The short answer
If the freezer is cold and the refrigerator is warm, suspect airflow: a frosted evaporator, a blocked vent or a failed fan. If both compartments are warm, suspect heat rejection or the sealed system. Check the door seals and the condenser coils before anything else.
Read the pattern first
- Freezer cold, refrigerator warming — An airflow fault, not two failures.
- Both compartments warm — Heat rejection or the sealed system.
- The machine runs constantly — It is working and losing.
- Heavy frost at the back of the freezer — The defrost system is behind.
- Food at the back freezing while the front spoils — Air distribution or a control fault.
- Not this fault: warm food in a door bin only — The warmest place in any refrigerator.
Ranked for kitchen installations
- Evaporator frosted over, blocking airflow — First when the freezer is cold and the refrigerator is not.
- Vents blocked by packed food — Second, and free to fix.
- Condenser coils dusty behind or beneath the cabinet — Third, and the most neglected maintenance there is.
- Door seal leaking — Fourth, and it loads the machine continuously.
- Evaporator fan failed — Fifth.
- Sealed-system or compressor fault — Last, and never an owner repair.
Check in this order
- Put thermometers in both compartments — Impressions are unreliable; readings are not.
- Open the freezer and listen for a fan — Silence with a cold freezer suggests the fan or frost.
- Clear food away from the interior vents — Packed shelves stop the air path.
- Clean the condenser coils — It is the highest-value owner step here.
Owner checks
- Place a thermometer in each compartment and read after several hours — It converts a complaint into a measurement.
Tools: thermometerAbout 25 min
- Vacuum the condenser coils behind or beneath the cabinet — Dust here loads the machine every hour of the day.
Tools: vacuum, coil brushAbout 30 min
- Move stored food clear of the vents in both compartments — Air has to reach the shelves.
About 15 min
- Check the seals with a sheet of paper all round — A gap runs the machine continuously.
Tools: paperAbout 15 min
- Listen at the freezer for the fan with the door switch held — Do not defeat any switch to do it.
About 10 min
- Stop before removing the rear freezer panel or touching the sealed system — Both are technician work.
Food safety and sealed systems
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Keep the refrigerator at or below forty degrees Fahrenheit and the freezer at or below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Never chip ice off an evaporator with a sharp tool, and never cut, bend or heat sealed-system tubing.
When to call
Call when the coils are clean, the seals are sound, the vents are clear and the machine still cannot hold temperature. Call promptly rather than eventually: a refrigerator that is losing ground is spoiling food while you wait. Say which compartment is warm when you book, because it tells the technician whether to bring fan and defrost parts.
Other faults on this refrigerator
Scope of this page
Generalized across refrigerator families under this badge in ordinary kitchen installations; where a family-specific or model-specific page exists it is the narrower answer. Not here: refrigerant charges, compressor data, defrost timings and fan specifications.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
