Recently we had a power outage and the display on our refrigerator went blank. The refrigerator is working but the screen/display panel is not. Our power went out for a few hours and now we can’t get the display panel working again. The fridge is cooling and so is the freezer. The only issue is that the display is not working and not showing the numbers. I have heard you can press a button on the display and it will reset it. What do I press to get the numbers to come back? I have a Samsung refrigerator.
Refrigerator Display Not Working
Usually after a power outage your refrigerator will reset itself. The fridge and freezer section should be working just fine after the power outage. The only issue is the digital display panel will not be lit. Some refrigerators may not begin cooling again and the reset needs to be done once power is restored. We have seen many people having all the food in the refrigerator and freezer going bad as the power was out for many many hours.
If after a power outage, your refrigerator is cooling or not cooling, you will usually need to reset the front display panel. This is to get the panel working again and also to get the refrigerator to begin cooling again if applicable. All the below methods and conditions for reset will vary depending on the make and model of your refrigerator.
We will show you which buttons to press to reset the display control panel on your refrigerator. Many of the examples below apply to Samsung refrigerators but also can apply to GE, LG, and many other refrigerator makes and models. If your fridge flashes E and 5 after a power outage, or is blinking a blue letter, you can use the methods below to reset your refrigerator.
Refrigerator display panel reset example
To reset your refrigerator display panel: (Different methods for different refrigerators)
Refrigerator Display Reset Method 1 – Hold down the “Energy Saving” and “Lighting” buttons at the same time for 10 seconds (or top left & right buttons). Your display panel should immediately return to normal.
Refrigerator Display Reset Method 2 – Press “Power Freeze” & “Power Cool” at the same time for 10 seconds and the display should reset and come back on.
Refrigerator Display Reset Method 3 – Hold the top left and top right soft touch buttons on the screen “power save” and “lighting” button and hold both buttons for about 8 seconds and it will reset.
Refrigerator Display Reset Method 4 – Press the “Freezer” and “Ref” buttons at the same time for 8 seconds and the reset should work.
Refrigerator Display Reset Method 5 – Press and hold the “power freeze” and “vacation” buttons for 8 to 10 seconds and the display will reset.
Refrigerator Display Reset Method 6 – Press and hold the “energy save” and “lighting” button for 10 seconds and the display will reset.
Refrigerator Display Reset Method 7 – Press and hold the “ice type” and “filter reset” button for 10 seconds and the display will come back on.
Refrigerator Display Reset Method 8 – Press and hold down “quick freeze” and “vacation” for 8 seconds and the display will reset.
These refrigerator display reset methods should reset the display panel on your refrigerator. If it does not, you may have a bad display board, bad main control board, or have a wiring harness issue.
- There are many types and models of refrigerators. The general way to troubleshoot a refrigerator that has a blank display panel, is to first try the reset methods above. If nothing resets the display, you will need to troubleshoot to find out what is causing the display to be blank.
- First try to see if the display panel may have a bad or loose connection with the wire harness. If you find it is connected properly and secure, you may have a bad display board. If you can determine that the display panel and display board are working properly, you need to trace the wire harnesses to find where the issue is coming from.
- If the wire harnesses are not damaged and secure, you may have a bad main control board. The main control board is located behind the refrigerator under a small rectangle shaped panel. Test all components and find which part is causing your no display issue. Below are some parts for all refrigerators including the display panel, display board, wire harnesses, and main control boards for all refrigerators.
Refrigerator display boards and main control boards parts
If your refrigerator is NOT COOLING, check the page here for how to troubleshoot a refrigerator not cooling.
If you have an issue you cannot fix yourself on your refrigerator, please leave your question below and we will be happy to assist you with your refrigerator display problem. Please supply us with the make and model number of your refrigerator when asking a technical question.
Written by Keith Schneerer
Certified Appliance Tech · Founder, RemoveAndReplace.com
Keith has spent 30+ years repairing machines, starting as a military mechanic and later maintaining food processing equipment before moving into appliance repair. He founded RemoveAndReplace.com to share field-tested repair advice.
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Carol,
If you have replaced the display board and the main control board at the back of your LG Refrigerator, then recheck that you have the wiring harnesses secure and in the right position.
Did anything get pinched, bent, damaged when replacing the boards?
Why did you replace both boards on the fridge in the first place? What was the issue then?
-RR
Electrolux refrigerator ice maker thermistor was damaged.
Had a party and everyone was getting ice from the tray.
I had a communication error on my touch screen (s cf).
I replaced the damage thermistor with ice tray kit.
Still with the same error, replaced the main communication board under the refrigerator.
That is the only board they had, now the screen is dead, replaced it with the old board, same issue.
LG fridge/freezer model LRFD25850. Display panel does not light at all. I cannot do a reset because none of the buttons work. The fridge is too cold, freezing food. Inside lights work. We replaced the display board and back control panel but that’s not the problem.
Thomas,
Did you recently have a power outage?
Either way have you tried the simplest way to reset the fridge by unplugging it for 10 minutes?
How old is the Hotpoint refrigerator and what is the model number?
-RR
We have a Hotpoint side by side refrigerator that stopped working yesterday. The light in the fridge/freezer are both on but it is not cooling and the display in the freezer door is dark I can’t see any LEDs indicating cold level and ice maker.
We have a Whirlpool refrigerator model#gd5nvaxwa00. The display in the thermostat panel doesn’t work after a power outage. We unplugged it for 5 min or so and the lights came back on. After a short time it went out again and the compressor doesn’t come on after the lights go out.
Jesse velez,
First, unplug the fridge for 10 minutes and see if that may reset…
IF NOT…
There are 2 very common issues that can stop everything from running on your refrigerator and only leaving the lights on.
1 – Defrost control board
2 – Temp control board
You will need to check these boards and the wire harnesses that go to them.
In this case the usual suspect to cause your issue is replacing the Defrost Control Board.
Make sure to troubleshoot the issue to be sure which board or harness may be causing the problem.
-RR