Samsung’s microwave code article lists -SE-, sometimes shown as SE, as a key short error, and TE as a touch communication error. The control has read one or more keys as pressed continuously and has stopped accepting input, which is why the microwave beeps on its own, shows -SE- or refuses to start. On Samsung’s over-the-range ME models, which sit directly above a cooktop, the keypad membrane lives in the path of every pot of pasta that has ever boiled below it, and steam that condenses behind the membrane is the commonest cause by a distance.
Samsung’s Reset
The instruction Samsung gives for every code on that page is the same: unplug the microwave or turn it off at the circuit breaker, wait sixty seconds, then restore power; if the code persists, request service. For -SE- the pause is doing two jobs. It clears the control, and it gives a damp membrane time to dry. On an over-the-range unit the plug is inside the cabinet above the microwave, behind the door of the cupboard; if you cannot reach it, the breaker does the same thing. Leave it off longer than a minute if the kitchen has just been steamy, an hour or overnight does no harm, and run the vent fan on the microwave the next time you boil anything beneath it.
Reading the Sign
An -SE- that appears after a long boil below the microwave and clears after a dry-out is moisture. An -SE- that appears at random, or that comes back within minutes of the reset in a dry kitchen, is the membrane or the ribbon connector between it and the control board. An -SE- with one key that has felt different for a while, sticking, needing a hard press, is a mechanically worn membrane. A microwave whose keypad responds with the wrong function, or whose display shows characters that are not in the list, may have a control board problem behind the keypad instead. Note the pattern; it decides which part is ordered.
Leave the Cabinet Shut
Do not remove the grille or the cabinet of the microwave to reach the keypad. A microwave’s high-voltage capacitor may still hold a dangerous charge long after the plug is out, and the keypad and control board are in the same enclosure. Owner checks on a Samsung microwave stop at the outlet, the breaker, the door and the turntable. Do not spray cleaner on the keypad; the moisture gets behind the membrane the same way steam does. Wipe it with a cloth that is damp, not wet, and dry it.
Keeping Steam Out
The microwave’s vent fan exists partly to pull cooking vapor away from its own underside. Use it whenever a pan is boiling or frying below. Check that the grease filters under the microwave are clean, because a clogged filter reduces the airflow the fan can move; with the microwave switched off and cool, slide them out, wash them in hot soapy water or the dishwasher, dry them and refit. If the microwave is ducted outside, a damper stuck shut on the roof or wall cap sends the steam back into the cabinet. A microwave that recirculates through a charcoal filter needs that filter changed on the interval the manual gives.
Repairing Rather Than Replacing
A failed membrane keypad or ribbon connector is a replaceable part on most Samsung over-the-range models, and a repair that keeps a built-in unit in its cabinet is usually worth pricing against a new microwave plus installation. Book a Samsung microwave repair, say whether the code clears after a reset and how long it stays away, and give the model code from the label on the door frame.