The control panel on a Samsung refrigerator is arguably one of its most crucial parts. Aside from setting your desired temperature, it also has indicators letting you know about the fridge’s condition. So, what happens if the control panel stops responding?
Some reasons the control panel won’t respond on your Samsung fridge aren’t problematic. For example, it might be in power saving mode, or the Child Lock feature is activated. However, the panel can also stop responding if there’s a glitch, a power supply issue, or a faulty touchpad and control board.
You might find it challenging to figure out why the control panel isn’t responding, but this guide is here to help. Here, you’ll learn the most likely reasons that’s happening and what you can do to fix it quickly.
Why Is My Samsung Fridge Control Panel Not Responding?
You’ll find that there are plenty of reasons why the control panel on your Samsung fridge isn’t responding. Still, not all of those reasons are signs of a problem.
So, start by troubleshooting and ruling out the non-problematic reasons before considering that there might be a faulty component.
Let’s look at all the likely reasons you’re facing this issue and what you can do about it.
Power Saving Mode
What’s likely happening: Firstly, you might find that the control panel on your fridge only comes on for a few seconds while you’re using it. Then, it’ll stop responding, go dark, and turn off after a few seconds.
Although this might seem like a problem at first, you can rest assured that this is part of the appliance’s regular operation.
The control panel turns off thanks to its power-saving mode. So, when a few moments go by without any direct input from you, the control panel will shut off to avoid wasting power.
How to fix it: Your control panel won’t respond unless you interact with it directly. So, if you touch the control panel and it turns back on, that means no problem needs to be solved.
Read: Samsung Refrigerator Error Code 22c – Troubleshooting Guide
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Child Lock Turned On
What’s likely happening: Samsung refrigerators come with a Child Lock feature. You’ll find that some documentation will refer to it as the Dispenser Lock or Control Lock feature or by another name instead.
Regardless of what it’s called, the feature will stop your fridge control panel from responding when it’s activated.
This feature exists to protect children from accidentally operating the fridge or changing its settings.
Unfortunately, someone might activate the feature without your knowledge. For example, another person might have activated the child lock while you were away.
On the other hand, the Automatic Control Lock will activate by itself after it goes 1 minute without any input. The lock does that to protect the control panel from any accidental inputs.
How to fix it: Disabling the Child Lock feature only takes seconds.
Firstly, find the button on the control panel that doubles as the lock button. You’ll see that the button has a label that reads ‘Child Lock’, ‘Control Lock’, or something similar.
Then, press and hold that button for 3 seconds or until you hear a chime. That sound means that you’ve activated or deactivated the lock.
Read: All Known Samsung Refrigerator Problems
Control Panel Glitch
What’s likely happening: Samsung refrigerators and their control panels, especially those on newer models, rely on plenty of electronic components to work correctly. Those components make the fridge much more efficient, but they also experience glitches from time to time.
Glitches are short-term disruptions or errors preventing the control panel from responding to your inputs. So, they are a likely reason why you can’t change the fridge temperature or control its other functions.
How to fix it: Glitches and similar short-term errors don’t take much effort to resolve. In this case, you’ll want to reset your Samsung fridge through a process called ‘power-cycling’, which only takes a minute to complete.
First, shut off the circuit breaker or remove the plug that powers your refrigerator. Then, wait for 60 seconds before turning it back on again.
The fridge will take a few moments to reboot when you do that. That fresh reboot should clear any glitch or error causing the control panel not to respond.
Read: Samsung Refrigerator Error Code 21 V – Troubleshooting Guide
Power Supply Issues
What’s likely happening: An unresponsive control panel on your fridge could also result from power supply issues. In other words, the appliance might not be getting enough electric power to function correctly, assuming it’s getting any power at all.
Assuming the rest of your household has power, the most likely reason is that the circuit breaker supplying the fridge has tripped. Besides that, the wall socket you’ve plugged the fridge into might not be working either.
How to fix it: To fix this problem, you’ll have to troubleshoot three things: your household’s power supply, the circuit breaker for the fridge, and the wall socket it’s plugged into.
Firstly, check that your household isn’t experiencing a power supply disruption. If other things in your home are working as they should, then move on to the next step.
Then, check the main electrical box where all the circuit breakers are. Ensure that the one for the fridge is in the ON position, and move it there if it’s not.
Lastly, test the wall socket that you’ve plugged the fridge into. You can plug another appliance into it to ensure it’s working correctly.
Read: Samsung Refrigerator Error Code 14 C – Troubleshooting Guide
Faulty Dispenser Touchpad And Control Board
What’s likely happening: After you finish troubleshooting all of the likely reasons above, it’s time to consider that the touchpad and control board might be faulty.
The dispenser touchpad and control board is a single piece that controls all the features in your Samsung refrigerator. Aside from controlling the dispenser, it also controls the fridge temperature and has all the appliance’s indicator lights.
This part of the fridge might fail because of a short circuit or other kind of electrical fault.
How to fix it: Unfortunately, you can’t service or repair a dispenser touchpad and control board when it stops working. So, a total replacement is necessary when you find that it’s no longer responding correctly.
Be sure to disconnect the fridge from its power source before replacing that part. That way, you’ll be protected from any risk of injury or electrocution.
Read: Samsung Refrigerator Error Code 40 E – Troubleshooting Guide
Bonus Tips
If you find that the tips above weren’t enough, here are a few more to help you troubleshoot your Samsung refrigerator.
Why Is My Samsung Fridge Display Not Working?
Your Samsung refrigerator will shut off to save power after a few seconds. So, touch it to see if it’ll turn back on. If it still doesn’t work, the fridge might not be turned on, or the display is likely faulty.
Does A Samsung Refrigerator Have A Reset Button?
Unfortunately no, Samsung refrigerators don’t have reset buttons. You don’t need that button to reset your fridge, anyway. Instead, shut the fridge off at the power source for 60 seconds before turning it on. That’ll force the appliance to reboot.
Why Is My Samsung Refrigerator Control Panel Blinking?
Your Samsung refrigerator will start blinking when the internal temperature is too high. That could signify that the fridge door is not closed and letting out cold air. Once the door is shut, the fridge will need a few hours to cool down again.
How Do I Get The Child Lock Off My Samsung Refrigerator?
You can turn off the Child Lock feature by pressing its button for at least 3 seconds. You can let go once you hear the chime and see that the Child Lock feature turns off. You’ll find the button labeled clearly on your fridge control panel.
How Do I Control The Temperature On My Samsung Refrigerator?
You can control the temperature of your Samsung fridge by pressing the Fridge or Freezer button. The temperature setting will go down by one degree each time you press the button. So keep going even if you miss your desired temperature setting. Once it reaches the lowest temperature, the control panel will start again from the top.