What F116 Means
F116 — F 01 16 on the display — is the freezer evaporator NTC reported failing. It is the freezer’s equivalent of F115: the control has lost its reading of coil temperature and therefore its basis for deciding when the freezer evaporator needs to be defrosted.
Common Causes of F116
- Freezer evaporator NTC failed
- Sensor no longer in contact with the evaporator coil
- Lead broken where it passes out of the cold compartment
🔧 One Safe Check You Can Try
Check whether the freezer is frosting up faster than it used to and whether drawers are becoming hard to pull out. Both are signs the defrost cycle is not doing its job, and both are worth reporting along with the code.
⚠ Why You Shouldn't Go Further Than That
- Ice on a freezer evaporator masks everything behind it, so the compartment usually has to be defrosted before the sensor can even be assessed.
- The sensor sits against the refrigerant circuit, and puncturing a coil while chipping ice away is the classic way this becomes a far bigger repair.
- Left alone, a freezer that never defrosts properly ends up choked with ice, at which point airflow and cooling both fall away.
Opening a panel to inspect or repair something yourself doesn't automatically cancel your manufacturer's warranty — but it can risk accidental damage, and some manufacturers do have specific service conditions. Check your product's warranty terms, or ask us, before deciding.
Technical Reference
- Code
- F116
- Appliance
- Miele refrigerator
- Maker documentation
- Miele owner manuals and use & care guides
- Checked
- September 2026
Code meanings can change between control generations. Before acting on a code, match the full model number on your appliance's rating label against the manual for that model. We are an independent repair service, not affiliated with Miele & Cie. KG.