Samsung Washer HE Error Code: Meaning, Causes & Fix
Heater Error — Samsung's washer information page files HE in the group 'HC, HE, HE1, Hr, 1 HC — Heater Error', and Samsung washer manuals define the plain HE display as a water temperature control problem (heater control problem). It is a heating-system fault report, and Samsung's published owner remedy is a power cycle, then service.
Samsung documents HE at two levels, and this page keeps them separate because they answer different questions. At the family level, Samsung's washer information page (Caribbean/US-style) puts 'HC, HE, HE1, Hr, 1 HC' in its all-other-errors list under the single heading Heater Error — the group Samsung describes as relating to sensors or electronic components reporting they are not working correctly, handled with its generic sequence for that list: power off for 2–3 minutes, power back on, restart the cycle, and visit the Support Center if the error continues. At the model level, the manuals name the plain code directly: the WF42H5200AW manual's information-code table reads 'HE — A water temperature control problem. (Heater control problem)' and gives the solution as 'Call customer service.' The numbered suffixes carry the finer splits, and Samsung Lebanon's washer code table is the source that prints them: HE1 — old code E5 — 'Water heater not functioning'; HE2 — 'Dryer heater not functioning', which is why HE2 belongs to washer-dryer combination machines; HE3 — 'Steam function does not operate normally'. The same Lebanon table pairs plain HE with H1 as a 'Water temperature issue', again routed to customer support. Samsung Australia's washer page shows why owners meet conflicting one-line summaries: it files HE in two of its groups at once — among the Water Temperature Errors (with H1, HE2, HC and CE, where the supplied water is the wrong temperature) and in the Temperature Sensor Error group (HC, HC2, HE, Hr, tE, TC2 — 'the temperature sensor is reporting a problem', handled by powering off for 2–3 minutes and restarting). The code family genuinely straddles the heater and its temperature sensing, and which side a given model means is a manual question, not something a generic list can settle. One correction is owed on this page's earlier version: it published resistance figures for the heating element and thermistor as owner tests. No Samsung source checked publishes any such values or metering procedure for HE, and they have been removed — Samsung's documentation for this family contains no owner parts test at all. (Corrected 2026-10-28.)
What causes the HE code on a Samsung washer?
The water heater not functioning (HE1's documented case)
Samsung Lebanon's table states this cause outright for the family's lead suffix: HE1, old code E5, is 'Water heater not functioning'. For a plain HE display, the manual's wording is the broader 'water temperature control problem (heater control problem)' — the heating function, as a system, is what the code accuses.
A temperature-reporting problem in the same family
Samsung Australia's grouping is the evidence: it files HE inside its Temperature Sensor Error group (HC, HC2, HE, Hr, tE, TC2), where 'the temperature sensor is reporting a problem'. A control that cannot trust its temperature reading cannot run its heater safely, and Samsung's lists treat the two as one family's territory — while keeping tE as the dedicated temperature-sensor spelling.
On combination machines, the dryer heater or steam function (HE2 / HE3)
Samsung Lebanon's table assigns HE2 to the dryer heater not functioning and HE3 to the steam function not operating normally. On a washer-dryer combo, read the suffix before assuming the wash heater is the subject: an HE2 that follows drying cycles is reporting on the drying side of the machine.
A transient control event that does not repeat
Every Samsung source for this family leads with a power cycle — five minutes off at the power point on Samsung's dedicated HE1/HE2 answer pages, 2–3 minutes on the washer information page's generic sequence — which only makes sense as the test for a one-off event. An HE that never returns after the documented cycle is this cause, closed by observation.
Checks to run before you replace anything
- Read the exact spelling before diagnosing: HE, HE1, HE2 and HE3 are different reports in Samsung's own table (water temperature issue / water heater not functioning / dryer heater not functioning / steam function fault), and on a combination machine the suffix decides which half of the appliance is accused. Photograph the display; the suffix is the diagnosis's first fact.
- Note which cycles produce it. A code that appears on heated wash cycles points at the wash heating system Samsung's tables describe; on a combo, an HE2 appearing after drying points at the dryer heater instead. Samsung publishes no branch table for these presentations, but the pattern is what a service diagnosis starts from.
- Do not confuse the neighbours: tE (tE1, tC) is Samsung's dedicated Temperature Sensor Error spelling, and the HOT display is not a fault at all — Samsung's Lebanon table explains HOT as the appliance being too hot to open safely, with the fan running until the laundry can be removed (it prints 55°C as the point the door unlocks). An HE in the display is a fault report; a HOT display is the machine cooling down on purpose.
- Stop at Samsung's published checks. Samsung's washer sources give owners no element or sensor test for this family — no resistance values, no panel-off procedure — so there is nothing further to verify at home beyond the spelling, the pattern, and the documented power cycle below.
How to fix the HE error code
- Perform Samsung's power cycle exactly as its HE1/HE2 answer pages publish it: switch the washer off at the power point for five minutes, then restart it and check. (The washer information page's generic sequence for this error group uses 2–3 minutes off; either way, one documented cycle, once.) If HE does not return, run the next heated cycle under observation rather than declaring a repair — nothing was replaced.
- If the fault persists after that cycle, follow Samsung's stated route on every source checked: contact Samsung / call customer service. The manual's solution line for plain HE is 'Call customer service', the Lebanon table routes HE, HE1, HE2 and HE3 alike to the customer support team, and the HE1/HE2 pages end at speaking with Samsung about service options. There is no second documented owner step to escalate to.
- Do not order a heating element or a thermistor against HE from a third-party meaning list. Samsung's table splits this family by function (wash heater, dryer heater, steam) and its Australian page files the plain code on both the heater and the sensor side — a part bought from the code alone, without the model's own diagnosis, is a guess among several documented suspects.
The part that usually fails: None published for owners
Samsung names no owner-testable or owner-replaceable part for HE and publishes no resistance values or metering steps for the heater or its sensor in any source checked. Which element of the heating system has failed — on a combo, even which appliance half — is established by the service diagnosis on your model, not by the code.
How to reset / clear the HE code
Samsung's reset for HE is the power cycle: off at the power point for five minutes per its dedicated HE1/HE2 pages (the washer information page's generic all-other-errors sequence uses 2–3 minutes off, then power on and restart the cycle). HE clears when the machine restarts without re-detecting the heating fault; an HE that survives the documented cycle has, by Samsung's own routing on every source, become a service case.
On Samsung washers most fault codes clear with a power reset: switch the machine off, unplug it (or trip the breaker) for at least 5 minutes so the control board fully discharges, then restore power and run a short Rinse+Spin or a small test load. If the code was caused by a one-off condition — a kinked hose, an unbalanced load, a suds spike — it will not come back. If it returns on the next cycle, the control has detected the same fault again and the reset has only cleared the message, not the cause. Samsung does not use a button-combination 'master reset' on most models; the power cycle is the reset.
Why does the HE code keep coming back?
An HE that returns after a clear spell is telling you the power cycle was never the fix — Samsung's routing predicts exactly this: the cycle exists to separate a transient event from a persisting fault, and a return is the persisting fault announcing itself. Record the pattern across two or three events (which suffix, which cycle type, wash or dry side on a combo, how soon into the cycle) and hand it to Samsung support with the model number. What not to do is repeat the cycle indefinitely or go hunting for owner tests Samsung never published: on this family the documented owner path is one power cycle, and everything past a return is service territory.
How to stop HE coming back
- The water heater not functioning (HE1's documented case): Samsung Lebanon's table states this cause outright for the family's lead suffix: HE1, old code E5, is 'Water heater not functioning'. For a plain HE display, the manual's wording is the broader 'water temperature control problem (heater control problem)' — the heating function, as a system, is what the code accuses.
- A temperature-reporting problem in the same family: Samsung Australia's grouping is the evidence: it files HE inside its Temperature Sensor Error group (HC, HC2, HE, Hr, tE, TC2), where 'the temperature sensor is reporting a problem'. A control that cannot trust its temperature reading cannot run its heater safely, and Samsung's lists treat the two as one family's territory — while keeping tE as the dedicated temperature-sensor spelling.
- On combination machines, the dryer heater or steam function (HE2 / HE3): Samsung Lebanon's table assigns HE2 to the dryer heater not functioning and HE3 to the steam function not operating normally. On a washer-dryer combo, read the suffix before assuming the wash heater is the subject: an HE2 that follows drying cycles is reporting on the drying side of the machine.
Retrieving stored fault codes on Samsung washers
Most Samsung washers store recent fault codes that a technician can read in the service/diagnostic mode. Entry varies by model family: on many front-loaders you press and hold Delay End and Pre Soak (or Temp and Spin, on older models) together for about 3 seconds until the display lights all segments; on top-loaders a similar two-button hold (often Delay End + Pre Soak) is used. Once inside, the cycle knob steps through stored codes and component tests (fill, drain, motor, heater). Because the button pair differs between model years, confirm the pair for your exact model in the tech sheet fixed inside the machine or in the user manual before relying on a code you read there.
Other Samsung washer error codes
| Code | Meaning | First fix |
|---|---|---|
| 1C | Water level sensor is not working properly. | Turn machine off and restart the cycle; if it remains, contact Samsung service. |
| 1DC4 | FlexWash door error; rubber button by upper washer latch is missing. | Replace the rubber button; Samsung says service is not required for this code. |
| 1E | Water level or leakage error; moisture detected or sensor issue. | Check for leaks and kinked hoses; run an empty cycle; request service if it returns. |
| 3C | Motor error — the washer's drive motor is not running correctly (motor drive/PCB communication family). | Remove the jam: check the filter, the door seal folds and (front-load) the gap between drum and gasket for trapped items. |
| 3E | Motor error; older display variant of the 3C motor family. | Power off for 2-3 minutes and restart; if it persists, contact Samsung service. |
| 4C | Water supply error — the washer is not filling with water (or is filling too slowly). | Clear the inlet screens (above) — this alone fixes the majority of 4C cases. |
| 4C2 | Hot/cold error; cold supply water is extremely hot because hoses are swapped. | Connect cold supply to cold inlet and hot to hot, blue to blue, red to red. |
| 4E | Water supply error — the washer is not filling (older-display version of 4C). | Clean the inlet screens and restore full tap flow — the majority of 4E cases end here. |
| 5C | Drain error — the washer is not draining water out of the tub. | Clean the debris filter and refit it snugly — a filter not fully seated can also leak, so run a short drain/spin and watch for drips. |
| 5E | Drain error; 5E is the older display variant of 5C. | Clean the debris filter and check the drain hose and waste connection for blockages. |
| 8C | MEMS (vibration) sensor error. | Power off for a few minutes and restart; if it remains, contact Samsung service. |
| 8E | MEMS/vibration sensor error on most models; check your manual. | Power off for a few minutes and restart; if it remains, contact Samsung service. |
| 9C1 | Voltage error; irregular electrical supply detected. | Use the washer's own circuit with no extension cord; restart; request service if it continues. |
| 9C2 | Voltage error; irregular electrical supply detected. | Use the washer's own circuit with no extension cord; restart; request service if it continues. |
See the full list on the Samsung Washer error codes hub.
Codes HE gets confused with
9C8 — Software Overcurrent Error — Samsung's published definition for 9C8, from the all-other-errors list on its washer information page. It is not a voltage code: Samsung's voltage family is 9C1 (over-voltage check) and 9C2 (low voltage detected). 9C8 is easy to miss in Samsung's documentation because it does not appear in the headline tables of most washer manuals — the common top-load manual table, for example, stops at 9C1 and 9C2.
AC6 — Communication error — AC6 is one spelling in Samsung's AC/AE communication family (AE, AE6, AEb, AC6, ACb, AC, AC4, AC3, AC5 and relatives): the washer's control boards have failed to communicate. Samsung's washer table defines the family's lead code AE as a signal communication error between the main PCB and the sub PCB. Samsung documents AC6 at two levels, and keeping them separate is what this page does.
NF — No Fill — the washer is not filling with water (one spelling of Samsung's not-filling family). NF is one display spelling of Samsung's not-filling fault — the same water-supply problem other models report as 4C/4E.
D5 — Door error — D5 is a member of Samsung's published door-error family (dS, d5, FL, LO, L0, dE, dE1, dE2, dC, dC1, dL and the 1-prefixed forms): the washer's door is not detected as closed and locked. Samsung lists D5 in the door row of its washer information page, and as a Main Door Error on its Australian washer code page. D5 has a documentation problem rather than a meaning problem: it is a real, published Samsung code that most headline code tables never print, so owners who search for it meet third-party guesses instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does the HE error code mean on a Samsung washer?
HE is a Heater Error. Samsung's washer information page files 'HC, HE, HE1, Hr, 1 HC' under that heading, and Samsung's washer manuals define the plain HE display as 'a water temperature control problem (heater control problem)'. Samsung's published handling is a power cycle — its HE1/HE2 answer pages specify switching off at the power point for five minutes and restarting — and if the fault persists, contacting Samsung for service.
What is the difference between HE, HE1, HE2 and HE3 on a Samsung washer?
Samsung Lebanon's washer code table prints the splits: plain HE (with H1) is a water temperature issue; HE1 — the old code E5 — is 'Water heater not functioning'; HE2 is 'Dryer heater not functioning', which is why it appears on washer-dryer combination machines; and HE3 is the steam function not operating normally. All four are routed by that table to the customer support team, but the suffix tells you — and the technician — which function the machine is reporting on, so quote it exactly.
How do I fix the HE error code on my Samsung washer?
Samsung publishes one owner fix, and it is a power cycle: its dedicated HE1/HE2 pages instruct you to power cycle the washer dryer by switching it off at the power point for five minutes, then restart and check — and if the fault still persists, to contact Samsung to discuss service options. The washer manual's solution line for HE is the same endpoint stated more briefly: 'Call customer service.' Samsung publishes no owner procedure beyond the power cycle for this family — no element test, no sensor test — so a persisting HE is a service case, not a technique problem.
Is Samsung washer HE a temperature sensor error?
It sits on the border, and Samsung's own pages file it both ways — which is the honest answer. Samsung Australia lists HE among its Water Temperature Errors and also inside its Temperature Sensor Error group (HC, HC2, HE, Hr, tE, TC2), described as the temperature sensor reporting a problem; but Samsung also maintains a dedicated temperature-sensor spelling, tE (with tE1 and tC), for the sensor itself. Treat HE as the heating system's fault report — the family Samsung's information page heads Heater Error — and tE as the sensor's own code, and let the model's manual arbitrate if the distinction matters for a service call.
What does HOT mean on my Samsung washer — is it the same as HE?
No. HOT is not a fault code: Samsung's washer code table explains that the appliance is too hot, which 'is not a fault' — the fan will continue to run until the appliance is cool enough for the washing to be removed (the table prints 55°C), and then the door will unlock. It is a cool-down state that prevents heater faults and scalds, and it clears itself. HE, by contrast, is a Heater Error fault report with a power-cycle-then-service route. A machine showing HOT needs time; a machine showing HE needs the documented power cycle, and service if it returns.
Related guides
Facts on this page were checked against manufacturer documentation: www.samsung.com · www.samsung.com · www.samsung.com · www.samsung.com