This issue comes if you move a refrigerator and do not keep it upright. An example is if you moved it in a pickup truck, but laid it on its back for easy transportation. Refrigerators are meant to stay upright. What can happen when you lay it down is that the lubricant from the compressor leaks into the cooling pipes. If you turn it upright and turn it on, the refrigerator may still run for a bit, but you run a high risk of actually damaging the compressor in your refrigerator and breaking the appliance. You could technically get the compressor replaced, but that is a complicated and expensive repair.
