Short answer
Most often a failed defrost system icing over the evaporator, a condenser fan that has stopped, or coils so clogged the system cannot shed heat. A compressor failure is what everyone fears and is far less common than the three above.
Check this before you call
Pull the refrigerator out and look at the condenser coils underneath or behind it. If they are packed with dust and pet hair, the system cannot reject heat and the whole appliance struggles. Unplug it and clean them carefully with a brush and a vacuum.
Listen, too. A fridge that is silent is a different problem from one that is running constantly. Constant running with poor cooling usually points at airflow or defrost; silence points at a control, a relay or the compressor.
The freezer-cold, fridge-warm pattern
This one is specific enough to be worth naming: freezer still frozen, fresh-food side too warm. That is nearly always the defrost system or the evaporator fan, not a refrigerant problem. Ice builds on the evaporator, air stops moving to the upper compartment, and the freezer stays cold because it is sitting next to the ice.
It is a repairable fault and usually an affordable one. It is not a reason to replace the appliance.
Do not wait on this one
Call the same day and say the refrigerator has stopped cooling. It goes to the front of our schedule ahead of everything else, because every hour of waiting costs you food. Move what you can to a cooler or a neighbour meanwhile.
Still not sure how this applies to your machine? Call and ask — we would rather answer a question over the phone than have you guess. We cover Rock Island, the Quad Cities and every community within 50 miles.
(309) 430-9594This comes up most on