Samsung tC5 fault codewhat it means and how to fix it
The sensor watching the compressor temperature is not reporting properly. Samsung ask for a longer pause than usual before you try again.
Take care
What tC5 means
Samsung give this as "Compressor temperature sensor problem" and their instruction is slightly different from the rest of their range: wait two to three minutes, turn the power back on and start again, then check for a clogged lint screen and a restricted vent system.
The wait is the interesting part. Everywhere else Samsung ask for thirty seconds, and the reason for asking longer here is that the sensor is measuring something that takes time to settle — a compressor that has been running is genuinely hot, and a reading that looks impossible while it is hot may be perfectly sensible once it has cooled. So a proportion of these clear themselves given a few minutes, which is worth knowing before you conclude the machine is broken.
The rest divide into two. Either the sensor really has failed, in which case the machine has lost sight of a component it needs to protect, or the compressor genuinely is running too hot and the sensor is the messenger — which brings you back to airflow, filters and the heat exchanger, exactly as Samsung’s own checks suggest. That is why their instruction mentions the lint screen on what is nominally a sensor fault.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| The compressor was hot and the reading had not settled | Samsung’s two to three minute wait exists for this. A sensor reading taken while the compressor is at working temperature can fall outside the range the board expects without anything being wrong. | Common |
| Restricted airflow is genuinely overheating the compressor | Samsung include a lint screen check on this code, which tells you they see it. The sensor is reporting accurately and the fault is upstream, in the filter or the heat exchanger. | Common |
| The sensor or its wiring has failed | A thermistor that has gone open or short circuit produces a value the board rejects outright. This is the version that returns immediately after every reset rather than clearing on its own. | Occasional |
| A control board input fault | Less common, and indistinguishable from a failed sensor without test equipment. It matters only because it changes the price of the repair rather than the diagnosis. | Rare |
What to try yourself
Take the washing out and spread it, then leave the machine switched off for two to three minutes rather than the thirty seconds Samsung ask for on other codes.
While you wait, clean the lint filter. Samsung include this on a sensor code for a reason: a hot compressor is usually a starved compressor.
Open the lower front flap and check the heat exchanger for lint, cleaning it if the fins are furred.
Gloves on, and no hard vacuum attachments against the fins.Check nothing is blocking airflow around the machine, and that it is not shut in a cupboard with no ventilation.
Turn it back on and run a short programme. A code that clears and does not return was a settling problem rather than a fault.
If tC5 returns immediately every time, stop resetting and book someone. A sensor that has genuinely failed will not recover, and the machine is running without a temperature reference in the meantime.
Get a qualified appliance engineer to look at your Samsung tC5
We do not pass enquiries to a repair firm, so there is no form here. When you book a qualified appliance engineer, tell them the make, the model and the exact code or message on the display, and ask whether they carry parts for this make — that is what turns one visit into a repair rather than a quote.
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£0–£240
Time on site
20 minutes
Free if it settles or if it was airflow. A temperature sensor is an inexpensive part with most of the bill being the visit, and a board fault is the expensive outcome.
Typical UK prices including parts and labour, updated September 2026. Your quote may differ.
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Related Samsung fault codes
- NCGet it checkedSamsung’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.Related: same brand
- 5CUsually simple to fixThe machine cannot get rid of its condensed water. Samsung group four causes under this code and the commonest is simply a full tank.Related: same brand
- HCGet it checkedThe 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.Related: same brand
- dCUsually simple to fixThe 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.Related: same brand
- HCLStop — call an engineerThe 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.Related: same brand
- NC2Get it checkedThe inner cover of the heat exchanger is not fitted properly. Usually something an owner has just done, and usually fixable in a minute.Related: same brand
Own a Samsung tumble dryer? Save it and its codes come first next time.
Related guides
Common questions about Samsung tC5
Why does Samsung want three minutes rather than thirty seconds?
They do not explain it, but the sensible reading is that the compressor needs time to cool before the reading means anything. Everywhere else in their range thirty seconds is the standard, and the exception here lines up with a fault about temperature.
It shows TC5 in capitals.
Same code. Samsung’s DV90F24 manual writes it as TC5, TC7 and TCA in capitals and their support page and other manuals write tC5 with a small t. Their documents are simply inconsistent about case, and the letters are what matter.
Is there a similar code for a different sensor?
Several, and some are only in the manuals. tC is the air temperature sensor and is on Samsung’s website; tC7, which they gloss as the "Eva In" sensor at the evaporator inlet, appears in manuals but not on the site at all. If your code is tC7 and you found nothing on Samsung’s site, that is why.
Technical review
Not reviewed by an engineer
No engineer has read this page. Severity follows what the manufacturer publishes, and we would rather tell you that than let a byline imply a sign-off.
Sources and how we verified this
We establish the facts from the sources below and then write the explanation ourselves. We do not copy manufacturer wording and we do not host their manuals.
- Manufacturer support portal
- Manufacturer technical and service documentation
This page has not been reviewed by an engineer, and we would rather tell you that than imply otherwise. The severity rating follows what the manufacturer publishes: where they say isolate the appliance and call someone, so do we.