Samsung tumble dryer fault codes

Samsung call them information codes rather than fault codes, and on dryers the distinction is fair — several are maintenance prompts rather than breakdowns. Every Samsung dryer sold in the UK now is a heat pump machine, which matters more than it sounds: their own support page carries advice inherited from American vented dryers that does not apply to any machine sold here, and their manuals contradict it. Where the two disagree we say so and explain which one is describing your appliance.

Where the code shows on a Samsung

Samsung use a letter and a digit, and the same fault appears with two different endings depending on how old your machine is — a C suffix on newer displays and an E suffix on older ones, so dC and dE are one code rather than two. Beyond that, Samsung’s own documents cannot agree on how to write them. Across four current UK manuals the lint filter code appears as NC, as nC with a small n, and as the words "Check filter"; the compressor sensor appears as tC5 and as TC5 in capitals. They are all the same codes. Read the letters rather than the case. The bigger shift is that Samsung’s newest machines have stopped showing codes altogether: the Bespoke AI range displays plain sentences such as "Check filter" or "Empty the tank", so if your display is writing words at you, nothing is wrong with it and you will never see the code that Samsung’s own support page lists. Worth knowing too that Samsung publish a disclaimer most manufacturers do not: "If you find an information code that is not listed on this page, please find a manual with the specific model number. It may have a different code depending on the model." That is honest, and it is also a warning that their published list is not complete — we have found at least six codes in Samsung manuals that appear nowhere on their website.

How to reset a Samsung

Samsung’s published first move is to unplug the dryer, wait at least thirty seconds and plug it back in, which they say lets the internal board reset. Before you do it, open the door and take the washing out. A dryer stopped part way through holds a load of warm damp fabric, and warm damp fabric left heaped in a basket keeps its heat rather than losing it. Samsung do not mention this on the reset instruction, though their own manuals carry the standard warning about not leaving a load in a stopped machine. On the sensor codes Samsung ask for two to three minutes rather than thirty seconds, which gives the compressor time to settle. If the same code returns twice, stop resetting: on a heat pump machine the repeated codes are nearly always telling you about airflow, and cycling the power does nothing about a blocked heat exchanger.

Most common Samsung faults

The Samsung codes people look up most.

Every Samsung fault code

8 published codes. Filtering happens in the page — every one is in the HTML.

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Showing 8 of 8 codes

Every published Samsung fault code with its meaning and severity
Code	What it means	Severity
NC	Samsung’s prompt to deal with the lint filter. Rated more seriously here than Samsung rate it, because a blocked filter on a dryer is not the same as a blocked filter elsewhere.	Get it checked
5C	The machine cannot get rid of its condensed water. Samsung group four causes under this code and the commonest is simply a full tank.	Usually simple to fix
HC	The compressor is overheating. Samsung’s website tells you to get an electrician to check the heating element — your machine does not have one, and their own manual says clean the heat exchanger.	Get it checked
dC	The dryer thinks the door is open. Samsung name a cause most people would never guess: the child lock can produce this on a machine that is not even running.	Usually simple to fix
HCL	The refrigerant has leaked out of the sealed circuit. It is propane, and Samsung’s instruction is that the machine must not be used at all until an engineer has been.	Stop — call an engineer
NC2	The inner cover of the heat exchanger is not fitted properly. Usually something an owner has just done, and usually fixable in a minute.	Get it checked
tC5	The sensor watching the compressor temperature is not reporting properly. Samsung ask for a longer pause than usual before you try again.	Get it checked
3C	The inverter motor that turns the drum is not doing what the board asked. Samsung want one restart before you conclude anything.	Get it checked

Samsung models

Codes can differ between generations. Check yours.

Guides that help with Samsung faults

Looking for Samsung’s own support? www.samsung.com. We are not affiliated with Samsung.