Samsung microwave fault codes
Samsung publish six microwave information codes and then say plainly that anything else needs a technician. That boundary is unusually honest, and it is why this page tells you which side of it you are on rather than reproducing a longer list from somewhere else.
Where the code shows on a Samsung
Samsung call these information codes rather than error codes, and the format varies by model generation in a way that matters when you are searching. The same condition is published under two or three strings: a stuck touch key is C-d0 or -SE- or SE, a touch communication fault is C-F2 or -tE- or -TE-, an open or short temperature sensor is C-20 or E-21 or E-22, a high cavity temperature is C-21 or E-24, a main-to-sub communication failure is C-F0 or E-83, and the damper fault is C-A1 or E-A1. One further code, C-F1, is not on that page at all but is published in Samsung’s own manuals for their combination models, where it covers a failure to read or write the appliance’s memory. Only two of the six have an owner action attached — the stuck key, where Samsung ask you to clean the button, and the high-temperature one, where they ask you to unplug it and let it cool. For the other four, their instruction is to unplug the appliance and contact Samsung. Longer Samsung code lists exist, with entries like C-A0, C-10, C-70, C-d2, E-25 and E-52, and their source is Samsung’s own US and Canadian support pages, which group the C-codes in threes under one-word labels (C-A0 to C-A2 are a "functional error", C-10 to C-12 a gas, easy or pH sensor error, C-70 to C-72 a steam sensor error) and list the E-codes individually. Samsung scope those pages to North American models, and none of the extra entries is on their UK page or in the UK manuals we have read.
How to reset a Samsung
Samsung’s standard first move is to unplug the power cord rather than to press anything, and they specify it for five of their six codes. For the stuck-key code the unplug is paired with cleaning the touch panel, since the fault is usually dust or moisture holding a key down. For the touch communication code they ask you to press Stop and try again instead, which is the only one of the six with a button-press remedy. For the high-temperature code the instruction is to unplug it, wait long enough for it to cool, and then restart — the wait is the active part, not the unplugging. Samsung’s UK manuals put a time on the power-off: "turn off the microwave oven over 30 seconds and try setting again", in both the solo MS23K and the combination MC32D tables. Their North American support pages say sixty seconds at the plug or the circuit breaker, and add that electronics which have met moisture should be given time to dry first. None of that involves opening the appliance, and on a microwave it should not.
Most common Samsung faults
The Samsung codes people look up most.
- C-d0Usually simple to fixA touch key has been held for more than ten seconds. Usually moisture or dust on the panel, and Samsung ask you to clean the button.
- C-21Get it checkedThe cavity temperature has gone over the limit during operation. Samsung annotate this one "(Fire sensed.)", which is their wording and worth taking at face value.
- C-F0Get it checkedThe two processors inside have stopped talking to each other. Samsung publish no owner remedy — unplug it and contact them.
- C-20Get it checkedThe temperature sensor circuit is open or short. Samsung’s UK page gives no owner action — unplug it and call them — though their combination manual allows one retry first.
Every Samsung fault code
7 published codes. Filtering happens in the page — every one is in the HTML.
Showing 7 of 7 codes
Samsung models
Codes can differ between generations. Check yours.
Guides that help with Samsung faults
How to reset a microwave, and what the display means
Every make says unplug it, but the seconds differ. What each brand publishes, the displays that are not faults, and what to do with a code nobody publishes.Read the guideMicrowave faults: what you can fix, what you must not open
The plug fuse, the door, the waveguide cover and a mug of water are yours. Everything behind the casing is not, and unplugging it does not change that.Read the guide
Looking for Samsung’s own support? www.samsung.com. We are not affiliated with Samsung.