GE Refrigerator Main Controller Board

If your GE refrigerator is not cooling consistently but everything else seems to work, such as the the lights inside are on then it may very well be an issue with the main controller board problem. The controller board is essentially the brains of the refrigerator so it can cause a number of issues if it is defective.  Unfortunately, this is a common issue with GE refrigerators.

Here are some common complaints from users that could definitely be caused my the motherboard.

• it’ll cool sporadically or doesn’t cool at all
• The refrigerator cools but their freezer is no longer cold
• Ice melts and then refreezes
• Hear a constant clicking sound from the motherboard in the back of the fridge
• Hear a “howling” sound from the rear.
• The refrigerator lights dim when your water or ice dispenser is dispensing.
• The LCD panel then you might see the letters “HRS” flashing on it.
• It’ll freeze ice then melt and refreeze again

Unfortunately, it is fairly common for main controller boards on GE refrigerators to fail. If you check out the motherboard you might find burnt marks or bad soldering joints from overheating. Calling a repairman to diagnose and fix the problem will likely cost $400-$500. Fortunately, you can purchase the controller board from amazon for about $140 and swap it yourself in 20 minutes, even if you are not very handy. GE makes it easy to find the right part as most of the older refrigerator mainboards, including WR55X10552, WR55X10656, WR55X10335 have all been replaced by the new and improve controller board, WR55X10942.

You’ll want to grab your model number from the inside of your GE refrigerator then enter it in to the “Make sure this fits” entry field at the top of the control board page on amazon to ensure it works for your refrigerator. If not then it’ll give you some options for other control board replacements.

Here are a few examples of GE Refrigerator issues that were fixed with a new controller board:

“The light inside the freezer and fridge were working, but nothing else was. The refrigerator was not cooling, the water/ice dispenser and the digital displays were not functional. It was like someone turned everything off except the inside lights. Bought this motherboard and was able to install it in a matter of minutes. It literally takes no understanding of electronics to do so.”

“My main control board was clicking so purchased this replacement board. Remove the old one and replaced with this one. Very easy to install. Fridge work well since!”

“A few years ago things started going south on me; ice and water dispenser, freezer temperature, funky howling/whining noises… etc, all of which would come and go. Got to a point where the cycling of the compressor “

“My 13 yr old GE stopped cooling. No Ice maker lights nor temperature displays but the lights in both the freezer and fridge side worked. A little research and I came to the conclusion the main control board (motherboard) was likely dead… I grabbed this motherboard and WOW! It worked like a charm!!!”

“we started noticing temperature fluctuations in the freezer. At first it was minimal then gradually we started noticing large fluctuations. It would be 0 then a few hours later it would be 18. At the end I noticed it as high as 30’s. All this time the fridge part was staying pretty stable. I couldn’t afford to hire a technician to come out so I let it limp along. Eventually we started hearing clicking every few seconds/minutes. Last week it stopped cooling all together.”

Here is a great video on the replacement of the GE refrigerator control board.

While this fixes the GE refrigerator cooling issue for most people, let us know if this worked for you (or not) in the comments below so we can help each other fix these annoying problems!