How a Whirlpool refrigerator reports a fault
A Whirlpool refrigerator shows a small set of display alerts rather than a full fault table, so many problems are read by symptom rather than by a code. Knowing the alerts saves money, because long code lists copied from other manufacturers do not apply to a Whirlpool fridge.
The alerts you will see
PO is a power-outage alert — informational, cleared by holding OK/Lock for three seconds. HI and LO are high and low temperature warnings, pointing at a door seal, dirty condenser coils, a stuck damper or a sensor. dE is a defrost-system failure (heater, thermostat or relay), and SY EF is an evaporator-fan fault that leaves the fresh-food side warming while the freezer stays cold. CF and SY CE are communication faults between the main and secondary boards, and PC is a compressor-circuit fault. A five-minute power reset clears some transient CF and SY CE alerts.
Symptoms and when to call
Most faults are symptoms: not cooling traces to a frosted evaporator, a stalled fan or dirty coils; no ice or water to a clogged EveryDrop™ filter or a failed inlet valve; water under the crisper to a clogged defrost drain. For a recurring PO, a section that will not cool, a dE or SY EF alert, or a clicking compressor, an experienced, independent technician should diagnose the defrost components, fans or sealed system with the correct genuine OEM part. See the refrigerator error codes page or the error codes library, then book refrigerator repair.