Error codes · Samsung · Dryers

Samsung dryer error codes: most of them are the vent, the lint, or the door.

A Samsung dryer prints few codes, and the ones it prints point at airflow more than anything else — a lint screen that has not been washed, a duct crushed flat behind the machine, a roof cap stuck shut with lint. Find the code below, work the checks in order, and clear it with the reset in the strip above the table. The ones that need a technician say so.

Covers: 2016-and-newer electric and gas dryers (DVE/DVG 45, 46, 50, 52, 53, 54, Bespoke) and the dryer side of the Bespoke AI all-in-one.

Samsung · First

Before you clear it

Samsung prints a letter-and-number code (4C, dC, HE). Older displays printed the same faults with an E (4E, dE, HE) — the pages list both.

1

The same fault has two spellings. A 2016-and-newer display prints a C (HC, dC, tC); the older displays printed an E (HE, dE, tE). The tables list both — look for either.

2

The reset: press Power to turn the dryer off, then cut the power for one full minute — a gas dryer unplugs like any appliance; an electric dryer's cord sits in a 240V outlet behind the machine, so switch its double breaker off instead of pulling the plug. Power it back up and start a Time Dry on Air Fluff. A code that comes straight back is real.

3

A dryer that tumbles but never warms, with no code at all, is usually half of its 240V missing — one leg of the double breaker tripped, or a terminal on the cord block at the back. Resetting the breaker once is yours; the cord block and the outlet are an electrician's.

4

Most 2018-and-newer models run a vent blockage test from the panel: with the drum empty and the dryer on, press and hold the two buttons the manual names for the Vent Blockage Test for three seconds and press Start. After a couple of minutes the display shows either a plain cycle screen (the duct is clear) or one of the C80 / C90 / Cg codes in the table below.

5

A Wi-Fi model shows the code, its meaning and the next step in the SmartThings app under the dryer's tile. The model and serial plate is inside the door rim on the front of the dryer — every warranty call starts with those two numbers.

Section 1 of 3

Airflow and heat

A gas dryer that tumbles but never warms and prints nothing is usually the igniter or the gas valve — gas parts, a technician's job. A smell of gas at the dryer is never a wait-and-see: turn the gas off at the valve behind it, open the room, and call the gas company.

HC#1

Also printed as HE · HE1 · HC1 · hE

Check, then call
Code

Dryer running too hot

What it means

The control measured heat at the exhaust far above what the cycle asked for and switched the heater off. Almost always the hot air cannot get out of the dryer.

Check first
  1. The lint screen — pull it, scrape the lint, then wash it in warm water with a soft brush. A screen that beads water is coated in dryer-sheet film and blocks the air; dry it before it goes back in.
  2. The duct behind the dryer — pull the machine out and look. A foil hose crushed flat against the wall, a kink, or a run of white vinyl hose is the problem; the transition should be rigid or semi-rigid metal, as short and straight as it can be.
  3. The hood outside — go out while the dryer runs and feel for air. A flap stuck shut with lint, a screen over the opening, or a bird's nest in the cap means the duct is blocked at the end.
  4. The load — one big comforter, or a drum packed tight, covers the exhaust grille at the back of the drum and holds the heat in. Dry a bulky item alone with room to tumble.
The fix

Clean the screen, clear the duct and the hood, and run a Time Dry. A dryer that still prints HC with the duct disconnected from the back (run it empty for two minutes that way, in a garage or with the room open — never for a load) has a heating relay stuck on, a failed thermistor or a cycling thermostat — a part, replaced inside the cabinet.

Stop & call

HC that comes back with the duct clear and the screen clean is a service call, and a burnt smell at the dryer is stop and cut the power now. A heater that will not switch off is the one dryer fault never to leave running; on a machine under warranty it is a warranty call.

C80#2
Fix at home
Code

Vent about 80% blocked

What it means

The vent sensor read the back pressure in the exhaust and found the duct roughly 80% blocked. The dryer still runs; the cycle takes longer and the clothes come out damp.

Check first
  1. The lint screen is clean and washed (see HC above).
  2. The duct behind the dryer is not crushed or kinked, and it is metal, not white vinyl.
  3. The hood outside opens when the dryer runs and the cap is clear of lint.
  4. The full run of duct through the wall or the ceiling — a long run collects a mat of lint on every elbow. A duct brush kit from the hardware store clears a straight run; a run with several elbows or a roof exit is a vent-cleaning service.
The fix

Clear the duct end to end, then run the vent test again from the panel — a clear duct gives a plain cycle screen. The code is a measurement, not a fault in the dryer.

C90#3
Fix at home
Code

Vent about 90% blocked

What it means

The vent sensor found the duct roughly 90% blocked — nearly shut. The dryer runs hot and slow until it is cleared, and HC is next.

Check first
  1. Everything under C80, in the same order — the screen, the transition hose, the hood, then the run through the wall.
  2. A hood with a louvered flap frozen or painted shut, or a pest screen packed with lint, shows this number on its own.
The fix

Clear the whole run and re-run the vent test. If a freshly cleaned duct still reads C90, the duct is too long for the dryer (over 35 feet of developed length, each elbow counting 5) and needs a shorter route or a booster fan — an installer's job.

Cg#4

Also printed as Clg · CLg

Fix at home
Code

Vent clogged

What it means

The vent sensor found the exhaust blocked almost completely. The dryer will not heat properly until the duct is open.

Check first
  1. The transition hose behind the dryer — a hose crushed flat when the machine was pushed back prints this at once.
  2. The hood outside — put a hand over it while the dryer runs; no air at all means the block is in the wall run or the cap.
  3. A new install: the duct cap is on and the hood's flap moves freely.
The fix

Open the duct and re-run the vent test. Nothing in the dryer needs replacing for this code.

tC#5

Also printed as tE · tS · tO · t5

Service call
Code

Temperature sensor

What it means

The thermistor that reads the exhaust temperature is open or shorted — the control cannot see how hot the air is. On older displays tO was the sensor open and tS (read as t5) the sensor shorted.

Check first
  1. Cut the power for one minute (the breaker on an electric dryer) and run a Time Dry on Air Fluff.
The fix

A sensor code that comes back is the thermistor or its connector, inside the cabinet at the blower housing — a part a technician replaces. The dryer will not heat until it is.

Stop & call

tC after a reset is a service call. Write the code down, note the model and serial from the door rim, and file it.

Section 2 of 3

The door and the load

dC#6

Also printed as dE · dF · dO

Fix at home
Code

Door open

What it means

The dryer tried to start and the door switch did not report closed — or the door opened during the cycle.

Check first
  1. Push the door shut until it clicks. A sock or a strap caught in the door seal keeps the latch off the switch.
  2. The latch strike on the door and the catch in the cabinet are clean and the door sits square — a dryer rocked on an uneven floor can pull the frame out of line.
  3. The drum light comes on when the door opens and goes off when it shuts; a light that stays on with the door closed is a switch that is not being pressed.
  4. Cut the power for one minute and try again.
The fix

A door that latches and still shows the code after a reset has a door switch that is not reporting — a part behind the front panel.

Lint Filter#7

Also printed as Filter Check

Fix at home
Code

Clean the lint screen

What it means

Not a fault. The light (or the words on the display) comes on at the start of every cycle as a reminder; it does not measure anything.

Check first
  1. Pull the lint screen, clean it, and put it back. The reminder goes off when the cycle starts.
The fix

Nothing to fix. A screen that will not slide home has lint packed under it — vacuum the slot.

bC2#8

Also printed as bE2 · bE · bC

Fix at home
Code

Button stuck

What it means

The panel sees a key held down for more than half a minute.

Check first
  1. Press each button once; feel for one that does not spring back.
  2. Wipe the panel — dryer-sheet residue on a membrane panel holds a key down.
  3. Cut the power for one minute.
The fix

A key that stays stuck after cleaning is the panel assembly — a part. The dryer still starts from the app on a Wi-Fi model meanwhile.

PF#9
Fix at home
Code

Power failure during the cycle

What it means

Not a fault. The power went out while the dryer was running; the cycle stopped where it was.

Check first
  1. Press Start/Pause — most models pick the cycle back up. If not, start a Time Dry to finish the load.
The fix

Nothing to fix. If PF shows with no outage, the plug is loose in its outlet or one leg of the breaker is tripping — that second one is an electrician's.

CL#10
Fix at home
Code

Child lock is on

What it means

Not a fault. The panel is locked so a child cannot change the cycle; the display reads CL or shows the lock icon.

Check first
  1. Press and hold the two buttons marked with the Child Lock symbol for three seconds (the panel prints which pair).
The fix

The lock turns off and the panel answers again.

Section 3 of 3

Power, motor and the boards

3C#11

Also printed as 3E

Check, then call
Code

Motor fault

What it means

The motor did not turn when the control drove it, or its speed sensor reported nothing. A drum that cannot move prints the same code.

Check first
  1. Open the door and turn the drum by hand. A drum that will not turn has something caught between it and the front or back bulkhead — a bra wire, a pen, a child's sock.
  2. Take half the load out of a packed drum.
  3. Cut the power for one minute and run an empty Time Dry. A drum that turns freely by hand but never under power is the motor or its board.
The fix

A 3C that shows with a normal load after a reset is the drive motor, its sensor or the control board — a service call, not a home repair. A drum that turns under power but makes a thump every turn is a worn roller or a flat spot on the belt, a different repair with no code.

Stop & call

A drum that turns by hand but never under power is a motor or control fault. File it with the code, the model and the serial.

9C1#12

Also printed as 9E1 · 9E · 9C2 · 9E2

Check, then call
Code

Voltage out of range

What it means

The power coming in is too low or too high for the control to run safely.

Check first
  1. The dryer runs straight from its own outlet — never an extension cord or a power strip, and never shared with a window unit or a space heater.
  2. Electric: both halves of the double breaker are on; a breaker that looks on but sits a hair off center has tripped on one leg — push it fully off, then on.
  3. The lights in the room do not dim when the dryer starts. If they do, the problem is the house wiring or the outlet, not the dryer — an electrician's.
The fix

Fix the supply and the code clears. A dryer on a sound outlet that still prints 9C1 has a fault on its own board — a service call.

Stop & call

9C1 on a dryer wired straight to a sound outlet is the control board — a service call, never something to keep resetting.

AC#13

Also printed as AE · AC4 · AE4 · AC6 · AE6

Service call
Code

Boards not talking

What it means

The main control and the panel lost communication with each other.

Check first
  1. Cut the power for five full minutes, restore it and try a cycle.
The fix

An AC code that comes back is a board or the harness between them — a service call.

Stop & call

AC after a five-minute power cut is a service call. Both boards are inside the cabinet; nothing to check at home.

Warranty · When to file

When it's a warranty call

Every unit leaves with the manufacturer's full factory warranty. The codes below name a part inside the machine — once the checks have ruled out the install, the power and the hoses, call Samsung's line with the model and serial, and text us if you want a hand with the claim.

All units are surplus inventory (open box, cancelled order, customer return, overstock, or minor scratch & dent). Every unit includes the manufacturer's full factory warranty. Please inspect thoroughly in person before purchasing — cosmetic imperfections or missing accessories are possible.

Still stuck?

Text us the model number and what it's doing — we'll point you at the next step.

A fix, a part, or a warranty call — the plate's model and serial plus one line about the symptom is all it takes to tell which.

These pages are educational. Every appliance is a little different — follow the manufacturer's manual and local code, and leave gas, water heater and 240V work to a licensed installer.