Kenmore Freezer Reset Button: Location and Reset Steps

Quick Answer

Most Kenmore refrigerators do not have a dedicated physical reset button for the freezer. You can reset the system by holding the Home and Options buttons or by unplugging the unit for five minutes to drain the control board capacitors.

When I show up to a Kenmore with a warm freezer, the first thing I do is try a reset before I even open my bag. Skip this step and you could be staring down a $100+ service call for something you could've fixed in five minutes. Most of the time it's just the control board stuck in a loop, and a simple power cycle clears it right out. Ignore it long enough and your food spoils.

KenmoreRefrigerator85% DIY Success

How to Reset Your Kenmore Refrigerator

Nine times out of ten, a frozen control board is what's behind a warm Kenmore freezer. There's no single reset button on these things, so you'll either use a button combo on the display or pull the plug for ten minutes. This is usually the first thing I try because it's free and it works more often than you'd think. Seriously, don't call a tech until you've done this.

Most Likely Causes

Based on aggregated repair data, here is the probability breakdown for this error code:

Software logic glitch45%

Power surge interference30%

Ice maker sensor jam25%

Symptoms You May Notice

Freezer display is blank
Ice maker stopped producing ice
Freezer temperature rising above 10 degrees
Control panel buttons are unresponsive
Error code flashing on the door

Tools Required for Diagnosis

Flashlight (to spot the ice maker reset button clearly)Phone or tablet (to look up your specific model number reset sequence)

Diagnostic Checklist

Follow these steps in order. We start with the easiest external fixes before opening up the machine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the reset button on a Kenmore Elite freezer?

There's no button on the outside labeled 'Reset', I can tell you that right now. But open up the freezer and look at the ice maker itself. On most Kenmore Elite models there's a small square rubber button or a pinhole reset on the front face or bottom of the ice maker housing. That button resets the ice production cycle specifically. For a full control board reset you need the button combo on the display panel or the power cord method. The ice maker reset and the board reset are two completely separate things, so don't expect one to do the job of the other.

Will resetting my freezer fix a cooling problem?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If the board glitched from a power surge, a reset will absolutely fix it. I've seen this work probably 40% of the time when someone calls me about a warm freezer. But if your evaporator coils are frozen solid, the condenser fan isn't spinning, or the compressor's starting to fail, resetting the board is just treating a symptom. It might work for a day and then come right back. If the problem returns within 24 hours, there's something physical going on that needs actual diagnosis, not another reset.

How long should I leave the refrigerator unplugged?

Ten minutes minimum. I know some guys say 30 seconds but that's for newer boards with smaller capacitors. Older Kenmore units, especially anything made before 2016, have beefier capacitors on the main control board that hold a charge for several minutes after you unplug. If you don't give those time to fully discharge, the memory doesn't fully clear and the reboot isn't clean. Ten minutes is the safe number. I've been doing this for 15 years and I've never had a ten-minute unplug fail to do a proper reset.

Does the air filter reset button affect the freezer?

Nope. The air filter reset and the water filter reset are basically just countdown timers. All they do is reset a counter that tells the board 'new filter installed, start the clock over.' They don't talk to the compressor, the thermistors, or the cooling system at all. Pressing the filter reset button when you've got a temperature problem isn't doing anything useful. Won't hurt anything but won't help either. Totally different system.

What if the reset does not work?

If a full ten-minute power reset doesn't bring the freezer back, the next thing I check is the condenser fan motor at the back bottom of the unit. If it's seized or not spinning, the compressor overheats and shuts down in self-protection mode. No reset is going to fix a dead fan motor. Also worth checking is the start relay on the side of the compressor. It's a small $15-20 part and you can shake it to test it. If it rattles like a maraca, it's shot. Replace it and you're usually back in business same day.

My Kenmore freezer keeps needing resets every few weeks. What's going on?

That's a control board on its way out. When a board starts failing, it'll glitch intermittently, respond to resets for a few weeks, then eventually stop responding at all. Could also be a thermistor with an intermittent connection that keeps sending bad data and tripping the board. I replaced three of these boards last month on Kenmore 795-series fridges and all three customers described the exact same pattern, works after reset, fails again two weeks later. A new main control board runs about $80-150 depending on your model. Cheaper than a service call plus labor.

Models Known to Experience KEN-FREEZER-RESET Errors

This repair applies to most Kenmore refrigerators with this error code. Common model numbers include:

795.51833410, 795.72483411, 795.73157610, 795.51312011, 106.44422601, 106.73025411, 795.68543313

Written by

Mike Sullivan

Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 20 years experience

Last verified for technical accuracy on March 17, 2026