The short answer
This code says the microwave weight sensor and its wiring returned a reading outside anything the control can work from. Only the automatic programs need this reading: manual time-and-power cooking is generally unaffected, which makes this one of the least disruptive codes in the set. Something leaning on the turntable or a dish resting against the cavity wall is both the commonest cause and the cheapest to rule out, so it goes first.
The code table for this reading
Reference| Code | Documented meaning |
|---|---|
| F4 E5 | There may be a problem with the Microwave Weight Sensor, or the associated wiring. |
What the appliance does alongside the code
- Automatic and sensor programs refuse to start — Manual cooking still works, which is the signature of this fault.
- Programs run but badly size the time — A drifting reading is worse than no reading because nothing refuses.
- NEAR MISS - nothing heats at all — No heat is a power fault, not a weighing fault, and it belongs on that page.
The likely causes in order
- Something resting against the turntable or the cavity — Ranked first because it is free: a dish touching the wall, or a plate wedged under the turntable, loads the mechanism and the reading goes out of range.
- Microwave weight sensor out of calibration or failed — Third: what the code names, once the two free causes are gone.
Check these in this order, and why
- Empty the cavity completely and choose an auto program — Free, and it is the whole test: an empty cavity should read as empty.
- Lift the turntable out and reseat it on its support — Mis-seated supports cause this more often than failed sensors do.
- Leave the mechanism to a technician — Reaching it means opening the cabinet, which is not an owner job on a microwave.
What to try before calling
- Take everything out, including the turntable, and look at the support — Reseat the support in its recess and the turntable on the support.
About 5 min
- Cook manually while you wait for a repair — Setting a time and a power level bypasses the reading entirely and is perfectly safe.
About 10 min
- STOP HERE - do not open the microwave cabinet — The capacitor inside holds a lethal charge after the appliance is unplugged.
Read this before touching anything
Safety
The hazard here is specific and it is not the mains. A microwave power supply stores a lethal charge in its capacitor after the appliance is unplugged; it does not bleed away on its own in any useful time. Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before any panel comes off, and treat the cabinet itself as closed to owners.
When this is a service call
Where an owner stops: call when an empty cavity with a correctly seated turntable still refuses an automatic program: the mechanism is inside the cabinet and a microwave cabinet is not opened by owners. And where nobody should wait at all: nothing urgent in this code by itself. Bring the call forward only if it appears alongside arcing or a burning smell, which belong to a different fault.
Codes next to this one
What this page does not cover
The reading on this page applies to the microwave model lines whose automatic programs weigh the load. Two things are deliberately absent: anything that varies by model line, such as part numbers and wiring detail, and anything the manufacturer publishes only to technicians. Where a page exists for your specific family or model, that page takes precedence over this one, and the index linked below points to it.
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Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
