks it, and the bin is not jammed with a lump of frozen ice.
- Check the power. The refrigerator must be plugged in and no breaker tripped.
- Reset it. If nothing above helps, follow the reset steps below.
After any fix, give the ice maker up to 24 hours to restart; it makes ice slowly at first.
What the symptom usually means
| What you see | Most likely cause | Who fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| No ice, small or hollow cubes, slow cycle | Frozen or clogged water line, old water filter | You, in most cases |
| No ice and the fridge also drifts warm | Failed ice maker thermostat | Technician |
| Ice maker runs but no water arrives | Water inlet valve worn or restricted | Technician |
| Ice maker dead, nothing responds, display alerts | Ice maker assembly or control board | Technician |
| Ice packed into the cabinet, water on the floor | Blocked drain line or defrost fault | Technician |
| Ice tastes bad or looks cloudy | Old filter, ice sitting in the bin too long | You first; technician if it persists |
Our Samsung RF18HFENBSG came in with ice packed into the cabinet and water on the kitchen floor. A blocked drain line was the cause, cleared on one visit for $220.
Samsung refrigerator error codes: what they mean
If the display shows a code, write it down before you do anything else. Samsung warns not to unplug the refrigerator or press panel buttons to clear a code unless the fix for that code says so, because it can make the diagnosis harder. Codes that point at the ice maker are 39E/39C, 40E/40C, 14E, 8E and 33E.
| Code on the display | What it means (Samsung) | What to do first | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Off blinking | Ice bucket is missing or not inserted correctly | Seat the ice bucket correctly | Samsung refrigerators |
| 39E / 39C | Ice maker function error | Check the bucket, a fresh water filter and a 0°F freezer, try the reset above; if it returns, book service | Samsung refrigerators |
| 40E / 40C | Ice room fan error | Technician job: see the notes below the table | Samsung refrigerators |
| 14E | Ice maker sensor error | Technician job: see the notes below the table | Samsung refrigerators |
| 8E | Ice maker (freezer) sensor error | Technician job: see the notes below the table | Samsung refrigerators |
| 33E | Ice pipe heater error | Technician job: see the notes below the table | Samsung refrigerators |
| 21E | Freezer fan error: the fan is not reporting rotation when it should be turning, often a frozen fan or a failed fan motor | Defrost if you wish, do not overpack the freezer, make sure the door gaskets seal fully; if it returns, book service | Samsung refrigerators |
| 22E / 22C | Fridge fan error, possibly from a door left open too long | Unplug, leave the doors open for a few hours, plug back in and close them; if it returns, book service | Samsung refrigerators |
| 5E | Fridge defrost sensor error | Technician job: see the notes below the table | Samsung refrigerators |
| 84C | Compressor lock | Technician job: see the notes below the table | Samsung refrigerators |
| 83E / 85E / 86E | Compressor abnormal current / under voltage (brown-out) / over voltage (surge) | Unplug or switch off the breaker for 60 seconds, then restore power; if it returns, book service | Samsung refrigerators |
| 88 88 | Communication fault: power was disrupted during bootup | Unplug or switch off the breaker for 60 seconds, then restore power; if it returns, book service | Samsung refrigerators |
| PC ER / PC CH | Communication error between components, from a power surge or doors not properly connected | Unplug or switch off the breaker, disconnect and reconnect the wire harness above the door, restore power; if it returns, book service | Samsung refrigerators |
| OF OF / OFF OFF | Cooling Off mode (demo or shop mode), no service needed | Hold the top two left-side buttons for 5–8 seconds until a chime sounds; steps vary by model, see your manual | Samsung refrigerators |
| 41, 42, 41C, 85C | Family Hub issues; 85C is low voltage detected on the power source, often after a brief outage and harmless | Reboot with the power switch inside the top of the right door; for 85C hold OK for 3 seconds; if it continues, book service | Family Hub models only (41C: 3-door French door) |
Source: Samsung refrigerator error codes. Samsung says its list is not complete; for any code that is not listed, request service. Have the code and the model number ready when you call.
Notes for technicians: what the ice and sensor codes point to
Samsung publishes the name of these codes but no owner fix and no test values. The checks below are the usual order of work. Repair sources disagree on some codes, especially 8E and 84C, so confirm values and key sequences in the service manual for the exact model number.
- 33E: ice pipe heater
- The heater keeps the water fill tube of the ice maker from freezing. If it fails, the tube can freeze and the ice maker gets little or no water, so ice production drops or stops. Look for ice in the fill tube area, check the heater connector and wiring, then test the heater for continuity against the manual.
- 40E / 40C: ice room fan
- The fan moves cold air through the ice maker compartment. The first thing to look for is ice locking the blades: that is what burned out the fan on the Clearwater job above. Clear the ice, find out why the compartment is icing (drain, door seal), then check the connector and that the fan turns freely. Replacing the fan without fixing the cause means it locks again.
- 14E: ice maker sensor
- A temperature sensor in the ice maker. The board sees a value out of range: an open or shorted sensor, or a bad connector. Check the connector and harness at the sensor and at the board, then compare the sensor with the temperature and resistance table for the model.
- 8E: ice maker (freezer) sensor
- Samsung names it a sensor error in the ice maker or freezer. Some repair sources tie it to the ice maker ejector motor or the ice level sensor instead, so do not assume. Check that the ejector arm is not jammed with ice and that the freezer door seals, then the sensor and its connector, and confirm the code for the model in the manual.
- 5E: fridge defrost sensor
- The sensor on the fridge evaporator tells the board when to stop defrosting. A wrong reading can keep the defrost cycle from starting or ending, and the evaporator ices up. Look at the evaporator for ice, check the sensor and its connector, and run the forced defrost for that model; the key sequence differs between models.
- 84C: compressor lock
- Samsung lists it as compressor lock: the inverter compressor is stalled or locked. After a power event it may clear once the power has been off for a while. A code that keeps coming back means measuring the supply voltage, the inverter and main board output and the compressor windings against the manual.
How to reset a Samsung ice maker
- Unplug the refrigerator or switch off its breaker.
- Find the reset or test button on the ice maker unit. On many models it is on the side or bottom; check your manual for the exact spot.
- Press and hold it for 5 to 10 seconds, until you hear a chime or see the ice maker move.
- Restore power and wait up to 24 hours for ice production to resume.
If there is still no ice after that, the fault is mechanical or electrical and a reset will not fix it.
What it really costs: our closed jobs
Not a price list from the internet. These are invoices we closed on refrigerators in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, all brands, parts and labor included.
| What failed | City | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Ice bin fan | St. Petersburg | $288.00 |
| Ice maker assembly | St. Petersburg | $312.00 |
| Ice dispenser assembly | Tampa | $332.00 |
| Ice maker and wiring harness | Tampa | $369.00 |
| Ice maker and main control board | St. Petersburg | $437.00 |
| Ice maker and auger motor assembly | Clearwater | $562.00 |
The service call is free when you go ahead with the repair. If you hear the diagnosis and decide not to repair, it is $79. All our refrigerator invoices are in 21 Refrigerator Repairs, 21 Invoices.
Why waiting makes it cost more
A failed ice maker is not dormant: it stays wired in and stays on the water line. The ice maker dealt with when it quit cost $312. Left until an error code appeared, the ejector tore off its wiring harness: $369. Left longer, it shorted into the main control board: $437. Left for six months, it burned out the auger motor and corroded the contacts: $562. Same part, four endings.
If you have to postpone the repair, switch the ice maker off at the panel. Left on, it keeps asking for water it cannot freeze, and that water lands on the ice in the bin, freezes there and eventually cracks the bin.
From our jobs: an ice maker left dead for six months
Samsung RF24R7201SR, Clearwater: an ice maker left dead for six months
| Brand | Samsung RF24R7201SR, counter-depth four-door |
|---|---|
| Built | May 2021 |
| Complaint | Ice maker not working for more than six months |
| What failed | Ice maker and auger motor case assembly |
| Parts | Auger motor case assembly DA97-12540K: $216 Ice maker DA97-13718C: $166 |
| Labor | $180 |
| Visits | 1 |
| Total (parts and labor) | $562 |
What the owner said. The ice maker had been dead for more than half a year; they had been waiting for a convenient day to call. The motor inside the ice maker still turned, but the part that ejects the ice did not move, and the whole zone was frozen: ice on the ice maker itself and on the compartment behind it, where the fan, a thermostat and the auger motor that pushes ice out of the bin are mounted.
What six months did. The fan sat locked in ice, kept trying to turn and burned out. The constant icing also corroded the contacts on the connectors that feed the auger motor.
What we did. Fitted a new ice maker (DA97-13718C) and a new auger motor case assembly (DA97-12540K), thawed the zone, cleared the drain and serviced the coil in the compressor bay.
We rarely replace an auger motor. When a dead ice maker is dealt with early, the ice maker is the only part that changes. Here the wait doubled the parts list and took the bill to $562, against $312 for an ice maker replaced on its own in St. Petersburg.
When to call a technician
- The ice maker has stopped completely and the quick fixes above did not bring it back.
- You hear loud or unusual noises from the ice maker.
- Water is leaking inside or outside the refrigerator.
- The ice maker freezes over again and again.
- Ice is packed into the cabinet or there is water on the floor.
We run a full diagnosis before any repair, test the water supply and the electronics, and tell you the price before any part is ordered. Repairs carry a 90-day warranty on parts and labor.
Ice maker still dead after the quick fixes?
We take same-day calls across Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Bradenton, 8 AM to 7 PM, seven days a week.
How to keep a Samsung ice maker working
- Replace the water filter about every six months.
- Keep the freezer at 0°F (−18°C) and do not overload it.
- Check the water line behind the refrigerator for kinks now and then.
- Wipe spills off the door gasket while they are still soft.
Samsung ice maker questions
Why is my Samsung ice maker not making ice?
Most often a frozen or clogged water line, an old or badly seated water filter, a freezer that is not at 0°F, or an ice maker that was switched off at the panel. If those are fine, the water inlet valve, the thermostat, the ice maker assembly or the control board is usually the cause, and it needs a technician.
What does error 39E mean on a Samsung refrigerator?
Samsung lists 39E (and 39C) as an Ice Maker Function Error. Check that the ice bucket is seated, the water filter is fresh and the freezer is at 0°F, then try the reset described above. If the code comes back, the ice maker needs service. The full table of Samsung codes is on this page.
How do I reset my Samsung ice maker?
Unplug the refrigerator, find the reset or test button on the ice maker unit (on many models on the side or bottom), hold it for 5 to 10 seconds, restore power and wait up to 24 hours for ice. If there is still no ice, the problem is mechanical or electrical.
How much does it cost to repair a Samsung ice maker?
Our closed ice-related refrigerator jobs in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater ran from $288 to $562, parts and labor included. A plain ice maker assembly was $312; with a wiring harness $369; with a control board $437; with a burned-out auger motor $562. The service call is free when you go ahead with the repair.
Is it worth repairing a Samsung ice maker?
Usually yes. We tell you when a repair gets close to half the price of an equivalent new refrigerator, and past 60 percent we recommend replacing it. An ice maker repair on a refrigerator that otherwise works is far below that line.
Can I keep using the refrigerator if the ice maker is broken?
Yes. Switch the ice maker off at the panel until it is repaired so it does not keep calling for water it cannot freeze.
How long should I wait after a reset or a fix?
Up to 24 hours. The ice maker produces ice slowly at first.
Andrew Teodor — Owner of Teodor Appliance Repair. The invoices on this page come from our own closed refrigerator jobs in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater.
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