My whirlpool side-by-side is getting hot on strip between doors but everything seems to be working fine. Is there a solution? What if it becomes extremely hot??

This is normal unless the refrigerator is not cooling properly. There is a pipe that goes around the door that carries hot Freon to keep the doors from sweating where the cold inside meets the warm air outside. This area will become extremely hot should the airflow below the refrigerator become obstructed or the condenser fan below the refrigerator not be working properly
APPLIANCE 911

Hi,
Here is a tip that I wrote about the reasons why the sides and/or seals couldbe getting hot on your refrigerator.

RefrigeratorTrouble The Outside of Refrigerator Hot
heatman101

Hi,
Here is a tip that I wrote about the reasons why the sides and/or seals couldbe getting hot on your refrigerator.

RefrigeratorTrouble The Outside of Refrigerator Hot
heatman101

thats complete;y normal especially if it runs a lot or you open and close the door a lot in a warm and humid climate

Remove the front grill and clean the coils of dust , pet hair , etc . Also pull the refrig out and remove the lower back panel . Check the cooling ( condensor ) fan there to see if it is running or blocked by insulation or any object . If not blocked or turning , replace the fan motor .
These are the only reasons the center strip will get very hot .

First , remove the kick plate and make sure the coils are clean of dust . lint , pet hair , etc . Then pull the refrig out and remove the rear lower panel , covering the compressor and cooling fan ( evaporator motor ) . Make sure this motor is working , if the compressor is running . If the fan does not work , then replace it as soon as possible . This fan , cools the coils and the compressor , which if not working , causes the divider strip to become extremely hot , and could cause the compressor to have problems , due to the heat . After removing the rear panel , be sure to re-install it , as this is there , to direct the air flow as needed .

I am not going to say the problem is normal. Normal operation those strips are placed behind the metal and inside the walls around the door seals to prevent moisture or sweating around the doors. They are usually noticed to become hot when there is a change in the control boards operation. Some brands have the hot gas from the condenser circulating around the doors. If your model has an economy switch, switch it on. I would look for any abnormal operation of the refrigerator like compressor or condenser fan stopping or ice buildup or abnormal temperatures in the fresh food compartment. If this continues I would unplug the refrigerator and open the control panel inside the fresh food section and examine both sides of the control board for signs of heat or burn marks on both sides. May not be anything to be concerned about also because this may be the first time you noticed this. But it should not be too hot to touch. Sea Breeze

could have a restriction in coils. not bad enough to effect cooling but not letting unit to cool of properly from coils

the fan by compressor is not running assuming that the rest of the refrig is ok.

This is normal to prevent frost or condensate around door seals. Sea Breeze