Viking Refrigerator Error Code High Temperature Alarm

The High Temperature Alarm means the freezer has exceeded +15°F or the refrigerator compartment has exceeded +60°F and that elevated temperature persisted for at least two hours. The alarm uses both an audible tone and an indicator light to notify you of the condition. It is designed to alert you to situations where food safety may be at risk due to a cooling failure or a door that has been left open.

Pressing the Alarm Off pad only silences the audible alert; it does not address the underlying cause of the temperature rise. If the root cause is not corrected, such as a door left open, a failing fan, or a dirty condenser, temperatures will remain elevated or rise again and the alarm may reactivate. Always verify that compartment temperatures are actively returning to normal after silencing the alarm.

Repair costs vary significantly depending on the cause. Cleaning condenser coils is a low-cost or no-cost fix you can often do yourself. A door gasket replacement typically runs in the range of $50 to $150 including parts and labor. An evaporator fan motor replacement generally falls between $150 and $350. Compressor replacement or refrigerant recharge represents the most expensive scenario, often ranging from $400 to $900 or more depending on the specific parts and labor required in your area.

Press the Alarm Off pad on the control panel to silence the audible tone immediately. If the compartment temperature has already recovered on its own before you press the pad, the tone will have already stopped automatically. The indicator light will remain on until the compartment actually returns to a safe temperature, so silencing the tone does not mean the problem is resolved.

Food safety depends on how high temperatures rose and for how long. The alarm triggers after two hours above the critical threshold, so food in the refrigerator compartment above 40°F for more than two hours should be evaluated carefully using standard food safety guidelines. Frozen food that has partially thawed but still contains ice crystals can generally be refrozen, but any fully thawed protein or dairy should be treated with caution. When in doubt, discard perishable items.