KitchenAid KRSC536RPS refrigerator: fresh-food compartment not cooling, weak/intermittent airflow

Hi, I’m Mike, your appliance troubleshooting expert. Is the freezer staying cold (ice cream hard, about -18 to -15°C / 0–5°F) while the fridge side is warm, and what temps are you seeing?

Can you confirm the brand and exact model from the inside wall tag—does it say KitchenAid KRSC536RPS or a different Frigidaire model?

With the fresh-food door open, do you feel steady airflow from the top vent (diffuser), or is airflow weak or intermittent?

Have you noticed frost on the freezer’s rear wall, and do you generally hear the freezer evaporator fan running after you close the doors?

Thanks—based on your answers, here’s what’s most likely going on:

• Most probable: the fresh-food air diffuser/damper is sticking or its small motor/gear is failing. The weak airflow plus the periodic “click” that briefly improves flow is classic for a damper door that isn’t opening fully.
• Also possible: a faulty fresh-food thermistor (temperature sensor) reporting the compartment as colder than it is, so the control keeps the damper mostly closed.
• Less likely but possible: a control board output issue commanding the damper, or blocked return-air vents inside the fridge. Since the freezer is solid and there’s no freezer-wall frost, a defrost or sealed-system problem is unlikely. What a technician would do: run service diagnostics to exercise the damper, compare setpoint vs actual thermistor readings, and inspect airflow paths; if the damper fails the test, it’s typically replaced, and a misreading thermistor would be replaced if its values are off. Typical repair costs (parts + labor) for a damper or thermistor are often in the ~$150–$350 range each, depending on region. Food safety note: 10°C/50°F is above the safe zone; perishable foods kept above 4°C/40°F for more than ~2 hours should be discarded. If you’d like, I can outline a few simple checks you can try before calling maintenance.

Sure—keep it simple and safe:

• Clear the vents: keep at least 5 cm (2 in) of space in front of the top fridge vent (diffuser) and along the back wall/return vents; move tall containers away from the top vent.
• Listen for the damper: set the fridge colder (about 1–3°C / 34–37°F), close the door for a minute, then open and listen at the top vent—steady airflow is normal; repeated clicking with weak flow points to a sticking damper.
• Door seals: check gaskets for gaps by gently tugging a slip of paper around the door perimeter; clean seals with warm soapy water and make sure doors close without bouncing.
• Condenser airflow: vacuum dust from the front kick grille to improve cooling efficiency; avoid sharp edges and hot parts, and don’t remove any internal panels.
• Power reset: if safe to access the plug without moving the unit, unplug for 5 minutes and plug back in to let the controls reinitialize (avoid if you’d need to un-install the fridge). If the airflow remains weak and the clicking persists, scheduling service to inspect/replace the air diffuser/damper and check the fresh-food thermistor would be the next step; I can help you describe the symptoms to maintenance.