Panel is hot and freezer does not work!

normal if it is the outside surface that is warm
as that is the condenser exchanging the heat through a panel
the compressor will run for a period until the heat inside the compartment is brought down
Experience has proved that to get any fridge /freezer to work well , place a bowel of water in first as that gives a heat source to cool down and it will do so more quickly that just an empty volume

Some fridges have a drain that has a rubber valve in the hose that can get plugged up and then the water backs up instead of draining. You may have to take the back off the fridge (metal panel held on with a handful if screws), and I'd suggest go ogling the model and symptom to find a picture of the valve.

pull the unit from the wall, remove the bottom back panel , see if the small fan is working ,if the fan is , there's probally alot of dust back there,unplug the fridg. and vacuum the area real good,use a flash light to make sure you get it all, if the fan is not working and the compressor is running the fan is the problem ,the fan keeps the compressor and coils cool so the freon can cool down so the unit works like it should,if the freon is hot ,the air the fridg.will be blowing will be hot. this should fix your problem, and YES its worth fixing.alittle p.m.saves alot of $$$$$$$$$

If there is a short circuit, the circuit breaker protection in your house wiring would trip (Open the electrical circuit path).

It is normal for the condenser, which is on the outside of the appliance to be hot because it is transfering the heat from inside the freezer cabinet to the ambient air outside the cabinet. Make sure that you give the appliance enough space all around the hot condenser so that it can transfer its heat to the surrounding air efficiently.

P.S. Some freezer designs integrate the condenser coils into the metal cabinet, thus the hot side panels.

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

time to get a new freezer. check the floor under the freezer for coolant leakage, if none the compressor is ready to deep 6...

I have a Scandinova chest freezer and the left hand side froze, but not the right side, because the compressor in the box under the right side of the freezer was getting so hot, a small amount of heat was conducting back through into the right side of the freezer and preventing anything on that side from freezing!
I solved this problem by running the compressor outside of the of the freezer box, by taking the air vent off, unbolting the compressor and then pulling out by about 20cm and running it from there.

freezer works but fridge wont cool

Sounds like a blocked defrost drain. By "American" I presume you mean side-by-side.
I had a similar problem with a freezer-on-top style Samsung. The solution to that was to defrost the freezer, remove the false backing plate in the freezer (required removal of the ice cube tray. the panel just pops out with a bit of pulling). The drain hole beneath the freezer coils was blocked with ice. This drain passes down into the fridge and then out the back of the fridge into the evaporation pan next to the motor. There is a collector pan under the freezer coils, this and the drain hole were filled with ice. When the freezer goes into its self-defrost cycle the water collects here and then overflows into the fridge.
I removed the ice with hot water/vinegar mixture (so it doesn't re-freeze immediately) and simultaneosuly used a bit of chiselling with a screwdriver to clear the drain plug. I did this from inside the fridge working up the drain hole into the freezer. The whole job took about an hour.

It is normal for the freezer or fridge walls to be hot sometimes, some important points are to make sure that there is enough ventillation around the fridge/freezer, especcially the back, so that air can circulate around it freely. Also maybe just check that there hasn't been anything fallen down the back blocking the vent, and that there isn't a dust collection or anything. Otherwise as far as I know this is normal.