Samsung Washing Machine AE Error
Also shown as: AC · ACb · AC6 · AE6 · 13E
Start with what AE is not, because page one of the search results gets it wrong in two different directions: AE is not a door fault, and it is not a leak. Samsung's wording is consistent across three regional pages — Singapore: check the communications between the main and sub PBAs; UK: a signal communication error; Lebanon's table, the most explicit of all: "signal communication error between Main PCB and Sub PCB." The washer's two control boards have stopped talking to each other. Everything honest about this code follows from that — including how little of it is DIY, which this page will not disguise.
The decision sequence
- What it means on your model: The main control board and the sub/display board are not exchanging signals (AE, AC and family). AE6 is the variant that names the inverter board instead. Nothing in this family concerns the door, the latch or water.
- Safe to keep running?: Samsung UK notes the machine may return to normal on its own. If it does not, there is no user repair inside this family — the one restart below is the whole user procedure, and it is genuinely worth doing once.
- The approved checks, in order: Samsung Singapore gives the controlling user procedure: turn the machine off and restart the cycle; if the information code remains, contact a customer service center. Samsung UK frames the restart with a pause first — wait a few minutes, as the machine may return to normal on its own. Samsung's Lebanon table phrases the restart as off at the mains for 30 seconds. One restart, in your region's wording — not three procedures stacked.
- When to stop: The code remains after Samsung's recommended restart — contact a Samsung service centre. Samsung identifies the fault as a communication problem between the main and sub control boards, and the technician determines which board or connection needs attention. Do not open the cabinet: these are mains-voltage boards.
Safety first
- Do not open the cabinet or touch the boards or their connectors. The main board carries mains voltage, and this fault family has no user-serviceable part behind the panel.
Common causes
A lost signal between the main and sub boards
Samsung's definition of the family — a communication failure, not a failed wash function. The boards themselves, or the harness connecting them, are where the fault lives.
A transient upset the machine can clear itself
Why Samsung UK's first instruction is to wait: it notes the machine may automatically return to normal operation. A one-off communication glitch is a real member of this family.
The inverter board variant (AE6)
Samsung UK separates AE6 as an inverter communication issue and names its service checks: the inverter PCB and the wire harness.
Step-by-step checks
- Wait a few minutes (Samsung UK)Samsung UK's first step for AC/AE: wait a few minutes — the machine may automatically return to normal operation on its own.
- Turn the machine off and restart the cycle — onceSamsung Singapore's procedure for AC/AE: turn the machine off, and restart the cycle; if the information code remains, contact a customer service center. Samsung UK gives the same restart after its waiting step; Samsung's Lebanon table phrases it as off at the mains for 30 seconds, back on, new programme. Do it once, in your region's wording; a code that remains afterwards has given you its answer.
When to call a technician
Samsung identifies AE/AC as a communication problem between the main and sub control boards. If the code remains after Samsung's recommended restart, contact a Samsung service centre; the technician determines which board or connection needs attention.
AE6 is a separate case: Samsung UK names the inverter PCB and the wire harness as AE6's checks. Those belong to AE6 only — they are not the procedure for ordinary AE/AC.
Model differences
| What you see | What it is |
|---|---|
| AE / AC | Signal communication error (UK) between the main PCB and sub PCB (Lebanon). AC6 sits in the same UK row. |
| 13E | The old code for AE — Samsung's Lebanon table maps AE (new) to 13E (old), with the same reset and meaning. UK lists 13E separately as a signal communication issue. |
| AE6 | Inverter communication issue (UK) — a separate fault from AE/AC. Samsung UK names the inverter PCB and wire harness as its checks; they do not apply to ordinary AE/AC. |
| ACb, AEb and the wider AC list | Samsung US files a long variant list — AE, AE6, AEb, AC6, ACb, AC and more — under one heading: Communication Error. |
The myth this page exists to correct
Dedicated pages elsewhere call AE a door fault or a leak/door-seal fault. Neither appears in any Samsung source for this code: three regional Samsung pages define it as board-to-board communication. If a guide tells you to check the door seal for AE, it is guessing — check the family map above instead.
One-page checklist — AE / AC
- Waited a few minutes for self-recovery (UK)
- One restart done — Singapore: off, restart the cycle · UK: restart the cycle · Lebanon: 30-second mains reset
- Code remains after the restart: Samsung service centre contacted
- Cabinet left closed — no board contact
Official Samsung references
Frequently asked questions
Is AE a door or leak fault?
No — despite what some dedicated pages claim. Samsung Singapore, UK and Lebanon all define AE/AC as a communication error between the main and sub control boards. The door and the seals are not involved.
What can I actually do about AE myself?
One restart, in your region's wording: Samsung Singapore — turn the machine off and restart the cycle, and if the code remains, contact a customer service center; Samsung UK adds a wait of a few minutes first, in case the machine returns to normal on its own. That is the complete user procedure for this family — anything further is service work.
What will the technician check?
That is the service centre's determination, not a list to work through yourself: Samsung defines AE/AC as a communication problem between the main and sub control boards, and the technician determines which board or connection needs attention. For AE6 only, Samsung UK names the inverter PCB and its wire harness. The boards are mains-voltage parts either way.
AE vanished on its own. Should I still worry?
Samsung UK anticipates exactly this — the machine may automatically return to normal. A single self-cleared AE is a glitch worth noting, not a repair. If it becomes a habit, book service and report the pattern.
Is 13E the same as AE?
Yes — Samsung's Lebanon table lists 13E as the old code for AE, with the same meaning (signal communication between main and sub PCB) and the same 30-second reset.