Fridge Freezes Food

Fridge Freezing Your Food? Here’s Why It Happens and What to Do

Opening the fridge only to find frozen lettuce, solid milk, or rock-hard eggs? If your refrigerator is freezing food instead of keeping it cool, something’s not working right. We hear about this problem all the time from Charlotte-area homeowners, and the good news is, it’s usually fixable.

At Just Call Appliance Repair, we help families across Charlotte, Matthews, Concord, and surrounding cities troubleshoot and fix fridges that are running too cold. Whether it’s a sensor problem, control issue, or airflow imbalance, we’ll get your appliance back to keeping food fresh, not frozen. Book your fridge maintenance today.

Why Is Your Fridge Freezing Food?

1. Thermostat Set Too Low

This one’s simple but common, if your fridge is set below 37°F (3°C), it can easily start freezing food, especially items close to the vents. We often see this happen with Whirlpool and GE models that have dial settings instead of digital controls.

2. Faulty Temperature Sensor or Thermistor

In modern fridges from Samsung, LG, and Frigidaire, a small sensor monitors the internal temperature. If it malfunctions, the fridge may run constantly, dropping the temperature too far and freezing everything inside.

3. Broken Damper Control Assembly

Side-by-side and French door models often use a damper to control how much cold air from the freezer enters the fridge. If this damper gets stuck open, which happens in older KitchenAid and Maytag units, the fridge fills with freezing air.

fridge freezing food repair charlotte

4. Poor Airflow or Blocked Vents

Storing food too close to the back wall can block airflow and trap cold air in one section. In many Samsung and LG fridges, we see items in the back right corner freeze while the rest of the fridge stays normal.

5. Control Board or Thermostat Malfunction

If the main control board or thermostat fails, it can send the wrong signals to the cooling system. This can cause the compressor to run longer than it should, freezing items even on middle shelves.

How to Fix a Fridge That Freezes Food

Here are a few things you can try before calling a technician:

  • Adjust the temperature – Set your fridge to around 37°F and freezer to 0°F. Wait 24 hours to see if the freezing stops.
  • Keep food away from vents – Don’t pack items tight against the back wall or air outlets, especially in bottom-freezer models.
  • Inspect the door seal – A leaking door seal can confuse sensors, causing overcooling. Replace if it’s cracked or loose.
  • Do a full reset – Unplug the fridge for 5–10 minutes, then plug it back in. Sometimes this clears faulty control board behavior.

If none of these work, or your fridge keeps freezing food every day, the issue may be electrical or mechanical. That’s where we come in.

Charlotte Refrigerator Repair for Overcooling Issues

If your fridge keeps freezing your food, it’s more than just frustrating; it wastes groceries and makes daily life harder. At Just Call Appliance Repair, we’ll figure out what’s causing it and get things back to normal. Whether it’s a stuck damper, a bad sensor, or something deeper in the controls, we know what to look for.

Let’s get your fridge cooling the way it should, no more frozen milk or rock-solid lettuce.