Samsung Washing Machine Fault Codes: Full List and What Each One Means
✅ Safe to check yourself
This is a common, low-risk check most people can do safely. Always unplug the appliance (or isolate power) before touching internal parts.
Samsung washing machines show faults as a two-character code — a number followed by a letter, like 4E or 5E — on the digital display. Some models show the alternate letter version of the same fault (4C instead of 4E, for example) rather than the number-first version, but they mean the same thing.
Samsung fault code table
| Code | What it means | Likely cause |
|---|---|---|
| 4E / 4C | Water supply problem | Supply tap not fully open, kinked hose, or a blocked mesh inlet filter — worth checking before assuming the inlet valve itself has failed |
| 5E / SE / 5C | Drainage problem | Blocked debris filter or a drain hose that’s kinked, blocked, or inserted too far into the standpipe |
| 3E | Motor tachometer fault | The Hall sensor that reports motor speed to the control board isn’t sending a signal correctly |
| UE / DC | Unbalanced load | Washing bunched to one side of the drum — redistributing the load and restarting the spin usually clears it; if it persists on a balanced load, suspension components may be worn |
Samsung’s own support pages confirm 4E and 5E directly, and according to one repair source these two faults together with UE account for roughly 60% of all Samsung washer error codes seen in practice — in other words, most Samsung fault codes you’ll actually encounter are on this short list, not one of the more obscure ones.
Which of these need a professional?
4E, 5E, and UE are all worth checking yourself first — hoses, filters, and load balance are all things you can inspect without any tools. 3E is different: a tachometer/Hall sensor fault is an internal component issue, and while it’s not usually a safety risk to keep using the machine briefly, it needs a proper diagnosis rather than a DIY fix.
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