Traeger Error Codes Explained: HEr, LEr, ER1 and More (2026)

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Your pellet grill isn't heating up, the brisket's four hours in, and now there's a three-letter code blinking at you instead of a temperature. That's the moment most people panic and start Googling "is my Traeger dead" — and it's almost always the wrong reaction. The vast majority of Traeger and Pit Boss error codes are not death sentences for the grill. They're the controller doing exactly what it's supposed to do: catching a problem before it becomes a fire, a ruined cook, or a fried circuit board.

The catch is that Traeger runs two completely different error systems depending on which controller your grill has, and Pit Boss runs a third system entirely. Mix them up — treat a WiFIRE touchscreen code like an old analog LEr, or assume Pit Boss and Traeger codes mean the same thing — and you'll chase the wrong fix, buy the wrong part, or worse, ignore something that actually needed attention.

This guide sorts every common code by controller generation and brand, tells you exactly what's failing, and — critically — tells you what NOT to replace. The single most repeated mistake in Traeger and Pit Boss owner forums is swapping the control board when an inexpensive temperature probe was the actual problem.

Quick Reference: What Each Code Means

How Traeger's Error System Actually Works

The reason so much error-code advice online is wrong is that it treats Traeger as one system. It isn't. Traeger has run two distinct controller families, and they don't share a single error string.

Non-WiFIRE grills with 3-digit digital controllers — think Pro Series Gen 1, Lil' Tex, Ranger, Tailgater, Renegade — display short lowercase-style codes: LEr, HEr, Err, Er1 through Er7. These are older AC-powered controllers with no app connectivity.

WiFIRE-enabled grills — Pro 575/780, Ironwood, Timberline, Silverton, Woodridge, Westwood — run the D2 controller platform and display numeric error codes on the app and, on touchscreen models, an on-screen message: Error 0001 through Error 0007, sometimes abbreviated ER01–ER07. These grills also have separate app-only connectivity errors (21, 22, 25) that have nothing to do with the actual cook.

If you own an older grill with a simple digital readout and no phone app, skip straight to the AC section below. If your grill connects to WiFi and has a touchscreen or the Traeger app shows a status, go to the WiFIRE section. Confusing the two is where most bad troubleshooting advice online comes from — one widely repeated claim says "ER4 means low pellets." It doesn't. Traeger's own documentation is explicit: Er4 on an AC grill means the induction fan has been disconnected, full stop.

Traeger AC Controller Codes (Non-WiFIRE)

LEr — Low Error Reading

LEr means the grill's internal temperature dropped below 125°F for more than 10 minutes. On these AC grills, that shutdown stops the auger, the induction fan, and the igniter — but because AC controllers have no sleep mode, the display stays lit and blinking.

Most common causes, in order of likelihood: the hopper ran empty or pellets tunneled and stopped feeding; the pellets themselves are wet, old, or low-quality and won't sustain a burn; the firepot is choked with ash or unburned sawdust from a previous cook; cold or windy conditions are pulling heat away faster than a smaller AC grill can compensate for; or the RTD probe is fouled with grease and reading artificially low.

What to actually do: Unplug the grill, let it cool, and physically check the hopper and firepot. Clear tunneled pellets with a screwdriver or dowel, vacuum out ash and sawdust, and confirm you're running dry pellets (a pellet that crumbles instead of snapping cleanly has absorbed too much moisture). Restart. If LEr recurs on a clean firepot with good pellets, wipe down the RTD probe — it lives in the cooking chamber and picks up grease fast. Only after cleaning fails should you look at replacing the probe itself.

HEr — High Error Reading

HEr triggers when the grill's temperature exceeds 550°F. This is the one code on this list that should always be treated as a safety event, not a nuisance. Most AC grills are only rated to run a 450°F set point, so hitting 550°F almost always means something is actively burning that shouldn't be — a grease fire or flare-up in the firepot or drip tray.

Do this first, every time: turn the grill off and unplug it, but do NOT open the lid. Opening the lid feeds a grease fire more oxygen. Let the grill sit closed until it cools completely, then inspect the drip tray and heat baffle for grease buildup or misalignment before you light it again.

If HEr fires before the grill has actually reached anywhere close to 550°F — meaning the display shut down at a normal cooking temperature — that points to a sensor fault, not a real overtemp, and is worth a call to Traeger support rather than guesswork.

Err / Er1 — RTD Probe Disconnected

Both codes point to the same fault: a bad or broken connection between the RTD temperature probe and the control panel. The fix is mechanical, not a parts purchase. Unplug the grill, remove the two screws holding the controller housing, and check that the RTD wire leads are firmly seated in their connector inside the green housing box. Reseat them, reassemble, and restart. This alone clears the majority of Err/Er1 cases — a genuinely common mistake is ordering a new controller board for this when it's a loose wire nine times out of ten.

Er2 — RTD Probe Failed

Unlike Err/Er1, Er2 means the probe itself has failed, not just its connection. There's no reseating fix here — the sensor needs to be replaced. This 7-inch RTD probe is a direct, tool-free splice replacement that fits every full-size non-PTG Traeger grill and resolves Er2, persistent Err/Er1, and lingering LEr issues traced to a probe that's reading low even after cleaning.

Er3 / Er5 — Igniter Disconnected

The hot rod (igniter) has lost its connection to the controller. Unplug the grill, remove the four corner screws on the controller housing, and check the igniter leads. Reconnect firmly and restart. If Er5 specifically persists after reseating, that's the signal to contact support rather than keep reassembling the same connection. If the connection is solid but the rod simply isn't heating on a Smoke-setting hand test, this 200W AC hot rod igniter is the direct-fit replacement for non-WiFIRE grills — it also happens to fit several Pit Boss and Camp Chef AC models, which is worth knowing if you're stocking a spare for more than one grill.

Er4 — Induction Fan Disconnected

Not a pellet sensor, not a low-pellet warning — the draft/induction fan itself has lost its connection. Open the bottom hopper access panel and trace the orange wires to the fan; check that the connector is seated. If the fan spins freely but the connection checks out, or the fan doesn't spin at all, this OEM-spec induction fan (KIT0019) fits the AC grill lineup — Pro 20/22/34, Texas Elite, Lil' Tex, Tailgater, Ridgeland, Mesa, Century, and others.

Er6 / Er7 — Auger Codes

Er6 means the auger motor itself has disconnected and needs replacement — this is a more involved teardown through the bottom access panel and hopper assembly. Traeger doesn't currently list a single clean AC-specific auger motor on Amazon; your safest bet is going through Traeger's own parts store or a certified retailer for this one rather than guessing at a generic listing, since AC augers run on 120V and are not interchangeable with the WiFIRE-era 24V DC motors.

Er7 is the good news code on this list: it just means the auger jammed, and there's a built-in fix. With the grill in Idle, press and hold DOWN and IGNITE at the same time. The display flashes "Clr" and cycles the auger forward and backward for 60 seconds to break the jam free — no parts, no tools, no cost.

Traeger WiFIRE and Touchscreen Codes

If your grill connects to the Traeger app, it's speaking a different language entirely. These are the codes you'll see on Pro 575/780, Ironwood, Timberline, Silverton, Woodridge, and Westwood models.

ER01 (Error 0001) — High Temp Error. The WiFIRE equivalent of HEr. Same rule applies: treat it as a possible flare-up, don't open the lid on a hot fire, inspect once cooled.

ER02 (Error 0002) — Low Temp Error. The WiFIRE equivalent of LEr. Check pellets, hopper cleanout, and weather exposure the same way you would on an AC grill.

ER03 (Error 0003) — Low Ambient Temperature. This fires at startup in cold conditions before the grill has had a chance to build heat. Preheat longer and, if you're running in genuinely cold weather, block wind exposure to the hopper and firepot side of the grill.

ER06 (Error 0006) — Temp Sensor Disconnected. The controller has lost the RTD signal entirely — functionally the WiFIRE version of Er2. The same 7" RTD probe referenced above resolves this on WiFIRE models too.

ER07 (Error 0007) — Failed to Ignite / Flame Out Detected. The grill entered ignition mode but never established a flame within its timeout window. Causes stack up in this order: low or poor-quality pellets, a dirty or overfilled firepot, an ash "puck" blocking airflow, the lid left open during startup, or a hot rod that's disconnected or worn out. One detail worth knowing: if ash buildup physically contacts the igniter, it can trip a GFCI outlet — if that happens, that's a support call, not a DIY fix. Once you've ruled out pellets and cleaned the firepot, a failing igniter is diagnosed with a simple heat test on the Smoke setting; if it's not glowing or warming up, the D2 hot rod (KIT0255) is the correct replacement for Pro 575/780, Ironwood, Silverton, and Century 885 — note this is a 20V DC part and is not interchangeable with the AC hot rod above.

App errors 21, 22, 25. These live in the Traeger app, not on the grill itself, and they mean exactly one thing: the grill can't reach the cloud. It will keep cooking normally with no remote monitoring — this is the most over-panicked category of Traeger error there is. Traeger only supports 2.4GHz WiFi networks, so the fix is almost always reconnecting to the correct band rather than a hardware problem. If your auger or fan circuit genuinely needs replacing on a WiFIRE grill, the D2 auger motor (KIT0271) and D2 induction fan (KIT0411) are the correct DC-voltage parts — do not order the AC-spec fan or auger for a WiFIRE grill, they won't fit the wiring harness.

Pit Boss Error Codes

Pit Boss runs its own code set across both legacy dial controllers and newer LCD boards, and it doesn't map one-to-one onto Traeger's system.

Er1 / ErL — RTD Probe Connection

This is Pit Boss's most-reported code, and it's the direct analog of Traeger's Err/Er1. It means the panel has lost a clean connection to the RTD probe in the cooking chamber — usually from grease fouling, a loose connector, or a genuinely failed probe. Start with a power cycle (unplug for 10–15 minutes), then physically clean the probe. If it persists, open the hopper access panel and check the temperature-probe connector against your model's wiring diagram (downloadable by model number from Pit Boss's site). If cleaning and reseating don't clear it, this Pit Boss 700/820-series RTD probe is a plug-and-play replacement — and it's worth calling out that one owner on a forum replaced their control board twice chasing a persistent code before discovering an inexpensive probe was the actual fault. Check the cheap part before the expensive one.

ErH — Overheat

The safety-shutdown counterpart to Traeger's HEr. Same protocol: shut off, unplug, let cool, do not open the lid on an active grease fire, and inspect the chamber and drip system once safe. If overheating recurs on a clean grill, a faulty RTD probe reading incorrectly is a common culprit — again pointing back to the probe above before the control board.

Er2 / Er3 — Ignition and Flameout

Er2 means the fire never established during startup — the grill failed to exceed roughly 130°F within its startup window. Confirm the hopper has pellets and that the auger actually primed (you should see pellets drop when you hit Prime). Er3 means the fire went out mid-cook, usually from a pellet feed interruption, ash buildup in the burn pot, or a fan/auger issue. For both, a hand test on the igniter — feeling for heat or looking for a glow on the Smoke setting — tells you fast whether the hot rod is the problem. If it is, this 200W hot rod igniter 2-pack fits most Pit Boss and Camp Chef AC models and gives you a spare for the next time this part wears out, since it's one of the more common failure points on both brands.

ErP and noP — The Two Codes That Aren't Actually Problems

ErP simply means the grill wasn't shut down properly last session — the dial wasn't turned to OFF, or the power was cut mid-cycle by an outage or a pulled cord. Turn the dial fully to OFF, wait about two minutes, and restart. Nothing is broken.

noP means the meat probe — the one you stick in your food, not the internal RTD — isn't seated or is damaged. Reseat it until you hear it click into the port, or replace the meat probe itself if it still won't register. Don't confuse this with the RTD/chamber probe covered under Er1/ErL; they're different parts entirely.

The Parts Behind Almost Every Code

Strip away the brand-specific labels and both companies' error systems are protecting the same four components: the temperature probe, the igniter, the induction fan, and the auger motor. If you're chasing a recurring code on either brand, that's the order to check things in — probe first, igniter second, fan third, auger last — because that's also roughly the order from cheapest and easiest to most involved.

One fitment detail that trips people up on both brands: AC and WiFIRE/DC parts are not interchangeable. A 120V AC induction fan will not work on a D2 WiFIRE grill's 12V DC wiring harness, and the reverse is equally true for augers and hot rods. Match the part to your controller generation, not just the model name.

When to Fix It Yourself vs Call Support

Both Traeger and Pit Boss cover control boards and core electronics for multiple years — Traeger's warranty covers the controller for 3 years (7–10 years on the body/hopper depending on model), and Pit Boss covers electrical components for 5 years on most wood pellet grills. If your grill is still within that window, check your warranty status before buying and installing an aftermarket part — a self-repair with a non-OEM board can complicate a warranty claim you'd otherwise be entitled to.

Reset-and-clean codes — LEr, ErP, Er7, app errors 21/22/25 — are never worth a support call on their own. Safety codes — HEr, ErH — are worth a call if the shutdown happens at a temperature well below the actual trigger threshold, since that points to a sensor fault rather than a real overheat. And if you've already replaced the RTD probe or hot rod and the exact same code keeps returning, that's the point to stop guessing and get Traeger (1-800-TRAEGER, 6am–10pm MST) or Pit Boss (1-877-303-3134, 4am–8pm PST) on the phone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Almost every code on this list resolves with a reset, a cleaning, or a cheap probe swap — not a new controller board. The pattern holds across both brands: LEr and Er1/ErL are usually pellets or a dirty sensor, HEr and ErH are always worth a safety check first, and the ignition/auger codes almost always trace back to the same handful of wear parts. Match the code to your controller generation before you touch anything, keep a spare RTD probe and hot rod on hand if you're running an older AC grill hard through the season, and save the support call for when a part replacement doesn't actually clear the code.

For the maintenance habits that keep these codes from showing up in the first place, our complete pellet grill cleaning guide covers the firepot and probe upkeep that prevents most of what's listed here. And if you're deciding between brands after wrestling with either system, our Traeger vs Pit Boss breakdown gets into reliability track records beyond just error codes.