What it means, first
What F3 E3 tells you is that the reading arriving from the oven temperature sensor and its wiring fell outside the band the control is built to trust. The control stops the heat rather than work from a reading it cannot trust, so the cycle will not finish while the code stands.
What the documentation says about this code
Reference| Code | Documented meaning |
|---|---|
| F3 E3 | There may be a problem with the Oven Temperature Sensor, or the associated wiring. |
Symptoms that travel with this code
- The code appears and the cycle stops heating — Everything else looks normal — lights, fan, display — and only the heat is missing.
- Temperature drifts, or the display disagrees with the food — A probe reading a few ohms off is still inside its window, so the cabinet runs cool or hot before the code ever latches.
- NEAR MISS - nothing heats and no code shows at all — That is a power or element fault rather than a reading fault, and it belongs on the page for that symptom.
What triggers this code, most likely first
- A loose or corroded connector at the sensor — Ranked first because it is the failure that needs no part: the probe is fine, the joint carrying its signal is not, and heat cycling at the back of the cavity is what works a pin loose.
- A chafed or pinched harness between the probe and the board — Third: a wire rubbed through against sheet metal reads exactly like a failed probe from the board's side, which is why the harness is checked before the board is condemned.
What to check first, second and third
- Look at the connector at the sensor before anything is measured — Seated, clean and tight is a five-second answer to the most likely cause.
- Follow the harness for rub marks where it crosses metal — A witness mark tells you the fault is in the wire, not in the part at either end.
What to try before calling
- Clear the code with a full power-down — Switch the breaker off, let the control lose its stored state, then switch it back on and start a short cycle.
About 5 min
- Let the cavity reach room temperature before anything else — A hot resistance reading means nothing, and a hot cavity is the reason half of these codes cannot be diagnosed on the spot.
About 45 min
- STOP HERE if the next step is a meter across the probe terminals — That means a panel off and a connector back-probed, which is where an owner check ends and a service call begins.
Where the risk actually is
Safety
Power off at the breaker or at the plug before any panel is removed - a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. The owner-side checks on this page need no panel removed at all.
When to call a technician
Call once the code survives a full power-down: a repeatable reading fault is a probe, a harness or a board, and telling those three apart needs a meter and the resistance table for that model line. There is one case that does not wait for any of that.
Other codes on the same appliance
How far this page applies
This is generalized information about one code across the model lines that use this probe on this cavity. If your family or model has its own page, read that one first - it is the more specific answer - and the code index below is where to look for it.
The code index and nearby reading
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
