Mavic Air 2 with stress crack near battery latch after 3 hours flight time - anyone have this issue ?

Deleted member 127992 · Jul 2, 2020

DeeDrones said:
There is a gap there for sure. Mine is snug looks like your bird slipped through QA

I've sent the photo to DJI, wait for their response.

Rafter · Jul 2, 2020

Who did you originally buy it from, direct from DJI or via a distributor? in the UK our first call re a defect is with the original seller, not the manufacturer.

Deleted member 127992 · Jul 2, 2020

Rafter said:
Who did you originally buy it from, direct from DJI or via a distributor? in the UK our first call re a defect is with the original seller, not the manufacturer.

From the DJI/Amazon shop.
We have a local DJI support here in Germany. I called them and sent that photo to them.
It depends on the outcome - I still have the option to either return the MA2 Combo or place a warranty request via Amazon I think...

hiflyer201 · Jul 2, 2020

That bill is not excessive. DJI is saying that you damaged the drone and you are stating that the drone was defective. They have the data on all the flights. Ask them to prove that you damaged it.

Easterncommand · Jul 2, 2020

hiflyer201 said:
That bill is not excessive. DJI is saying that you damaged the drone and you are stating that the drone was defective. They have the data on all the flights. Ask them to prove that you damaged it.

Thanks for the info !

I will be sure to use that if needed. I suppose that to them, every returned drone is by default "user damaged" and things proceed from that viewpoint, with all roads leading to "You pay now ok ?"
I am not a subscriber to that mentality, nor will I pander to it. This thing cost good money and they should be responsible and make it right. That's what a good company does, yes . . .?
So we wait and see what happens. They have a great product and it is a new cutting edge product so anyone who knows manufacturing knows that unintentional things can ALWAYS crop up
like this.

It's how you deal with the issues and the customers that matter's most. I

EC

playstation · Jul 2, 2020

Good luck in getting a satisfactory resolve.

Leeedgar85 · Jul 3, 2020

Mine has those gaps too. Its also noticeably bigger on one side. I've removed the arms and they screw into a small lug which I assume is there to allow for flex. I really can't see how that would cause that crack. If anything it may cause some balance issues.

Easterncommand · Jul 3, 2020

Good morning all, a quick update to this ongoing saga...

After 4 days I have received their response as follows

I guess now we have "landing gear damage" in addition to the other problems added to our repair list.

Please bear in mind that this drone is brand new without a scratch or mark on it (see all the photos of this drone before packing and being shipped)

How best to respond to them ? Guess I wont be enjoying this drone during the summer this year or anytime soon

Thoughts anyone ? Happy 4th of July weekend to everyone following this post !

EC

Wayne （DJI Support）
2020年7月3日 GMT+8 上午9:22
Hi Paul,

Thank you for contacting DJI Technical Support.

We completely understand your point with the quotation that we sent you. Please allow me to look into this matter and assist you with the best possible solution to your issue.

Upon checking on your case based on the assessment of your technicians we deemed that the top shell was damaged, rear right landing gear, and a loose arm. Please be advised that any damage to the aircraft is already beyond its warranty coverage. Please kindly check our after-sales policy for the full coverage of your warranty After-Sales Service Policies - DJI.

Due to the damage on the aircraft we highly recommend replacing the said parts that were damaged to avoid future failure on your aircraft and to ensure your safety of you and your aircraft.

We are hoping for your understanding with this matter.

You will receive updates regarding the progress of your repair case through the email address you provided. You may also check the status by yourself at our website: DJI - The World Leader in Camera Drones/Quadcopters for DJI - The World Leader in Camera Drones/Quadcopters for Aerial Photography

Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us again and we will gladly assist you.

Thank you for choosing DJI products. Have a great day and please stay safe!
Best Regards,
Wayne
DJI Technical Support
Website: http://www.dji.com/supportYoutube: DJI Tutorials

Easterncommand · Jul 3, 2020

Here is another set of high res photo's of the drone before it was shipped back to them..

Does anyone see any damage.. Am I missing something, anything ?

What a joyful experience dealing with these folks !

EC

hiflyer201 · Jul 3, 2020

This is my history with DJI..I sent in a nearly two year old Mavic Air and controller that had 500 flights but was still pristine in my opinion. It had started to behave strangely in that it would no longer hover correctly and the gimbal wheel controlled the sideways movement..and the controller could not be calibrated to 100% in all directions.
They sent me an invoice stating that they changed out the right and left stick modules along with the gimbal wheel modules..about 9 bucks each and a 65 dollar service charge.
I sent them a note just asking how the controller damage could have occurred. They replied only that I would receive a slight discount. I think the discount was slightly less than 10 dollars. I sent them the money but I was not happy that they did not address what could have caused the problem. After what seemed like forever, I received back my drone..well not exactly the same drone but a Brand New Mavic Air of the same color, red, and a brand new controller. To tell the truth I was overjoyed when I opened the package and discovered what I'd received for my 80 bucks. So what more could they have done for me..nothing in my opinion. I think they went above and beyond what the majority of large corporations would do. Just like you, I'm sure they are wondering just what in the heck could have happened to your drone but I'm pretty sure they don't think it could been a manufacturing default.

Easterncommand · Jul 3, 2020

hiflyer201 said:
This is my history with DJI..I sent in a nearly two year old Mavic Air and controller that had 500 flights but was still pristine in my opinion. It had started to behave strangely in that it would no longer hover correctly and the gimbal wheel controlled the sideways movement..and the controller could not be calibrated to 100% in all directions.
They sent me an invoice stating that they changed out the right and left stick modules along with the gimbal wheel modules..about 9 bucks each and a 65 dollar service charge.
I sent them a note just asking how the controller damage could have occurred. They replied only that I would receive a slight discount. I think the discount was slightly less than 10 dollars. I sent them the money but I was not happy that they did not address what could have caused the problem. After what seemed like forever, I received back my drone..well not exactly the same drone but a Brand New Mavic Air of the same color, red, and a brand new controller. To tell the truth I was overjoyed when I opened the package and discovered what I'd received for my 80 bucks. So what more could they have done for me..nothing in my opinion. I think they went above and beyond what the majority of large corporations would do. Just like you, I'm sure they are wondering just what in the heck could have happened to your drone but I'm pretty sure they don't think it could been a manufacturing default.

I see your point hiflyer, and I would have been overjoyed too if they sent me a brand new unit in exchange for a 2 year old unit with issues. ECSTATIC actually !! On the other hand, this drone is not even 2 months old with less than 3 hours in pristine condition (when it left). So yes I want my drone back and at this point it boils down to 2 options -

1 - Pay and suck it up and hope I get brand new one back as that's essentially what I sent them
(although I cant really see them breaking mine apart and fixing it since there is nothing wrong but the trim ring)
Do they actually repair anything, or just ship new ones out after extracting a fee ?

2 - Provide more detail photos of the drone and the lack of any visible damage and try to argue the point with them
and see where that gets me.

3 - Request that they ship it back to me and I replace the trim ring or epoxy it.

Tisk, tisk tisk . . .

Thanks for your thoughtful reply hiflyer, you actually did well !
My luck would be that I would get sent a banged up refurbished used one

/sarc off

Cheers everyone

EC

DeeDrones · Jul 3, 2020

Easterncommand said:
I see your point hiflyer, and I would have been overjoyed too if they sent me a brand new unit in exchange for a 2 year old unit with issues. ECSTATIC actually !! On the other hand, this drone is not even 2 months old with less than 3 hours in pristine condition (when it left). So yes I want my drone back and at this point it boils down to 2 options -

1 - Pay and suck it up and hope I get brand new one back as that's essentially what I sent them
(although I cant really see them breaking mine apart and fixing it since there is nothing wrong but the trim ring)
Do they actually repair anything, or just ship new ones out after extracting a fee ?

2 - Provide more detail photos of the drone and the lack of any visible damage and try to argue the point with them
and see where that gets me.

3 - Request that they ship it back to me and I replace the trim ring or epoxy it.

Tisk, tisk tisk . . .

Thanks for your thoughtful reply hiflyer, you actually did well !
My luck would be that I would get sent a banged up refurbished used one

/sarc off

Cheers everyone

EC

Your drone most likely was handled poorly in Transit. Possibly fell through QA(doubtful). You could also have damaged it yourself with poor handling(Just saying all situations not saying you did) Fight as much as you can. If all fails just pay the 80 or ask for a discount. They will most likely ship a new drone.

Easterncommand · Jul 5, 2020

Just a quick update

Here is my response to DJI.. Lets see how it goes, I still have faith in the process . . .!

EC

Hello,

I am currently having an issue with a Mavic Air 2 drone that developed a crack on the upper trim ring while in flight on a hot summer day. The crack
developed on the left side of the drone right where the metal battery tensioner metal presses against it. I caught it while wiping it down upon landing
and immediately called tech support who requested that I stop flying it and return it. Since the drone is not even 60 days old, this is not an issue that I should
be seeing as everything else on this drone is perfect (nice job DJI). The drone has less than 3 hours of total flight time, and has NEVER been involved in any kind
of crash, rough landing or rough handling. As I said it was perfect in every way. It just appeared that somehow, the pressure of the battery latch overwhelmed the trim
ring or, it was defective and simply cracked. The flight was about 28 minutes long and the temp was about 95 degrees when it occurred.

So, I thought nothing of it, and it was simply a minor problem with the drone so I shipped it back in to get it fixed. To my shock I got a proposed bill for something that should have
been covered by even the most basic warranty. In addition, the tech now stated that there was damage to the right rear leg module and landing gear. How could this possibly be ?

When the drone was packed and shipped by me, it was in perfect, pristine condition. It sat properly, all of the arms and tolerances were perfectly tight and pristine looking, and there
were NO issues with anything other than the trim ring. I took close up high res photos of the drone before and during packing as well as close ups off all of the legs, the joins and tight tolerances,
and landing gear.

I would include them here, but they are rather large and numerous, so I will post a link to them here Mavic Air 2 with stress crack near battery latch after 3 hours flight time - anyone have this issue ?

Here is the body of the drone prior to shipping.. it is pristine condition with no apparent damage

Mavic Air 2 with stress crack near battery latch after 3 hours flight time - anyone have this issue ?

A close up of the rear legs and joints

Mavic Air 2 with stress crack near battery latch after 3 hours flight time - anyone have this issue ?

Perhaps something has happened to it during the trip back to you in shipping and it was handled roughly, causing further damage to occur to the drone after it left my posession,
but I can assure you that I packed it as well as I could. It was the fly more combo, so it originally arrived packed in the Bag inside the box, so it was a challenge to pack this drone
but I did the best I could See pics

Mavic Air 2 with stress crack near battery latch after 3 hours flight time - anyone have this issue ?

Mavic Air 2 with stress crack near battery latch after 3 hours flight time - anyone have this issue ?

I then packed that box into another bigger box and packed it with peanuts, so I have done all that I possibly can to prevent damage during the return.

I am sure you guys are as puzzled as me as to how this crack occurred without any apparent damage to the craft. It's a hard sell to imply that I was somehow able to
cause this defect to manifest like this on a brand new drone..

Please reconsider and simply repair the defective trim ring as requested under warranty and kindly return my drone to me while there is still some summer left in which to enjoy
this wonderful aircraft !

I could have super glued it in 2 minutes and avoided this whole nightmare in the first place and never imagined that I would get treated this way when having such a simple problem.

Thank you for any help you can provide . . .

Paul

jsflyrv · Jul 5, 2020

Easterncommand said:
Hi all,

I have a Mavic Air 2 with less than 3 hours flight time that developed a stress crack from the inside near where the battery release catch sits. The drone has had NO collisions or rough landings and was flying on a hot summer day and landed with this stress crack. (i inspect before and after every flight and caught it post flight while wiping it down.
I contacted customer support and they told me to not fly and return the item and they would replace the trim ring as that is all that was wrong with my drone. There were NO flight ISSUES with the drone. NONE !

View attachment 106511

Upon receipt DJI gave me an estimate for repair of $ 81.00 claiming that the upper trim ring had to be replaced, and they even managed to find a new problem with a lower arm module that somehow had to be replaced.. See pic's

View attachment 106512

Here are closeups of their images

View attachment 106513

As you can see, the crack has now cracked even more after their careful inspection process has completed. It was clearly visible in the photo originally shown earlier that the crack was from the inside. now you can really tell can you.

Here is the leg pic shown above they they claim is damaged

View attachment 106514

As luck would have it I simply fail to see whats wrong here, looks fine to me and there was no issue with the drones flight or any other irregularity that would point them to look here. What am I looking at here anyways ? Is there something wrong with the tight tolerance here ??? I'm stumped !!

So you know I took a pile of pic's b4 I sent it out and here it is for comparison.. My original pic of that leg

View attachment 106516

Cant really see any issue here when it left for repair of the upper trim ring ..

So, for the love of all things holy, how can this happen after only 3 hours of flight, and for an 800.00 drone that is not even 60 days old (no I dont have DJI care) . How can DJI want to charge me to repair an obvious defect (no the batteries were not swollen in any way and had about 5 charges in aggregate on them)

So the tab is $ 81.00 to get my drone back from them. I have Appealed the charges (see below)

(Hi, I need some help. .

This drone has less than 3 hours of flight time, was NEVER involved in any type of collision or crash and simply cracked in flight
on a hot summer day while filming right where the battery push button release sits against the side. I fail to see any damage on the rear arm module on the right side, and I am being charged a
service fee to fix what is obviously not damaged with the rear arm module. I don't understand what the computer image pic is all about either. I simply returned it as requested by the tech to fix
the problem which was that the drone cracked up around the battery latch. I have not posted this yet on all of the drone forums, but many others are seeing the exact same issue as the battery has not swollen at all,
it is simply defective and needs to be replaced. This drone cost a fair amount of money and I should not be experiencing this kind of issue right out of the box.

The drone has no issues flying and nothing other than the upper module cover should be replaced as that is ALL THAT IS WRONG !

I was told this upper cover would be replaced for free by the orginal tech I spoke with. I simply don't understand how you have created additional issues to justify charging for repair of an obviously defective upper cover module
which did h=not hold up against the battery latch pressure in all likelihood.

Please reconsider this estimate and illuminate me as to how this turned into a pay repair.

Thank you)

Now we wait to see what happens.. Can someone from DJI fix this for me.. ? Anyone else seeing this issue ?

And finally, why is the repair amount the exact same cost as a DJI care replacement drone ?

None of this seems right for a premier brand not to acknowledge a defect and make it right .

Anyhow.. that's my thoughts..

Anyone else have this kind of issue dealing the DJI ???

Thanks for any help you can provide

P

Easterncommand said:
Wow, how can we all look so different ?

As confucious say, "man with many watches, not know correct time"

What is it supposed to look like ? The tolerance is extremely tight for sure.

Here are photo's I took of mine as I was shipping it out to document the condition.

I cant see anything wrong here and had no idea there was a problem here with this as it flew fine and sat fine

View attachment 106534 View attachment 106535

Anyone from DJI want to chime in on this and help us all understand ?

EC

Easterncommand said:
Hi all,

I have a Mavic Air 2 with less than 3 hours flight time that developed a stress crack from the inside near where the battery release catch sits. The drone has had NO collisions or rough landings and was flying on a hot summer day and landed with this stress crack. (i inspect before and after every flight and caught it post flight while wiping it down.
I contacted customer support and they told me to not fly and return the item and they would replace the trim ring as that is all that was wrong with my drone. There were NO flight ISSUES with the drone. NONE !

View attachment 106511

Upon receipt DJI gave me an estimate for repair of $ 81.00 claiming that the upper trim ring had to be replaced, and they even managed to find a new problem with a lower arm module that somehow had to be replaced.. See pic's

View attachment 106512

Here are closeups of their images

View attachment 106513

As you can see, the crack has now cracked even more after their careful inspection process has completed. It was clearly visible in the photo originally shown earlier that the crack was from the inside. now you can really tell can you.

Here is the leg pic shown above they they claim is damaged

View attachment 106514

As luck would have it I simply fail to see whats wrong here, looks fine to me and there was no issue with the drones flight or any other irregularity that would point them to look here. What am I looking at here anyways ? Is there something wrong with the tight tolerance here ??? I'm stumped !!

So you know I took a pile of pic's b4 I sent it out and here it is for comparison.. My original pic of that leg

View attachment 106516

Cant really see any issue here when it left for repair of the upper trim ring ..

So, for the love of all things holy, how can this happen after only 3 hours of flight, and for an 800.00 drone that is not even 60 days old (no I dont have DJI care) . How can DJI want to charge me to repair an obvious defect (no the batteries were not swollen in any way and had about 5 charges in aggregate on them)

So the tab is $ 81.00 to get my drone back from them. I have Appealed the charges (see below)

(Hi, I need some help. .

This drone has less than 3 hours of flight time, was NEVER involved in any type of collision or crash and simply cracked in flight
on a hot summer day while filming right where the battery push button release sits against the side. I fail to see any damage on the rear arm module on the right side, and I am being charged a
service fee to fix what is obviously not damaged with the rear arm module. I don't understand what the computer image pic is all about either. I simply returned it as requested by the tech to fix
the problem which was that the drone cracked up around the battery latch. I have not posted this yet on all of the drone forums, but many others are seeing the exact same issue as the battery has not swollen at all,
it is simply defective and needs to be replaced. This drone cost a fair amount of money and I should not be experiencing this kind of issue right out of the box.

The drone has no issues flying and nothing other than the upper module cover should be replaced as that is ALL THAT IS WRONG !

I was told this upper cover would be replaced for free by the orginal tech I spoke with. I simply don't understand how you have created additional issues to justify charging for repair of an obviously defective upper cover module
which did h=not hold up against the battery latch pressure in all likelihood.

Please reconsider this estimate and illuminate me as to how this turned into a pay repair.

Thank you)

Now we wait to see what happens.. Can someone from DJI fix this for me.. ? Anyone else seeing this issue ?

And finally, why is the repair amount the exact same cost as a DJI care replacement drone ?

None of this seems right for a premier brand not to acknowledge a defect and make it right .

Anyhow.. that's my thoughts..

Anyone else have this kind of issue dealing the DJI ???

Thanks for any help you can provide

P

Easterncommand said:
Hi, no I always fully extend the props during my pre-flight check so as not to stress the props or motor bearings.. This drone was always run smooth as silk and never had even the slightest vibrations.

EC

Easterncommand said:
Wow, how can we all look so different ?

As confucious say, "man with many watches, not know correct time"

What is it supposed to look like ? The tolerance is extremely tight for sure.

Here are photo's I took of mine as I was shipping it out to document the condition.

I cant see anything wrong here and had no idea there was a problem here with this as it flew fine and sat fine

View attachment 106534 View attachment 106535

Anyone from DJI want to chime in on this and help us all understand ?

EC

It is obvious from the before and after photos that there was no damage to the leg before you sent it. I know it would take time but I would fight them on this. Keep sending the before photos you took compared to the photo they sent you. this company makes millions of dollars off of these things they do not need to rip someone off for $81.00. Also you photo show that they also damage the battery compartment more than it was when you sent it.

Easterncommand · Jul 11, 2020

Just a quick status update folks

I got this back from DJI on Tuesday of last week

Your request（#2890145）has been updated, please reply the email below.

Abbey （DJI Support）
2020年7月8日 GMT+8 上午10:48
Hi Paul,

Thank you for contacting DJI Technical Support.

A pleasant day to you.

We would like to apologize for the delayed responses as we are currently experiencing a high number of emails. We are continuously answering everyone's email as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience.

We are sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you. I will forward this dispute to our internal team and forward them as well the links of the pictures so they can re-evaluate the case. We will get back to you as soon a we receive any updates from them.

Should you have further queries or other concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us back.

Thank you for choosing DJI. Have a great day and keep safe always!

Best Regards,
Abbey
DJI Technical Support
Website: DJI Support – Here for You – DJI
YouTube:

DJI Tutorials

It is now Saturday morning without any sort of response, so I sent this in today out of desperation in trying to get the warranty honored

9:09 AM (3 minutes ago)

to DJI

Hi,

It's been a week and I am still waiting without any kind of answer from tech service or you other than a payment reminder !!

Can we expedite this problem resolution ? I would like my drone back you know....

Taking a week to respond every email I send is simply unacceptable as we are approaching 3 weeks now without any type of resolution to the warranty defect being fixed..

If you are not going to honor your warranty, please return my drone to me ASAP !

Thank you

Paul

TwoLiterSoda · Jul 11, 2020

I know it sucks but it's probably best to just pay the repair bill. In all honesty it's pretty cheap. With that said, I do agree that this shouldn't have happened but what's done is done. (Mod Removed Language) if you're short on $ I will happily pay the bill for you so you can get back in the air and enjoy the summer drone time. I know how much it stinks to be sidelined like this.

Deleted member 127992 · Jul 15, 2020

Easterncommand said:
Here is the leg pic shown above they they claim is damaged

View attachment 106514

As luck would have it I simply fail to see whats wrong here, looks fine to me and there was no issue with the drones flight or any other irregularity that would point them to look here. What am I looking at here anyways ? Is there something wrong with the tight tolerance here ??? I'm stumped !!

P

Hi, since I jumped in this thread on the above picture from the OP and compared that to a quite visible gap on that same leg on my MA2 I just want to inform you about the outcome:
I've sent my MA2 to DJI Germany. They told me, the rear leg was loose and sent back a picture.
They sent a quotation: 0,84 EUR for the rear leg and 50 EUR service fee. Then they put a discount of 50,84 EUR on it.
So the repair was free of charge. Very nice!
To my big surprise I received today a brand new MA2 with all stickers on it and new serial# off course.
A phone call to DJI German hotline confirmed everything. It is a MA2UE3W model which is hardware prepared for AirSense as I've read somewhere here.

Mitch · Jul 16, 2020

I’m not sure my comment is worth much in this regard but, I’ve experienced stress cracks with a phantom 3 and phantom 4 a few years back. Some were near the battery bay. As a rule of thumb since with my Mavic Pro Platinum and now Mavic Air 2, I only keep the battery in the drone when flying. I immediately take it out after completing a flight. This means I don’t store the battery in the drone ever other than when in flight. I don’t know if the battery over time puts stress on the drone body battery bay but I don’t take chances. Again, for what it’s worth.

Rchawks · Jul 16, 2020

I have a theory, the fuselage is made of plastic and the clips on both sides of the battery are made of metal. It takes a fair amount of pressure to snap the battery into place so it locks. If this is done with the legs extended it could put pressure on the joints which could cause damage where it connects to the drone body. If on the other hand if the drone body is held in one hand with support on the bottom as the battery is snapped into place it would not transfer stress to the legs. But could it cause a stress fracture to side rail immediately surrounding where the battery clips snap seeing how there is no reinforcement there? Just sayin. In my opinion it looks as if downward pressure is causing the fracture.

xunhui · Jul 16, 2020

Very interesting post. Not so much about the service charge but rather the issue of the crack and possible design issue. Best of luck with getting your drone returned soon and also with the charge of repair.