Why Is My Whirlpool Fridge Ice Maker Not Working?

Find out where the ice stops

We'd open the bin before pressing Reset, because its contents tell you which part of the process has stopped. A conventional ice maker fills a mold, freezes the water and releases the cubes into the bin. Water flowing from the dispenser confirms water reaches that outlet; the maker still needs its own fill and release cycle. If your refrigerator has two ice makers, inspect both bins.

The bin is empty

Start with the ice maker control. A raised wire arm switches a wire-arm maker off, and ice piled high enough to lift it can stop production on purpose. Remove or level piled ice, then make sure the arm moves freely.

1. Lower a raised wire arm when the bin is empty. If your maker has a rocker marked O and a vertical or horizontal line, select the line for On. Look beneath or behind the ice maker door for the switch; on a freezer-door design, remove the bin to see the switch on the door's left wall.
2. If your refrigerator has a display, open Settings, then Tools/Set Up, then Ice Maker and select On. On a nugget-ice display reading Ice Maker Off, hold Dispense and Refrigerator together for 3 seconds. The display should change to On or stop showing Ice Maker Off.
3. For an in-door maker that stopped after its bin was removed, push the bin fully home and close the door. A bin or door sensor can pause production even while the control says On. Before the batch check, measure freezer temperature with a freestanding appliance thermometer. If it is 0 to 5°F, look for a new batch in the bin about 3 hours later. If none appears, continue to the water checks.

Next, put a freestanding appliance thermometer in the freezer and let its reading settle. Whirlpool ice production calls for a freezer between 0 and 5°F. If it is warmer, adjust the setting toward 0°F and measure again after about 24 hours. A display can show the setting instead of the temperature around your food; the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's refrigerator thermometer guidance (opens in a new tab) explains why the separate thermometer matters.

If it remains warm or food is thawing, the cooling fault needs attention now; follow the refrigerator cooling checks.

The mold is empty or the cubes are small

The ice maker requests water for a timed cycle, while the water dispenser flows for as long as you hold its paddle.

1. Confirm that the refrigerator's existing connection goes to a cold-water supply and that its household shutoff valve is fully open. If both ice and dispenser water have stopped, an open valve that restores flow points to the supply as the cause. A refrigerator without a water dispenser gets the same valve and visible-line checks; use the next batch of cubes to judge the result.
2. Look at the reachable tubing and its connections for a pinch, kink, crack or drip. If the refrigerator must move to expose the line, have another person help. Gently straighten a visible, undamaged kink without loosening a fitting, then move the refrigerator back without trapping the line against the wall. Improved dispenser flow, followed by new cubes, confirms the restriction was in that line.

Most refrigerator filters are replaced about every 6 months, sooner when flow slows or the filter indicator calls for it. A filter that has not locked and sealed can restrict water and leak.

3. Note the dispenser flow with the filter installed. On Whirlpool designs that dispense with the filter removed, take it out and dispense again. If the housing requires a bypass plug, install that plug for the test. If an empty housing produces no water, refit the filter before judging the supply.
4. If flow improves during the bypass test, reinstall the filter until it locks and seals. Replace it if it still restricts flow, and look for drips at the housing. Steady dispenser flow, a dry housing and new cubes show that the filter or its seating caused the trouble.
5. If flow stays weak, return to the supply valve and visible line. If dispenser flow is normal but the mold is still empty after about 3 hours in a cold freezer, the remaining possibilities are a frozen fill tube, the ice-maker side of the inlet valve, or a maker that never requests a fill.

Whirlpool's ice maker water and filter checks (opens in a new tab) cover the filter-removed test on designs that permit it. For a dispenser that remains weak after reseating the filter, follow the slow water dispenser checks.

After a new water connection or filter change, hold a sturdy container at the dispenser. Press for 5 seconds and pause for 5 seconds until water runs, then repeat for the volume printed for the installed filter. One Whirlpool procedure specifies about 3 gallons; water may spurt while air clears. Steady flow and the completed flush show the water system is ready for the maker's next cycle.

Cubes freeze in the maker but never drop

A conventional cube maker briefly warms its mold so the ejector can move the frozen batch into the bin. A batch still sitting in the mold points to the release step; a visibly caught cube may be stopping the ejector.

1. If a cube is visibly caught in an accessible ejector arm or finger, switch the maker off and gently lift out only that cube with a plastic utensil. Turn the maker back on and close the door. A new batch in the bin shows the jam has cleared; a returning jam points to the mechanism.
2. If no visible jam explains the stuck batch and there is an accessible reset button, hold it for a few seconds. If there is no button and you can safely reach the plug, unplug the refrigerator for 1 minute and reconnect it. Look in the bin a couple of hours later for dropped ice.
3. If the batch is still stuck after the control, temperature and water checks, the ejector, mold heater or maker control needs diagnosis. Do not probe the valve or ice-maker wiring while diagnosing a failed fill or release. Live wiring can cause serious shock; leave internal electrical tests to refrigerator service.

Ice is in the bin but none reaches the glass

1. Close the doors, turn off Dispenser Lock if its icon is lit, and select ice instead of water. Press a sturdy glass fully against the paddle. Ice in the glass means the control or door position was the problem; if nothing comes out, listen for silence or grinding and continue.
2. Remove and reseat the bin. For a door bin with a lever, pull the lever at its base, then lift and pull the bin out. For a release-button bin, support its base with both hands, press the button and lift. For a bin beneath a cover, lift the cover, raise its wire arm, lift the bin's front and pull it forward. Push the bin fully back into place, restore the arm if you raised it, close the door and try the paddle again.

3. With power disconnected, remove the bin again if ice is clumped or the reachable chute is blocked. Don't use anything sharp, because it can damage the bin and the dispenser mechanism. Discard fused ice or separate loose clumps with a plastic utensil. Wipe the bin bottom and reachable chute with a warm, damp cloth, then dry both thoroughly so water cannot refreeze there.
4. Reseat the dry bin, reconnect power and test the ice paddle with a sturdy glass. Loose ice reaching the glass confirms the delivery path is clear. A silent paddle, grinding sound or continued failure with loose ice and a seated bin points to the dispenser switch, drive or motor.

If the freezer cannot hold its target temperature, a leak persists after the water is shut off, the mold remains empty after the control and water checks, cubes stay stuck after a reset, or loose ice still will not dispense, the owner checks are finished. For an in-warranty refrigerator, contact Whirlpool for its service provider. Out of warranty, contact Whirlpool service or a qualified refrigerator repair company; use a plumber for a household supply or pressure fault. Give them the model and serial numbers, purchase date, measured freezer temperature, what is in the bin, dispenser flow and the results of the checks you tried.

For a U.S. out-of-warranty visit, diagnosis when you decline repair runs $70 to $150. An installed ice-maker assembly runs $140 to $440, built from a $66 to $190 genuine assembly and 1 to 2 labor hours at $75 to $125 an hour. An inlet valve replacement runs about $100 to $250. Ask for an itemized quote and whether the visit fee is credited to repair. Shops can mark parts up above these retail parts prices; the exact failed part, local labor and any additional repair change the total.

Questions you may still have