What E42 actually means
The temperature sensor for the soft-freeze compartment (the drawer that holds food at part-frozen temperatures) has stopped giving the control board a sensible reading.
Beko's control board constantly reads a small temperature probe inside the soft-freeze section. When that reading goes out of range or disappears altogether — usually a broken sensor or a loose connection at the board — the board logs E42 and can no longer control that compartment properly. The main fridge and freezer sections often carry on cooling as normal, so the first thing owners notice is the code rather than warm food.
What usually causes it
- Failed soft-freeze temperature sensor (by far the most common)
- Loose or dislodged sensor connector at the control board
- Damaged or chafed sensor wiring inside the cabinet
- Faulty main control board misreading the sensor
What you can safely check yourself
Work through these in order. Anything beyond this — panels off, testing parts, anything to do with the wiring — is an engineer's job, and not one to attempt with the machine plugged in.
- Switch the appliance off at the socket for a minute, then back on — if the code was a one-off glitch it will clear
- Check the soft-freeze drawer closes fully and nothing is jammed against the back wall of that compartment
- Check the food in that drawer to see whether it is actually at the wrong temperature, and move anything at risk to the main freezer
When to call someone
This one usually needs an engineer once you have tried the checks above. We cover Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire, and it's £66 including VAT for an engineer to come out and diagnose it — £84 in total if it's repaired on the visit with no parts needed. Any parts needed are quoted on site before we fit them — you decide. Every repair carries a 90-day workmanship guarantee.
Outside our area? The explanation above still stands — take it to a local engineer and tell them the code. Knowing it saves them time and you money.
Other Beko fridge freezer codes
- Beko E00 — The control board has lost a sensible reading from the freez…
- Beko E01 — The sensor that tells the fridge freezer how cold its freeze…
- Beko E02 — The temperature sensor on the fridge side's cooling coil (ev…
- Beko E03 — The sensor that measures the air temperature inside the frid…
- Beko E04 — The freezer's automatic defrost heater hasn't done its job, …
- Beko E05 — The fridge freezer has lost a reliable reading from the sens…
- Beko E08 — The temperature sensor inside the ice maker section has stop…
- Beko E09 — The motor that turns the ice maker's tray to drop ice cubes …