Phantom Dryer

[Ryan Shaw]

Hope there's a veteran DIY/handy guy who can point me in the right direction.  My tenant called about a strange issue she is having with her dryer and sent a video to verify the symptoms.  When the door is closed and the unit is plugged in, the drum spins, even when the unit is off (no display on screen) and there is no heat.  If you open the door the drum stops (door switch works fine).  With the door open, the controls appear to work as normal (power button and cycle selection knob appear functional).  I see two (potentially related as they showed up together) issues.

No heat - Maybe a bad heating element?

Dryer runs whenever it's plugged in and the door switch is closed - Not sure what could cause this

Any thoughts out there?

Dryer is an electric Samsung, model number DV395ETPAWR/A1

[Account Closed]

@Ryan Shaw, I'm with @Kevin Gerace in thinking that it's the control board that's wigging out and not the heating element.  That said, a quick tip for DIY parts replacement if you choose to go that route... if you're uncertain about what is wrong and opt to replace parts as the process of diagnosis, start with the least expensive part first and don't un-package the control board until you're absolutely certain you'll use it, as electronic parts are often not returnable if the package has been opened.

Good luck!